It's time to call for something of a crusade. Or at least, point out a marketing opportunity.
In 1964, pop music was taken over in this country by something called "The British Invasion." You didn't have to be from England to put a song on the top of the charts back then, but it sure helped. The Beatles were the biggest group to take America; I've heard it argued that the band helped us get over the national depression caused by the assassination of President John Kennedy.
But there were other bands and artists coming over as well: Rolling Stones, Peter & Gordon, Petula Clark, Chad & Jeremy, Herman's Hermits, etc.
Plus, the Dave Clark Five.
That group had a good-sized list of hits, including "Bits and Pieces," "Glad All Over," "Because," "Catch Us If You Can," and "Can't You See That She's Mine." Clark was the band's singer even though he was the lead singer, an unusual combination. A listen to those songs today still reveals a good-sized amount of power; you could picture The Clash covering "Bits and Pieces." For a while there, the DC5 was thought to be a possible rival to the Beatles -- indeed, it was the second British Invasion band to have a top 10 hit -- but the band eventually faded out of the public eye.
However, someone remembered their influence. They'll be going into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month; supposedly their induction was delayed by a year when Jann Wenner decided the class of '07 needed a rap group.
With that all in mind, ever try to pick up a compact disk of the Dave Clark Five's recordings? It's tough.
There are some recordings out there, but they are generally out of print. If you want to buy a used copy, it will cost you something like $40, and that's on the low side of those available on amazon.com.
What we need, then, is an effort to get a greatest hits CD back on the market. It might take someone to start a petition drive (I'm not volunteering), or it might just take some music executive to take a chance on it. And with the Hall of Fame ceremony coming, this seems like a perfect time to do it. Rhino has done several such oldies packages over the years. Is there room for one more?
"I'm in pieces, bits and pieces..."
* * * * * * * * *
Footnote: Mike Smith, the lead singer for the Dave Clark 5, died on Feb. 28. He had suffered a spinal cord injury a few years ago, and many top rock stars had contributed to fund-raising efforts on his behalf. Thanks for your contributions to rock music, Mike.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Impossible Dream
The name Jess Cain doesn't mean a great deal outside the Boston area. Cain was a popular morning radio host on WHDH for decades (1957-1991), one of those people who become a shared part of the community. Practically everyone used to wake up to him.
But he was something else to certain members of "Red Sox Nation."
After the 1967 baseball season, the "Impossible Dream" year that rejuvenated baseball in New England, Fleetword Records issued a record album (remember those?) with highlights of the season. I'll bet it sold thousands and thousands of copies. The first side went through the season day-by-day, the second side went through player-by-player.
On side two was a tribute to Carl Yastrzemski, who had one of the great clutch years in sports history. There are plenty of audio clips of Yaz hitting a big homer or making a great catch on the record.
The capper, though, was a three-minute song that was a tribute to Yaz. I don't think it had a title -- maybe "The Yastrzemski Song" -- but it started, "Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, the man we call Yaz, we love him. Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemki, what power he has. Our Boston team, it's always on the beam, cause we got Yaz..."
Lots of horns along the way, and pretty catchy as these things go. (Here's how it sounds.) Take it from the 12-year-old who listened to that album as only a 12-year-old living 300 miles from Boston could -- it was good stuff. I still remember the words, and I'll bet my co-worker at The Buffalo News, Jerry Sullivan, another 12-year-old living in Rhode Island at the time, could too.
Yup, the song was written and sung by Jess Cain.
The tune came up in the public eye when the movie "Fever Pitch" was released almost three years ago, and it was part of the soundtrack. I sat right up in my seat when I saw the album cover in the movie.
I dubbed the album to cassette tape (I know, I should have it on my iPod by now), and I'll have to listen to the song soon. Jesse would have liked that, I think.
But he was something else to certain members of "Red Sox Nation."
After the 1967 baseball season, the "Impossible Dream" year that rejuvenated baseball in New England, Fleetword Records issued a record album (remember those?) with highlights of the season. I'll bet it sold thousands and thousands of copies. The first side went through the season day-by-day, the second side went through player-by-player.
On side two was a tribute to Carl Yastrzemski, who had one of the great clutch years in sports history. There are plenty of audio clips of Yaz hitting a big homer or making a great catch on the record.
The capper, though, was a three-minute song that was a tribute to Yaz. I don't think it had a title -- maybe "The Yastrzemski Song" -- but it started, "Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, the man we call Yaz, we love him. Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemski, Carl Yastrzemki, what power he has. Our Boston team, it's always on the beam, cause we got Yaz..."
Lots of horns along the way, and pretty catchy as these things go. (Here's how it sounds.) Take it from the 12-year-old who listened to that album as only a 12-year-old living 300 miles from Boston could -- it was good stuff. I still remember the words, and I'll bet my co-worker at The Buffalo News, Jerry Sullivan, another 12-year-old living in Rhode Island at the time, could too.
Yup, the song was written and sung by Jess Cain.
The tune came up in the public eye when the movie "Fever Pitch" was released almost three years ago, and it was part of the soundtrack. I sat right up in my seat when I saw the album cover in the movie.
I dubbed the album to cassette tape (I know, I should have it on my iPod by now), and I'll have to listen to the song soon. Jesse would have liked that, I think.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Bad memories
I didn't see Richard Zednik of the Florida Panthers get his throat cut when it happened tonight. I was eating dinner. But I saw the incident on replay later, and it brought back some bad memories.
On March 22, 1989, the St. Louis Blues were playing the Buffalo Sabres in Memorial Auditorium. Steve Tuttle of the Blues went hard toward the net while being checked by Uwe Krupp, when Tuttle's skate came up and cut the throat of Sabres' goalie Clint Malarchuk. I was working for the Sabres at that point in the public relations department, and I was up in the press box on the far side of center ice.
I can't say I was sure what happened immediately. I knew Malarchuk had been hurt as he staggered right off the ice toward the dressing room. I didn't really know how badly he was hurt until I saw the replay on television moments later. A stream of blood came out of Malarchuk's neck; one viewing was enough to keep it in my mind to this day.
Malarchuk received immediate medical care on the six-inch cut; doctors headed to the locker room and eventually ordered him to the hospital. From there, the rest of us weren't sure what was going on. Information was scarce. My most vivid memory came when Clint's brother called Memorial Auditorium from Calgary. The call was sent up to the press box, and I answered it. He was pretty frantic, wondering what had happened. And I was helpless. I eventually transferred the call to the locker room, but I have no idea if he got any information that way.
I heard all sorts of stories in the next 24 hours, how a local couple had stayed up all night praying for him, how people in the stands had become sick watching the play develop. We also heard that Malarchuk was going to be fine, thanks to the speedy medical work of trainer Jim Pizzutelli and doctors. The goalie certainly could have bled to death had he not received prompt, good medical attention. By the way, the master TV tape of the game was erased by the Sabres.
Malarchuk, one of the great characters in Sabre history, was interviewed on television the next day. Staying in character, he told one TV station that he had asked for a zipper on the scarline so that he could store his pencils. Malarchuk also showed the toll of the incident when he nearly broke down in describing the play.
My biggest emotional moment came two days later, as I recall. Malarchuk was out of the hospital, and was going to stop in Memorial Auditorium to pick up a few things. I asked John Gurtler, public relations director of the team, what he thought about introducing Clint to the crowd during the game. Gurtler realized the fans had been through quite a few days emotionally, and it might help everyone to have Clint take a bow and show he was better.
Malarchuk needed a little convincing, but he stood by the Zamboni entrance when he was ready to go. When there was a stoppage in play, I got on the public address system and said something like, "We thought you'd like to say hello to someone tonight. By the Zamboni entrance, please welcome Clint Malarchuk." I barely got the words out.
"The next thing we knew, there was just a huge wave of emotion and the crowd was rising," said Gurtler, who got the Zamboni doors open so that everyone could get a better view. Everyone in the building roared. Opposing players pounded their sticks on the ice in the classic hockey style. When the ovation stopped, Malarchuk said "Wow" to Gurtler and left the building.
Malarchuk was back in uniform within a couple of weeks and continued his NHL career. Let's hope Zednik's story has a similar happy ending.
On March 22, 1989, the St. Louis Blues were playing the Buffalo Sabres in Memorial Auditorium. Steve Tuttle of the Blues went hard toward the net while being checked by Uwe Krupp, when Tuttle's skate came up and cut the throat of Sabres' goalie Clint Malarchuk. I was working for the Sabres at that point in the public relations department, and I was up in the press box on the far side of center ice.
I can't say I was sure what happened immediately. I knew Malarchuk had been hurt as he staggered right off the ice toward the dressing room. I didn't really know how badly he was hurt until I saw the replay on television moments later. A stream of blood came out of Malarchuk's neck; one viewing was enough to keep it in my mind to this day.
Malarchuk received immediate medical care on the six-inch cut; doctors headed to the locker room and eventually ordered him to the hospital. From there, the rest of us weren't sure what was going on. Information was scarce. My most vivid memory came when Clint's brother called Memorial Auditorium from Calgary. The call was sent up to the press box, and I answered it. He was pretty frantic, wondering what had happened. And I was helpless. I eventually transferred the call to the locker room, but I have no idea if he got any information that way.
I heard all sorts of stories in the next 24 hours, how a local couple had stayed up all night praying for him, how people in the stands had become sick watching the play develop. We also heard that Malarchuk was going to be fine, thanks to the speedy medical work of trainer Jim Pizzutelli and doctors. The goalie certainly could have bled to death had he not received prompt, good medical attention. By the way, the master TV tape of the game was erased by the Sabres.
Malarchuk, one of the great characters in Sabre history, was interviewed on television the next day. Staying in character, he told one TV station that he had asked for a zipper on the scarline so that he could store his pencils. Malarchuk also showed the toll of the incident when he nearly broke down in describing the play.
My biggest emotional moment came two days later, as I recall. Malarchuk was out of the hospital, and was going to stop in Memorial Auditorium to pick up a few things. I asked John Gurtler, public relations director of the team, what he thought about introducing Clint to the crowd during the game. Gurtler realized the fans had been through quite a few days emotionally, and it might help everyone to have Clint take a bow and show he was better.
Malarchuk needed a little convincing, but he stood by the Zamboni entrance when he was ready to go. When there was a stoppage in play, I got on the public address system and said something like, "We thought you'd like to say hello to someone tonight. By the Zamboni entrance, please welcome Clint Malarchuk." I barely got the words out.
"The next thing we knew, there was just a huge wave of emotion and the crowd was rising," said Gurtler, who got the Zamboni doors open so that everyone could get a better view. Everyone in the building roared. Opposing players pounded their sticks on the ice in the classic hockey style. When the ovation stopped, Malarchuk said "Wow" to Gurtler and left the building.
Malarchuk was back in uniform within a couple of weeks and continued his NHL career. Let's hope Zednik's story has a similar happy ending.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Going, going ...
Some months ago, when the Buffalo Bills first announced a plan to play games in Toronto, a friend of mine who is a huge football fan said to me, "The first step, right?"
I replied, "Yes."
To fill in the blanks, he meant the first step for the Bills to move somewhere -- maybe Toronto, maybe not.
As Buffalo's economy has stagnated (I'm not sure if it is shrinking in absolute terms, only relative to other cities in North America), it's easy to guess that it will be more and more difficult to keep an NFL team here. Owner Ralph Wilson has been complaining about the economy here for years, and he did it again this week during a news conference in Toronto.
Now Wilson deserves a little credit here. He could have easily sold the team at any point in the last several years, and made a huge profit. How much do you think a team would be worth in the Los Angeles market right now, especially if a new stadium were promised to new owners as part of the deal? I would guess something close to a billion dollars. Wilson stayed put instead.
The Bills' ticket prices are pretty low, and they have trouble finding many corporations who are willing to pay ridiculous numbers for suites and club seating. Buffalo's revenue streams don't match the ones in Dallas or New York. This is a comment on the economics in Buffalo; it also may be a comment on the intelligence of Western New Yorkers who have trouble justifying thousands of dollars a year for eight (let's not even start with preseason games) NFL games.
But here's the catch. Wouldn't you love to see a full economic disclosure by an NFL team? Or two?
The Bills have their entire football payroll covered, more or less, by television payments. It's something around $100 million, I believe. That means everything else taken in can go toward the rest of their expenses. The Bills have been selling games out pretty regularly in the last decade despite missing the playoffs for the past several years. Are they losing money, or not making enough for their partners?
Even with a labor deal that doesn't work overly well for the small-market teams, it's easy to wonder where the money is going. Come to think of it, it's easy to wonder how the Green Bay Packers are making ends meet -- and they are a national institution.
Certainly, other teams can charge more for tickets and suites, and that means more money in the system and more money for the salary cap. That will make it tougher and tougher for the Bills to keep up. But again, it's tough to know what the timetable from going from black to red ink might be.
The Bills' lease was only signed for 15 years, and it has a steadily decreasing penalty for early departure -- not the best of deals from the population's standpoint. It's easy to be pessimistic that the team will ever sign another one.
I replied, "Yes."
To fill in the blanks, he meant the first step for the Bills to move somewhere -- maybe Toronto, maybe not.
As Buffalo's economy has stagnated (I'm not sure if it is shrinking in absolute terms, only relative to other cities in North America), it's easy to guess that it will be more and more difficult to keep an NFL team here. Owner Ralph Wilson has been complaining about the economy here for years, and he did it again this week during a news conference in Toronto.
Now Wilson deserves a little credit here. He could have easily sold the team at any point in the last several years, and made a huge profit. How much do you think a team would be worth in the Los Angeles market right now, especially if a new stadium were promised to new owners as part of the deal? I would guess something close to a billion dollars. Wilson stayed put instead.
The Bills' ticket prices are pretty low, and they have trouble finding many corporations who are willing to pay ridiculous numbers for suites and club seating. Buffalo's revenue streams don't match the ones in Dallas or New York. This is a comment on the economics in Buffalo; it also may be a comment on the intelligence of Western New Yorkers who have trouble justifying thousands of dollars a year for eight (let's not even start with preseason games) NFL games.
But here's the catch. Wouldn't you love to see a full economic disclosure by an NFL team? Or two?
The Bills have their entire football payroll covered, more or less, by television payments. It's something around $100 million, I believe. That means everything else taken in can go toward the rest of their expenses. The Bills have been selling games out pretty regularly in the last decade despite missing the playoffs for the past several years. Are they losing money, or not making enough for their partners?
Even with a labor deal that doesn't work overly well for the small-market teams, it's easy to wonder where the money is going. Come to think of it, it's easy to wonder how the Green Bay Packers are making ends meet -- and they are a national institution.
Certainly, other teams can charge more for tickets and suites, and that means more money in the system and more money for the salary cap. That will make it tougher and tougher for the Bills to keep up. But again, it's tough to know what the timetable from going from black to red ink might be.
The Bills' lease was only signed for 15 years, and it has a steadily decreasing penalty for early departure -- not the best of deals from the population's standpoint. It's easy to be pessimistic that the team will ever sign another one.
Take Five, Super Tuesday edition
1. For all the talk about Tuesday's status as something close to a national primary -- at least, as close as we've ever come -- I had to wait until 1:50 a.m. before someone actually mentioned the total vote. At that point, according to CNN's David Gergen, both Clinton and Obama had about 5 million votes. By Wednesday night, the counted vote had grown to more than 7 million each, and Clinton had a four-tenths of a percent lead on Obama.
2. In the movie version of this campaign, John Edwards takes his block of delegates and becomes the compromise candidate after some tense negotiations. Or ... Al Gore comes in to save the day hours before the first ballot and accept the party's nomination on behalf of the country. We're not in a movie, although sometimes it feels like one.
3. Smooth move by Mitt Romney on Tuesday to say he wasn't exactly impressed that Bob Dole wrote him a letter defending John McCain's conservative credentials. He made it sound as if Dole had as much credibility as Teddy Kennedy in Republican matters. That's Bob Dole, former Presidential nominee who probably will have the next Senate office building or something named after him in appreciation for his work there. It's getting clearer why the rest of the field doesn't seem to like Mr. Romney.
4. Funniest moment of the TV coverage that I saw: Jeffrey Toobin of CNN was just starting to point out that Romney had only carried two states, Massachusetts and Utah, and he had lived in both of them. Anderson Cooper interrupted to have Wolf Blitzer announce that CNN had just projected Romney as the winner in ... Minnesota. Then it was back to the panel, who couldn't stop laughing.
5. One of these days, someone is going to keep track of all of the historical and cultural references thrown about by Keith Olbermann, and post them in a blog. They aren't out of right field like the ones Dennis Miller used to use in "Monday Night Football," but you do have to be sharp to keep track of them. According to Variety, MSNBC has told its anchors to have fun this year, and they are following orders with pleasure.
2. In the movie version of this campaign, John Edwards takes his block of delegates and becomes the compromise candidate after some tense negotiations. Or ... Al Gore comes in to save the day hours before the first ballot and accept the party's nomination on behalf of the country. We're not in a movie, although sometimes it feels like one.
3. Smooth move by Mitt Romney on Tuesday to say he wasn't exactly impressed that Bob Dole wrote him a letter defending John McCain's conservative credentials. He made it sound as if Dole had as much credibility as Teddy Kennedy in Republican matters. That's Bob Dole, former Presidential nominee who probably will have the next Senate office building or something named after him in appreciation for his work there. It's getting clearer why the rest of the field doesn't seem to like Mr. Romney.
4. Funniest moment of the TV coverage that I saw: Jeffrey Toobin of CNN was just starting to point out that Romney had only carried two states, Massachusetts and Utah, and he had lived in both of them. Anderson Cooper interrupted to have Wolf Blitzer announce that CNN had just projected Romney as the winner in ... Minnesota. Then it was back to the panel, who couldn't stop laughing.
5. One of these days, someone is going to keep track of all of the historical and cultural references thrown about by Keith Olbermann, and post them in a blog. They aren't out of right field like the ones Dennis Miller used to use in "Monday Night Football," but you do have to be sharp to keep track of them. According to Variety, MSNBC has told its anchors to have fun this year, and they are following orders with pleasure.
Friday, February 01, 2008
What if?
If you like to read the odd alternative history book, then consider this possibility: Rudy Giuliani may have the person most responsible for John McCain winning the Republican nomination this year.
Let me explain.
Giuliani was the leader in the polls of Republicans nationally throughout much of 2007. Somewhere along the way he decided that he didn't have much hope of doing anything in Iowa, so he stayed away from that state's caucus.
But after several visits to New Hampshire, he made the same decision's about that state's primary. Now let's think about that.
New Hampshire would seem to be tailor made for Giuliani. He's on the liberal side as Republicans go -- there's an understatement -- and figured to have more appeal to independents than many Republican candidates. And, what do you know, New Hampshire has an open primary. Independents can show up and vote for either party, and they did.
So, Giuliani decided to drop out and head to Florida. McCain went on to win the New Hampshire primary over Mitt Romney, in part because he received a good-sized share of the independent vote. Suddenly, McCain had some momentum -- the "Mac is back" slogan carried him through South Carolina and then through Florida, where Giuliani was making his first and last stand.
If Giuliani had hung around for New Hampshire, he might have cut into McCain's total -- perhaps enough to throw the primary to Romney. That certainly would have given the process an entirely different dynamic. It wouldn't have helped Giuliani, but we may have had a different eventual nominee ... and perhaps a different President.
Let me explain.
Giuliani was the leader in the polls of Republicans nationally throughout much of 2007. Somewhere along the way he decided that he didn't have much hope of doing anything in Iowa, so he stayed away from that state's caucus.
But after several visits to New Hampshire, he made the same decision's about that state's primary. Now let's think about that.
New Hampshire would seem to be tailor made for Giuliani. He's on the liberal side as Republicans go -- there's an understatement -- and figured to have more appeal to independents than many Republican candidates. And, what do you know, New Hampshire has an open primary. Independents can show up and vote for either party, and they did.
So, Giuliani decided to drop out and head to Florida. McCain went on to win the New Hampshire primary over Mitt Romney, in part because he received a good-sized share of the independent vote. Suddenly, McCain had some momentum -- the "Mac is back" slogan carried him through South Carolina and then through Florida, where Giuliani was making his first and last stand.
If Giuliani had hung around for New Hampshire, he might have cut into McCain's total -- perhaps enough to throw the primary to Romney. That certainly would have given the process an entirely different dynamic. It wouldn't have helped Giuliani, but we may have had a different eventual nominee ... and perhaps a different President.
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