Happy Easter!

Easter Records

Easter music isn't anywhere NEAR as prolific as Christmas or Halloween music. A lot of people don't even know it exists.  

Here's a sample...... 

"Easter Parade" Rosemary Clooney (1955)

"Eggbert The Easter Egg" Rosemary Clooney (1952)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAYM2EBiVbw

"Little Johnny Chickadee" Rosemary Clooney (1952)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2g5M8qCtG0

"Bunny On The Rainbow" Rosemary Clooney (1952)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_n3YNDE1Zs

"Peter Cottontail" Rosemary Clooney (1955)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjrL9mPLOZA

"My Choc'late Rabbit" Rosemery Clooney (1955)

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7GOFm3lFUk

While Rosemary Clooney has some sort of record in Easter song recordings. she wasn't the only one.

 "Easter Mornin'" Gene Autry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6m8WzBOSCI

"The Horse With The Easter Bonnet" Gene Autry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSnMZdjvcq4

Bad Saturday Morning Cartoons Of The '70s

The Brady Kids Meet Wonder Woman

I can just imagine this. Several ABC-TV programming honchos are sitting at a large table in a conference room, snorting a mountain of cocaine while trying to come up with new Saturday morning cartoon ideas.

Suddenly one of them jumps up and says "I'VE GOT IT! Why not make a cartoon with the kids from The Brady Bunch....and Wonder Woman!"

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

The Osmonds

The Osmonds were at their commercial peak in 1972. So Rankin-Bass, following the EXACT same formula of their successful Jackson 5ive cartoon, decided to recycle that into this show. And I do mean RECYCLE......

Easter Egg Colouring Kits

Pizza Snacks

 

 

And who could forget these?

Strange Audio Gadgets

 

The Devineau Biophone Attachment was a strange and unique gadget that allowed you to play gramophone records on cylinder phonographs......

Combination Tape Recorder/Phonographs

.....or tape recorders that attach to phonographs......

Jacques Dutronc

This one's for the ladies.....

Clearly, nothing says "sex appeal" like some dude with a cigarette hanging nonchalantly out his mouth.

Meet Jacques Dutronc, he was one of France's hottest stars of the '60s and '70s. He scored a number of hits there and in French Canada (he's probably best known amongst American music fans as the husband of singer Francoise Hardy.) I once found a 45 of this song "J'aime Les Filles" or "I Love The Girls". 

I found it at my favourite thrift shop in a random bag of 45s, some 40 of them for $1.00 

The lyrics.....

J'aime les filles de chez Castel
J'aime les filles de chez Régine
J'aime les filles qu'on voit dans "Elle"
J'aime les filles des magazines

J'aime les filles de chez Renault
J'aime les filles de chez Citroën
J'aime les filles des hauts fourneaux
J'aime les filles qui travaillent à la chaîne

Si vous êtes comme ça, téléphonez-moi
Si vous êtes comme ci, téléphonez-me

J'aime les filles à dot
J'aime les filles à papa
J'aime les filles de Loth
J'aime les filles sans papa

J'aime les filles de Mégève
J'aime les filles de Saint-Tropez
J'aime les filles qui font la grève
J'aime les filles qui vont camper

Si vous êtes comme ça, téléphonez-moi
Si vous êtes comme ci, téléphonez-me

J'aime les filles de la Rochelle
J'aime les filles de Camaret
J'aime les filles intellectuelles
J'aime les filles qui m'font marrer

J'aime les filles qui font vieille France
J'aime les filles de Cinéma
J'aime les filles de l'Assistance
J'aime les filles dans l'embarras

Si vous êtes comme ça, téléphonez-moi
Si vous êtes comme ci, téléphonez-me...

I ran these lyrics through Babelfish and got this translation......

I love the girls from Castel
I love the girls from Régine
I love the girls one sees in "Elle"
I love the girls of the magazines
I love the girls from Renault
I love the girls from Citroen
I love the girls of the blast furnaces
I love the girls who work with the chain
If you are like that, telephone to me
If you are like Ci, telephone me

I love the girls with dowry
I love the girls with dad
I love the girls of Loth
I love the girls without dad
I love the girls of Mégève
I love the girls of Saint-Tropez
I love the girls who strike
I love the girls who will camp
If you are like that, telephone to me
If you are like Ci, telephone me

I love the girls of the La Rochelle
I love the girls of Camaret
I love the intellectual girls
I love the girls who make merrier
I love the girls who make old France
I love the girls of Cinema
I love the girls of The Assistance
I love the girls in embarrassment
If you are like that, telephone to me
If you are like Ci, telephone me…

Wow.....I've been through every type of girl he mentions...except for those girls of the blast furnaces. Who knew?

Jeno's Frozen Pizza

You gotta LOVE Jeno's Frozen Pizza.

Usually on sale for $1.50 or less each in most supermarkets, they are a cheap and super tasty way to get your tummy full in 11-12 minutes in a 450° oven. College students LIVE on Jeno's pizza and air.

But I'm also old enough to remember when Jeno's pizzas were also a little bigger than the 8" in diameter they are today. They used to be 12" in the '60s and '70s....

10" from 1983 to the 1990s. And 8" from then to today - mostly because of cost cutting, but also because Jeno's had been bought by it's budget frozen pizza rival, Totino's (both now owned by General Mills Inc.) Totino's pizzas are still 10" diameter.

Jeno's even made pizza mix. In fact, this came out before they made frozen pizza!

I always thought Jeno's tasted better than Totino's, even though technically, they are actually the same. But the one thing everybody complains about Jeno's is they never put enough mozzarella cheese on their pizzas. So you usually had to buy a bag of shredded mozzarella to compensate.

In 1967, they released this album, a selection of accordion music called Music to Eat Pizza By.

TV Tray Stands

TV tray stands....STILL mandatory in many households (namely mine!)

Shhhhh! Milton Berle is on.....

The TV tray stand wasn't necessarily a by-product of 1950's television. They actually had lap tray sets as far back as the 1930s for families to listen to the radio while eating their dinner.

Yma Sumac

Yma Sumac "Voice of The Xtabay" (10" inch LP, 1952) Right here is where "Exotica" music began.....

Before Minnie Riperton and Mariah Carey, Peruvian singer Yma Sumac was considered to have the widest vocal range of any known singer, over FIVE octaves (that's a range going nearly the entire human vocal spectrum, from a gut-deep basso to an ear piercing C-note. The best opera singers can barely accomplish two octaves.)


But WHO was she?

She was reportedly descended from the last Incan emporer, Atahualpa (although no DNA evidence was ever presented, it's a claim supported by the Peruvian government.)

It was also claimed in the 1950s she was nothing more than a housewife from Brooklyn named Amy Camus (and "Yma Sumac" was this name backwards.) However, that rumor has been discredited by several Peruvian and Argentinian records she recorded for Odeon in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

The shellac doesn't lie......

Her popularity peaked in the 1950s during the hi-fi craze. Her exotic look, music and voice made her very popular with young hi-fi fans. In fact, before the first formal hi-fi demonstration albums, it was her records that were the bench test of hi-fi enthusiasts.

One of her most famous was Mambo! (10" inch LP, 1955)

 

Here's Side One.....

Yma Sumac died November 1, 2008.


 

Marcel Marceau's Lost "Best Of" Album

In 1970, famous mime Marcel Marceau (spelled incorrectly "Marceao") released an album.

It was silent on both sides, except for one minute of roaring applause at the end of each side.......

Homemade Records

You know? There's a part of me that's REALLY kicking myself for not buying a similar Presto K-10 in Eastern Washington for $40 14 years ago. If I only known you could use disposable plastic plates as blanks...... 

It's straight, warm, tubey sounding lo-fi mono sound and disposable plate "vinyl" makes it perfect for recording punk or DYI/Outsider music 

Reddi-Bacon

 

In the late '70s, the makers of Reddi-Wip had a GREAT idea.

It looked promising (they DID invent the spray whipped topping.) Bacon in minutes without the messy clean up.

These foil wrapped packets of goodness were a godsend. But, there WERE problems. The packets tended to leak hot grease, creating an instant fire hazard and a disgusting mess in your toaster. Often, you had to throw out the toaster.

Eventually, this idea would be revisited again with pre-cooked microwavable bacon in the late '80s. 

The Dodge La Femme

It's pretty much a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer with a pretty pink paint job, it's own nameplate and a few extra goodies.

The Dodge La Femme was the first car specifically marketed towards women.

It was a gorgeous car. And it had everything the modern woman of 1955 could want. Including a matching shoulder bag/purse, matching makeup case, matching rain cap, matching cigarette case, matching umbrella and matching raincoat. (Matching dream house extra.)

While finding a 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer is easy, the La Femme's are much harder.

In spite of the dealer hype, few women felt the need to change their entire wardrobe around a car. Even back then, this vehicle probably evoked horrifying images of matching poodles in their minds as well.

But this car was, after all, a patronizing appeal to the classic male ideal of femininity, rather than how the woman of the 1950's actually saw herself.

It wasn't a real model either. The La Femme was a $143 option for the Lancer. So it's hard to tell how many were actually made, but it's presumed something around 2,500. It was discontinued in 1957.

PAUL IS DEAD!

Remember those "Paul Is Dead" Beatle rumours that spread around for decades. They all started with this INFAMOUS 1969 WABC broadcast.

WABC 770 AM New York had a MAMMOTH nighttime skywave signal that could be heard as far west as Denver, CO. And people everywhere tuned in. They even showed up in the Pittsburgh radio ratings!

Granted, Roby Yonge did not last long on WABC. There's a story about this Rick Sklar (his former program director at WABC) wrote in his book "Rocking America" (A GREAT READ - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) you should read.....

You can just imagine the HORROR on his face when he heard this!......

"The Unicorn" The Irish Rovers (1967)

Happy St. Patrick's Day......Of which would NEVER be complete without a mandatory playing of this classic. Which was written by the late Shel Silverstein (who also wrote "A Boy Named Sue" for Johnny Cash and "Cover Of The Rolling Stone" and "Sylvia's Mother" for Dr. Hook. As well as the classic children's books The Giving Tree and A Light In The Attic. I should write a post on Shel Silverstein. He's far more prolific than you might have ever known....)

Glen Campbell also played guitar on this song.

The Irish Rovers were an Irish folk band by way of Canada. They had several Canadian variety TV shows and specials. But very few other American radio hits. Their last appearance on the US charts was in 1980 with "Wasn't That A Party", by this time the band credited themselves as simply The Rovers.

Admiral Stereo Demonstration Record, 1958

 

A classic stereo demonstration record from the late 1950s. With that PHANTOM Third Channel! This video sounds good on any decent stereo output. I have my computer patched in the AUX input of my 1983 vintage Sony STR-VX300 stereo receiver and it REALLY sounds good.

The label looks strangely like Decca's multi-color bar label of the early '60s to the early '70s. But it was made by RCA. Hmmm......

The Truth

"Tennessee Bird Walk" Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan (1970)

One of the last singles released on Mercury subsidiary Smash, the venerable label of off the wall country music (Roger Miller, George Jones and Jerry Lee Lewis all recorded for Smash during the '60s.)

Even though the label's founder, Shelby Singleton went on to form his own empire with Plantation Records and his purchase of Sun Records in 1968, Smash still kept it's offbeat nature. And that's where we find this song.

Sea Monkeys

Sea Monkeys were an adorable, but BLATANT rip off. But to a 7 year old kid, they looked awesome.

The comic book ads looked tempting enough. I mean, just look at them. They looked so suburban. And intelligent. "THEY CAN EVEN BE 'TRAINED'" read the ad copy.

So after skipping sodas for a week, I collected $1.25

First, I had to get a fish bowl. Luckily, we still had one set aside after our goldfish swam to fishy heaven.

There were 4 packets. Water purifier, "Instant Life", "Living Plasma" and "Super Food", a feeding spoon and instructions.

The water had to be pure. Chlorine, metals, fluoride and minerals are bad for sea creatures. So. Water purifier packet and distilled water. Wait 24 hours.....

The package guaranteed they would magically appear before your very eyes. They forgot to mention you had to have superhuman vision. My mom's magnifying glass was of little use. There WERE super tiny particles in the water that appeared to have a sense of independent motion. But not enough to impress.

And where's the suburban looking Sea Monkey families? OK, they were just hatched. So when did they reach maturity? Get jobs and build houses and that sort of thing?

Granted, our Sea Monkeys didn't last a week before we threw it all out out of boredom....

Conquer The Video (Game) Craze - 1982

If you STILL love those classic '80s arcade games (and WHO doesn't?) There was a very special vinyl LP they made back in 1982 for you that you probably need to know about.

Surprisingly, even in the age of the Walkman, this NEVER got released to CASSETTE. When it mattered. It was on vinyl only...

It is an album filled with video game tips on how to defeat anything from Dig-Dug to Defender....Centipede to Pac-Man (for the arcade classics, but may work just as well for your more accurate home video games versions.)

Good luck figuring how all that translates out on a typical PS/X-Box/Wii controller.

Before They Were Stars: "Ringo I Love You" Bonnie Jo Mason (1964)

From 1964, here's a 17 year old baritone chick named Bonnie Jo Mason and her tribute to the Beatle's drummer dude.

Who was Bonnie Jo Mason? That was a pseudonym given to Cher by one Phil Spector for her first ever single.

"Baby....I'M gonna make YOU a star....."

The single flopped, namely because it's been said that radio stations and Beatles fans thought it was a love song from a gay (male) fan of Ringo's. Female singers weren't supposed to have such big baritone voices back then.

Come 1965, and enter Sonny Bono. Actually, he's been there the whole time, but it was about this time Sonny & Cher had their first hit "Baby Don't Go" (they originally released the song under the duo name Caesar & Cleo for Reprise Records.) By this time, Cher's voice had been adjusted (under Bono's pressure, I presume.) Instead of him coming down to her key, she had to come up to his.....and have a bit of that trendy Bob Dylan twang that Bono was aping himself back then......And the rest is history....

Are YOU Stuck In The '80s?

For every question you answer yes to, add a point....The graph of how
really stuck in the eighties you really are follows at the end of the
test.....

Fashion

    * You own a skinny tie and know where it is.
    * You wear a skinny tie from time to time.
    * You wear polo shirts.
    * You wear Izod polo shirts.
    * You have a duck tail/rat tail.
    * You wear freindship pins.
    * You give out friendship pins.
    * You wear clothes with "Ocean Pacific" labels clearly visable.
    * You wear Member's Only jackets.
    * You wear Kangaroo Shoes.
    * You wear a single glove like Michael Jackson.
    * You wear a Swatch .
    * You own something with ESPRIT clearly visable on it.
    * You wear Banana Republic shirts/shorts.
    * You rip slits into your jeans on purpose.
    * You have a mohawk.
    * You wear VANS sneakers.
    * You wear pastel colored clothing.
    * You wear sweatshirts like they did in "Flashdance" (ripped, or off one shoulder)


  * You wear those shirts/coats that zip (or fasten) in a diagonal way
which then flop down to make a triangular shape on your chest

Music

    * You own a Milli Vanilli album.
    * You listen to Milli Vanilli.
    * You have a CD of the "New Kids" you listen to.
    * You refer to dance music as disco.
    * You're waiting for Depeche Mode to become popular.
    * You're waiting for Morrissey to cheer up.
    * You know the original line up of Duran Duran.
    * You still have a crush on Nick Rhodes.
    * You refer to Bruce Springsteen as "The Boss"
    * You still talk about whether or not the video for a song is any good.
    * You still prefer 12 inch mixes over CD singles.
    * You think Madonna's "Like A Virgin" would imply she was still "pure."
    * You eagerly await the next hit single from Menudo to come out any day now.
    * You still like "Thriller."
    * You miss "Captain EO" from DisneyWorld.
    * You call the guy who wrote "Little Red Corvette", Prince.
    * You know all the words to "Rio."
    * You own more than one album by either A Flock Of Seagulls, Toto or Mr. Mister.
    * You listen to a "Top 40 Countdown" every weekend.
    * You refer to albums as LP's and call music stores, record stores.

Fads

    * You own a Smurf figurine.
    * You also own a Smurf mushroom house for the Smurf figurines.
    * You have a stuffed animal on the window of your car.
    * You have a stuffed Garfield on the window of your car.
    * You talk like, you know, a Valley Girl from time to time.
    * You use the phrase "Yeah, That's The Ticket"
    * You use the word "DUDE" at all (and with a straight face).
    * You still say, "Well isn't that special?"
    * You have a pair of sunglasses with lights behind the lenses.
    * You play video games on an Atari 2600.
    * You argue as to wether Transformers are better than Go-bots.
    * You think "Where's the Beef?" is far better than "I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up"
    * You have a Cabbage Patch Kid out in plain sight somewhere in your house.
    * You've never given up hope that you might someday solve a Rubik's Cube.
    * You think that people still breakdance to rap music.
    * You think wine from a box is as neat as sliced bread.
    * You own California Raisins merchandise.
    * You don't know that Spuds Mackenzie is a female dog.
    * You think you can get killed by mixing pop rocks and soda.
    * You own a BMX bike and still freestyle with it.

Like, You Know, The Stuff That Doesn't Like, Fit In Anywhere Else

    * You didn't know that Tiffany doesn't write her own songs.
    * You get your advice from Dr. Ruth.
    * You still cry when you watch E.T.
    * You think the only reason O.J. Simpson is famous is because of football.
    * You refer to Russia as the U.S.S.R. and think they're a bunch of commies.
    * You drive a Yugo.
    * You collect Garbage Pail Kids.
    * You still take your Flintstone vitamins.
    * You drive a DeLorean.
    * You play Laser Tag.
    * You like making Shrinky-Dinks.
    * You use a Trapper Keeper for homework assignments.
    * When you make a mistake you say, "...and now we know. And knowing is half the battle."
    * When someone calls for someone more than once in public, you start saying, "Bueller, Bueller, Bueller."
    * If someone says, "Who are you gonna call?" the first thing you say is "Ghostbusters."
    * You can still quote stupid things that Dan Quayle has said at one time.
    * You think skateboarding is rad.
    * You think that WWF wrestling isn't choreographed.
    * You still try to make your hair stand up as high as possible with tons of hairspray and mousse.
    * You're actually keeping score and will see where you place on this test.

Scoring

    * 60-80 Points Total

    Get help, you stand out in a crowd, people point and laugh at you
in public, really. Go out and buy a Nirvana CD or something, you're sad!

    * 40-60 Points Total

    There's hope for you, try watching some television. Get outside in
public, and notice you look like a total geek next to everyone else
except Bob Dole.

    * 20-40 Points Total
      You've almost totally gotten away from the eighties, or your real young and hardly
remember the eighties at all. Clean out your closet and you'll probably
come close to be considered hip.

    * 00-20 Points Total
      You've forgotten everything about the eighties, I'm willing to bet you don't even remember your name.

8-Track Flashback: The Flipside

Remember those old 8-Track music tapes you still probably got stashed somewhere?

How one day, somewhere in the summer of 1980 as you're driving your AMC Pacer to a Sambo's for pancakes, you decided to break out that Loverboy 8-Track out of the glove box.  Thirsty as hell, you stop by a Tradewell store on the way to Sambo's and buy a can of Tab.

You open up the can of Tab and the can erupts, spilling the fizzy brown saccharine flavoured liquid down onto the Loverboy 8-Track.

Well, it looked like only the label got soaked. So you think 'why not' and put the thing in the player. "Working For The Weekend" plays and...well...never mind, just listen to this:

http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/BT/Egnekn_-_Going_off_the_deep_end.mp3

Now how MUCH would YOU pay to hear THAT again?

For only $15, you can have this damaged classic and more JUST LIKE IT on one dysfunctional CD. Introducing 8-Track Magic, a compilation CD of music from messed up 8-Track tapes from Artists Throwing Money Out the Window.

And surprisingly, this disc was made in 1994.

http://www.generatorsoundart.org/GL-02.html

ATMOW has either gotta be the trippiest bunch of aural freaks I've heard since Negativland (or even The Residents.)  Or the biggest rip-off in the name of "art" in history. Perhaps it should be "People Throwing Money Out the Window"

I mean, for that same price, I could buy a whole box full of REAL messed up 8-Track tapes (including the player) and actually get a more artistic experience because I am WATCHING the machine destroy the tapes before my eyes.

Here's another one.

Check this out: OK, your buddy calls you and dude says his refrigerator is silent. I mean like, REALLY silent. So for some reason, you don't plug it in, call the landlord (or even maybe grab a blow dryer and do a defrost.) Instead, you stick a tape recorder in it (WARNING: THE FOLLOWING AUDIO MAY BE SHOCKING TO SOME LISTENERS):

http://www.generatorsoundart.org/sound/GL-06.mp3

This ENTIRE smash CD The Silent Fridge of POP.AC also is yours for $15:

http://www.generatorsoundart.org/GL-06.html

John Travolta's Album

John Travolta's eponymous debut album (1976) was one of MANY albums by popular Hollywood TV stars of the '60s, '70s and '80s. Released on Midland International (Silver Convention, Thor), the album was released at the peak of Travolta's TV success as Vinnie Barbarino on the TV sitcom Welcome Back Kotter.

This album didn't generate the same success as his TV show. But it did sell respectably well. and generated a Top 10 single "Let Her In".

But his career would skyrocket a year later.......and the rest would be history......

Do YOU Dream about THIS Man?

He kinda looks like Donald Fagen of Steely Dan...



But THOUSANDS of people say they've had a dream about him

http://thisman.org/

Personally, I think they fell asleep listening to Katy Lied.......

"Heaven On The Seventh Floor" Paul Nicholas (1977)

Well before "Love In An Elevator".........

Before They Were Stars: Rainbo

Here's a track from a scorned chick named Rainbo. 

The object of her ire was the infamous full frontal nude cover of John Lennon/Yoko Ono's LP "Two Virgins". 

Rainbo? 

Well, she went on to get drenched in pigs blood and telekinetically kicked everyone's ass. However, that scene launched Rainbo's film career.

You might better know her as Sissy Spacek.

"John You Went Too Far This Time" Rainbo (aka Sissy Spacek) (1969)

Amazing TRUE Rock N' Roll Facts

- Axl Rose's real name is William Bailey. 

- One of the most collectable Def Leppard records is the first pressing of "Pyromania". It was the last Mercury LP with it's iconic '70s "photo" label of the company's original headquarter's building in Chicago. All the other pressings bore the black Mercury label of the '80s (also on the first black label pressings, the first run of Side 2 labels has "Foolin'" retitled as "Foolin' Around". This was said to have been by a disgruntled employee at PolyGram's pressing plant.)

- "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was inspired by a deodorant. Teen Spirit is a sweet scented deodorant made by Mennen (later by Colgate/Palmolive) marketed to adolescent girls. Kathleen Hanna (lead singer of the punk band Bikini Kill), spray painted "Kurt smells like Teen Spirit" on his wall. At the time the song was released, Cobain allegedly had no idea that the brand even existed; when he did find out, he was rather upset that the song had been named after a line of deodorant.

- The group UB40 took their name from the form used by the unemployment office in Britain.

- Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash recorded some smooth jazz CDs in the early 2000s.

- Mick Mars of Motley Crue originally played in a band called Motley Croo in the early '70s

- Waylon Jennings, who was Buddy Holly's bass player was once offered a seat on Holly's ill-fated charter plane in 1959. Jennings, who didn't like to fly declined the seat and the seat was given to JP Richardson (aka The Big Bopper.) Buddy Holly told Waylon "I hope you freeze on that bus" and Waylon said, jokingly "Well, I hope your plane crashes" The rest is history.

- Donald Fagan of Steely Dan had stage fright and never sang lead on the band's first concerts.

- When a poem called "Too Many Teardrops" was put to music, it was re-titled "69 Tears". Knowing that a song with such a name would never get any radio airplay, it was re-named "96 Tears" and by October, 1966 became a number one hit for Question Mark and The Mysterians. 

- Bruce Springsteen was once an opening act for Anne Murray.

-  The distinct horse logo that appeared on most of Poco's albums was designed by Saturday Night Live star, Phil Hartman.

- When Decca Records first released "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley And His Comets in the Spring of 1954, most people had never heard of Rock And Roll and the company had a hard time describing the song. The label on the single called it a "Novelty Foxtrot."

- Cher was a background vocalist on the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling". She also sang on "Be My Baby" The Ronettes and on Darlene Love's singles.

- Darlene Love, who sang lead vocals on The Crystals hits "He's A Rebel", the original version of "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and "He's Sure The Boy I Love", played Danny Glover's wife in all four Lethal Weapon movies.

- When Janis Joplin was in college in 1963, a local fraternity voted her "The Ugliest Man on Campus."


- Before Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills and Nash, the original trio had already asked George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood to become the fourth member of their group.

- The estate of Michael Jackson owns the rights to the South Carolina State anthem.

-  During the last years that Elvis Presley performed live, he opened his shows with "The Theme From 2001". When asked about it, Presley said that he felt the number 2001 had a special significance in his life that he couldn't explain. Elvis died August, 16, 1977, which numerically is 8-16-1977. When these numbers are added up, they equal 2001.
 
- After Prince converted to being a Jehovah's Witness in May of 2001, fans could count at least 50 songs the artist can no longer perform due to their explicit content, including hits such as "Little Red Corvette" and "Cream".

- When Cher topped the Billboard Hot 100 with "Believe" in March, 1999, she became the first female over the age of 50 to have a chart topping record. 

- When Roberta Flack was awarded a gold record for her 1973, number one hit, "Killing Me Softly With His Song", she wanted to listen to her song etched in gold. She removed the disc from its frame and placed it on a turntable, only to hear "Come Softly to Me" by The Fleetwoods. 

- ABC radio decided not to play Billie Holiday's "Love For Sale" because the lyrics are about prostitution. They were also successful in getting Cole Porter to change the lyric of "I Get A Kick Out Of You", a hit for Frank Sinatra. Porter's original words were "I get no kick from cocaine". The cleaned up version was "I get perfume from Spain" (Sinatra also recorded the original version.)

- In 1970, MGM records, under the leadership of President and future lieutenant governor of California, Mike Curb, canceled the recording contracts of 18 of their acts because they believe the performers promoted hard drugs in their songs. Among those who were dropped were squeaky clean night club performers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Interestingly, they kept Eric Burdon and War, who made drug references in most of their songs.

- In 1986, Frank Zappa's album, "Jazz from Hell" had an "explicit lyrics" warning sticker put on it by Fred Meyer Music Markets. "Jazz From Hell" was entirely instrumental.

- In 2001, radio conglomerate Clear Channel Communications, the largest owner of radio stations in the United States, compiled an advisory list of songs which stations might wish to avoid playing in the short term following the terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center and The Pentagon. That list includes such classic rock standards as:

Steve Miller "Jet Airliner"
Van Halen "Jump"
Queen "Another One Bites the Dust"
Queen "Killer Queen"
Pat Benatar "Hit Me with Your Best Shot"
Kansas "Dust in the Wind"
Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven"
The Beatles "A Day in the Life"
The Beatles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
The Beatles "Ticket To Ride"
The Beatles "Obla Di, Obla Da"
Bob Dylan "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"
Arthur Brown "Fire"
Paul McCartney and Wings "Live and Let Die"
Billy Joel "Only the Good Die Young"
Barry McGuire "Eve of Destruction"
Steam "Na Na Na Na Hey Hey"
Drifters "On Broadway"
Shelly Fabares "Johnny Angel"
Los Bravos "Black is Black"
Peter and Gordon "I Go To Pieces"
Peter and Gordon "A World Without Love"
Elvis "(You're the) Devil in Disguise"
Zombies "She's Not There"
Elton John "Benny & The Jets"
Elton John "Daniel"
Elton John "Rocket Man"
Jerry Lee Lewis "Great Balls of Fire"
Santana "Evil Ways"
Louis Armstrong "What A Wonderful World"
Youngbloods "Get Together"
Ad Libs "The Boy from New York City"
Peter Paul and Mary "Blowin' in the Wind"
Peter Paul and Mary "Leavin' on a Jet Plane"
Rolling Stones "Ruby Tuesday"
Simon And Garfunkel "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
Happenings "See You in September"
Carole King "I Feel the Earth Move"
Yager and Evans "In the Year 2525"
Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky"
Brooklyn Bridgevv "Worst That Could Happen"
Three Degrees "When Will I See You Again"
Cat Stevens "Peace Train"
Cat Stevens "Morning Has Broken"
Jan and Dean "Dead Man's Curve"
Martha & the Vandellas "Nowhere to Run"
Martha and the Vandellas/Van Halen "Dancing in the Streets"
Hollies "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"
San Cooke / Herman Hermits, "Wonderful World"
Petula Clark "A Sign of the Times"
Don McLean "American Pie"
J. Frank Wilson "Last Kiss"
Buddy Holly and the Crickets "That'll Be the Day"
John Lennon "Imagine"
Bobby Darin "Mack the Knife"
Surfaris "Wipeout"
Blood Sweat and Tears "And When I Die"
Dave Clark Five "Bits and Pieces"
Tramps "Disco Inferno"
Paper Lace "The Night Chicago Died"
Frank Sinatra "New York, New York"
Creedence Clearwater Revival "Travelin' Band"
Neil Diamond "America"
Tom Petty "Free Fallin'"
Bruce Springsteen "I'm On Fire"
Bruce Springsteen "Goin' Down"
Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight"
Chi-Lites "Have You Seen Her"
Animals "We Gotta Get Out of This Place"
Fontella Bass "Rescue Me"
Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels "Devil with the Blue Dress"
James Taylor "Fire and Rain"
Edwin Starr "War"
Lynyrd Skynyrd "Tuesday's Gone" 

Cheers!

Pizza Haven

Pizza Haven was a Puget Sound area pizza chain.