Keener 13

By Bob Berry

I came across a picture from my Orlando radio days of Dennis Edwards at Walt Disney World, and a light bulb went on!

“TBT with The Temptations on Keener!”. The psychedelic soul/social consciousness/Norman Whitfield-Barrett Strong-song Temptations!

Dennis bringing some sauce to the Fab Five’s vocal mix, and the Funk Brothers, in their own full funky flower; from the opening notes of Bob Babbitt’s bass line, to the snap and fills of Uriel Jones’ drums. The incredible multi-lead voices of Dennis, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and Melvin (“and the band played on”) Franklin. And let us not forget Tempts co-founder Otis Williams doing what he did, harmonizing with his guys.

By now, you may have guessed I’m thinking of “Ball of Confusion”. Released in May of 1970, and Top 5 on Keener over that summer, it was the climatic song of a 20-month run that began with “Cloud Nine” in the fall of 1968, and included “Runaway Child Running Wild”,  “I Can’t Get Next To You” and “Psychedelic Shack”. Incredible music, with lyrics that spoke of the day, a new sound for the “Sound of Young America”.

As I say, they were all incredible songs. But..where else can you get Dennis Edwards shredding his vocal cords, calling out “Great Googamooga, can’t you hear me talkin’ to ya”?

By Bob Berry

He was part of the legendary Wrecking Crew, helping Phil Spector shape his Wall of Sound.  His Hammond B-3 helped The Beach Boys pick up on “Good Vibrations”. He played with The Mamas and Papas, The Fifth Dimension and The Carpenters, and David Gates and Bread.

His barrel-house piano kick-started “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” for Johnny Rivers

He was an extraordinary keyboard player, who happened to play guitar so well, that he supplied the bass tracks for The Doors’ “Light My Fire“!

His name was Larry Knechtel, and today would have been his 76th birthday. Here is his “greatest hit”, a beautiful, gospel-inspired piano that helped make the title song to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water album the Record and Song of the Year in 1971.

That’s who “that guy on keyboards” was.

By Bob Berry

A Heads-up for McCartney Fans: Save the date!

Sir Paul will re-release two of his notable solo albums, Tug Of War and Pipes Of Peace on October 2nd. Both albums are being re-mixed and re-masterd and will be available in multiple formats on digital audio and video discs, digital downloads and 2-LP vinyl.

Tug of War, released in 1982, was a world-wide smash, hitting # 1 in the U.S. and the U.K. The first McCartney project after the breakup of Wings, it featured Linda McCartney, “Wings-man” Denny Laine and Ringo Starr, plus Motown’s own Stevie Wonder, on “Ebony and Ivory”, which was #1 for seven weeks!

Pipes of Peace, released a year later, also featured Linda, Denny and Ringo, though it was a relatively less successful album, hitting Top 5 in the U.K, but only #15 in the U.S. This, in spite of two songs featuring Michael Jackson, including the #1 world-wide single “Say, Say, Say”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC2Grms55Fw

You know, it’s never too early to start writing down the Christmas Wish List.

By Bob Berry

An American Treasure celebrates a birthday today.

Tony Bennett is 89 joyful years young.

And all of us at Keener13.com wanted to say thanks, for the artistry, for waking us, via MTV Live, to the music of the Great American Songbook, and for the gracious collaborations with artists of all generations and genres.

We’re very glad you’ve been part soundtrack of our lives.

By Bob Berry

The fifth Mission Impossible movie, “Rouge Nation“, starring Tom Cruise opens today. Lots of action, effects, and stunts, the MI theme and lots of the Tom Cruise formula. Tom Long in today’s Detroit News calls the movie a “happy meal“.

Is that a bad thing? Perhaps, if as Mr. Long suggests, you remember when Tom Cruise made really good movies. Or perhaps not, for those of us who enjoyed the original TV show for the escapist drama it was.  But in the end, I always remember the immortal words of Dobie Grey’s 1966 Keener classic “The In Crowd”:

“The original is still the greatest“. And so, they can re-mix, re-invent and re-imagine all they want. But for my money, there will never be a better theme song than the theme to the original Mission: Impossible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lih-z4G4jY

And, while we’re at it, check out this PBS clip on the original TV show, with some fun facts and cool stories:

By Bob Berry

Today is the anniversary of The Beatles album Yesterday and Today starting 5 weeks at Number One in the U.S. back in 1966.

And in celebration of the LP that gave us “Nowhere Man”, “We Can Work It Out”, “Yesterday” and 7 other great tunes, I wanted to share an amazing website with you: “Inside Abbey Road“, presented by Google.

It’s an extraordinary, interactive website, with layer upon layer of photos, videos and anecdotes of perhaps the greatest-certainly the most famous, recording studio in the world.The place where The Beatles and so many others (The Hollies, Pink Floyd, The London Symphony Orchestra) made music history.

Here’s the preview, click the link above, or here, to go “Inside Abbey Road”.

By Bob Berry

Poor Rob Lowe.

Star of a series of very funny ads for Direct TV.

Noted celebrity, star of three iconic movies of the 80’s. Hey, he even helped “invent” sex-tape scandals!

Out-done by an NFL quarterback! TWICE!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dun9MGPTFWk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvJiMiJcghA

Once upon a time, radio was a participation sport. Call Keener and there was a good chance you might become part of the show.

And that’s how it was this week in 1967 when the Parliaments “I Wanna Testify” was climbing the charts. Scott Regen was at the height of his Keener fame, with a monster audience joining in the fun. He invited listeners to call in and “testify” what their boyfriend / girlfriend’s love had done for them. And boy, did they.

Here’s an aircheck that includes a whole bunch of Detroiters Testifiers. Were you one of them?

By Bob Berry

One of our good friends of Keener13.com, Jeff Smith, found this video on Facebook this morning, and it’s fantastic.

Paul, George and Ringo Starr jamming on Bill Monroe’s bluegrass classic (and Elvis’ first hit), “Blue Moon Of Kentucky” at George’s studio at his Friar Park mansion in Henley-on-Thames, England on June 23, 1994.

It’s so interesting to watch Paul messing with a chord, then George getting the right one. The two of them working out a harmony. And Ringo jumping in with a basic beat, plus giving a nod at the end, before they finish the song with a flourish.

When people wonder why we find The Beatles so fascinating, here’s another of the million reasons why!

By Bob Berry

The Muppets. Kermie, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear. Fun for us Keener Kids, but very much fun for our own children-and dare I say grandchildren?

There was The Muppet Movie and The Muppets Take Manhattan. And perhaps their most truly loved project, The Muppet Show.

And on September 22, the ABC Television Network is bringing them back, in a reality-based series! According to Kermit, in a Rolling Stone Magazine story ,”The show’s gonna be all about our personal lives – behind the scenes, at home, our relationships. Sort of an adult Muppet Show…“.

Here’s the trailer, watch for a great gag with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker about 1 minute into the clip!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2B5d-8H588

By Bob Berry

Bugs Bunny, that “wascally wabbit” is 75 today.

And isn’t it nice to know that Looney Tunes” Number One star, who entertained us on countless Saturday (or Sunday) mornings, doesn’t act his age either?

Countless, by the way, including various. mornings in our formative and beyond years, in the aftermath of “should have known better/got moving earlier/what were we thinking” OR “Hey, Bugs was on” moments.

Created by the great Warner Brothers cartoon department, Bugs made his “major league” debut on July 27, 1940. “A Wild Hare” was the first film to feature Bugs and Elmer Fudd was hunter and hunted, and the first with Mel Blanc providing Bugs’ voice and the signature line “What’s Up, Doc”. It was nominated, but did not win an Oscar for Best Cartoon Short Subject.

What was up with that, Doc?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S0kJXm-lRs

By Bob Berry

This week is the anniversary of Paul Revere and The Raiders”  “Indian Reservation” hitting Number One on the Keener Guide and the Billboard Magazine Hot 100. It’s also reminder of one of the great lessons of my radio career:

NEVER underestimate the power of American Bandstand!

Spring 1971, I was working at WIBM, a small AM station in Jackson, Michigan. It’s a Saturday, and I’m hanging around my apartment, waiting to do my show. American Bandstand is on the TV, and Dick Clark intro’s a new song by Paul Revere and the Raiders, “Indian Reservation”.

I watch and listen, think “that’s got a chance”, and make a mental note to check into putting in rotation next week. Headed into the station, got on the air, and got call after call for “that new Raiders record”, or the “song about the Indians”. Needless to say, we did not wait for Monday to start playing the song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ6RjP7MlXk

By the way. “Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)” was written by John D. Loudermilk, who wrote the 1964 Keener Classics “Thou Shalt Not Steal” by Dick and Dee Dee, and “Tobacco Road” by the Nashville Teens. Mr. Loudermilk also wrote one of the greatest slow dance/spotlight dance songs of all time, 1967’s “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” by the Casinos.