This Date in History

[Daryl Jones]

Cool stuff Jeffery! I remember the Ed Sullivan show (my parents were totally disgusted, but they let us watch the ensuing madness), but not sure I knew about that Cavern Club date….I was only 5 at that time so that’s my excuse!

[Jeffery Ohlwine]

Don’t intend to make you feel old (gee, I’ve never said that before), but I was born in June of 1966, so it’s all history to me! 😸🤘🎸🎶

[Daryl Jones]

Jeffery, growing old is mandatory…”growing up” is totally optional! Like Clint Eastwood said “never let the ‘old guy’ into your life!”😉

[David Herrick]

A small bit of musical trivia: one of the other acts on Ed Sullivan that night was a number from the Broadway musical Oliver! starring a pre-Monkees Davy Jones. Davy had been strictly a showtunes guy up to that point, but later said that seeing the crowd’s reaction to the Beatles made him want to get into rock and roll.

[Tim Arnold]

It’s funny I was only 4 yrs old but I remember it, or at least remember what was happening. They more or less activated pop culture that night. That was on a Sunday night and I don’t think any teenager in America slept that night. By Monday morning most every girl was in love with at least one Beatle and every boy wanted to be one. It was just a huge impact on everyone and it just kept growing (Beatlemania). Soon came the British invasion and a huge influx of American bands as well and the established “biggies” like Elvis and others had to “up” their game or get left behind. Even today, 60 years later, artists are influenced by them and are measured against them both musically and popularity. There may be some that sell more records or make more money but no one will ever have that kind of impact. They completely changed the world that night.

[Daryl Jones]

I can still see my folks expression when the camera flashed on the hoards of screaming girls in the rows of Ed Sullivan’s theater and the throngs of fans outside practically rioting to get a glimps of what was to become R&R history! “Isn’t that just stupid” was all my Mom could say. “Totally ridiculous” was Dad’s reply. I didn’t really get their point, I just wanted to see and hear them play after hearing their song “She Loves You” all over the radio in us three boy’s bedroom. Seems to me Ed himself had a bit of a dour look on his face as well, but that was sort of his schtick anyway if I recall. If he ever cracked a smile at all it was usually quite brief. I don’t think he even gave the Fab Four his trademark double arm lift to get the crowd to applaud at the end given the younger audience was already in fits of screaming adulation!🤣

[Jung Roe]

I wish I was older, so I could have experienced the Beatles debut in America on the Ed Sullivan show. My first memory of the Beatles, was a documentary on TV later in the 60s showing the pre-recorded Beatles in Shea Stadium concert. My brother told us this is the Beatles! And we watched noticing the screams from the excited fans was drowning out the music.

[Tim Arnold]

I can remember my uncle Ross saying in his loud gravelly voice “The goll-dang longhaired whippersnappers, they all got V.D.” Lol, I didn’t even know what V.D. was.

I like watching a the old footage on YouTube of the concerts and fans at the airports or outside their hotels and limousines. In my little midwestern hometown all we got to see were the Sullivan appearances and little snippets here and there on the nightly news. Of course my teenage sisters who were both working at the local A&W root beer stand bought all the 45’s and magazines they could find so between the radio and their cheap little portable record player I got to hear a lot of great music. I was always a fan and remember the movies and the cartoon series, I still have a few bubble gum cards from A Hard Days Night. I could never buy my own records until the 70’s and by then I was into The stuff from that era. I liked BTO, Kiss, Aerosmith, Deep Purple and many more but did buy some of the Beatles and Stones albums. I have quite a few of them now on cds but still enjoy watching them on YouTube. I’ll always be a fan.

[Jung Roe]

Your uncle Ross is funny, Tim! 😁

It’s great having older siblings, you get to benefit from their music. It’s really great having Youtube to be able to dig up all these archive concerts videos so easily nowadays. Before internet, if you were really lucky you could capture a TV broadcast of a pre-recorded concert, but they were rare, and an event in themselves. You were certainly into some great rock bands in the 70s. I will always be a fan too.

I remember in the 70s in my early teens as rock/pop music got on my curious radar, heard a lot of great music my older siblings would play, or I would hear on the radio, or hear kids play on their ghetto blasters outside of school or in the hallways. Often I would hear a new song that just sounded wonderful, and more often than not it turns out to be a Beatles song. Here Comes the Sun, wow who is that? It seemed they had a monopoly on all the good music!

[Tim Arnold]

Hi Jung

Ross was a character, the quote I wrote was watered down considerably, Lol. His nickname was Bosco and he was a tall but bent over grey haired old buzzard. He wasn’t educated but he taught us kids a lot of good words. I miss him.

I learned a lot about music from my siblings. They all had their favorites so I heard everything from gospel and country to Elvis and the Beatles. I think some of my early favorites were the “California” sounds of the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, I liked the Ventures too, still do. I liked some of my older brother’s stuff of Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, but I never cared much for Elvis, I like a lot of his old rockabilly stuff now though. My brother Tom was 4 years older then me. He joined the Army in 1973 and when he left he gave me his stereo and his LP collection. The stereo was a cheap one that was pink with round pink detachable speakers but it sounded great through headphones. He didn’t have a lot of records but he had some great ones, three of which are on MLT WOTT’s. Bridge Over Troubled Waters, American Pie and Teaser and The Firecat by Cat Stevens, plus a couple CCR and John Denver albums. I think Let It Be was in the collection too. I was 14 and that was a great start for my collection. I think the first album I actually bought was Exile on Main Street by the Stones. I also had a Live LP by Grand Funk Railroad that I loved. I would stack like 5 albums on that stereo and jump into bed with my headphones on and listen until I fell asleep.

I would be curious to find out from you and other club members, what was the first album or single that you ever bought.

Sorry for getting off the track of the Beatles. Here’s a video that really gives you the feeling of Beatlemania. The screaming was intense and they could drive the girls crazy just by shaking their heads.

https://youtu.be/x7prHYwxWPY?feature=shared

[David Herrick]

I was born in 1965 and had no slightly older relatives or older friends, so I didn’t learn much about 60’s music until I was able to explore it on an oldies radio station in the mid-80’s.

I really enjoyed the brief samples of songs I heard as a kid on TV commercials for greatest hits albums from the 50’s and 60’s, plus the use of old songs on Happy Days. But being limited to an allowance of 25 cents a week the only albums I ever bought back then were a collection of patriotic songs to honor the U.S. bicentennial, and a collection of late 50’s / early 60’s songs called “Fonzie Favorites”. I wore the groove down on both of them, though.

https://i.etsystatic.com/11739023/r/il/25bb89/1787365848/il_794xN.1787365848_fyr6.jpg

[Tim Arnold]

Hi David,

I never even got an allowance when I was young so I never bought any records until I was a teenager and working part time on farms usually helping bale hay in the summer. We had a couple ways of making money though, returning glass soda bottles for the refund was a good one. Burning the insulation off wiring and taking the copper to the junkyard could earn some money. We had a golf course between our home and the edge of town where our local grocery store was so we would hunt the ditches to find golf balls and sell them to the golfers, a brand new ball could get me as much as a quarter. It was a daily event, My sisters would be in charge of the store list and money and the rest of kids would tag along for the near 2 mile trip to the store, pulling a wagon with a few pop bottles and maybe a my little brother, then put the groceries in the wagon for the return trip. Even my dog (a rat terrier named Fritz) would go and he was the only dog the store keeper would let in his store. I think Fritz only went because he knew Mr. Van would accidently drop a weiner on the floor for him.

I remember too, you could get a good deal buying some of those K-tel records that were a compilation of hits usually played by knock off bands. They weren’t they real thing but they were good enough for the price. We usually listened to them on a cheap portable record player with a stack of pennies on the needle arm to keep them from skipping, so the sound wasn’t very good. But, it was hip music and it was groovy.

[David Herrick]

Ah yes, K-tel records! I once hatched a get-rich-quick scheme where I would form a band called Much Much More, and then sue K-tel for falsely claiming that our songs were on their albums.

[Tim Arnold]

David,

Lol. I’m sure they had all their legal bases covered. I don’t think you can be in the business of ripping people off without having a good lawyer.

I’ve got to go, I hear there is a football game on and Taylor Swift may be there.

[Jung Roe]

Hi Tim

My older brother who is 8 years older than me had quite the vinyl collection, I got to indulge in. He had quite a diverse taste in music from his biggest hero Jimi Hendricks, Beatles, Stones, Who, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Ted Nugent, Led Zeppelin, Al Stewart and on and on. My other brother who is 3 years older than me was into the big Canadian rockers like BTO and Guess Who. He formed a rock band in high school and used to play a lot of BTO stuff in the basement. “Taking Care of Business” was big. My older sisters albums consisted of a variety too including Carpenters, Abba, Barbara Streisand and others.

I could never get my head around the appeal of Jimi Hendricks at first in my early teens, until one day I started listening to his Pink Floyd “Wish You Were Here” album. That album was in essence my gateway to the rest of rock and roll. On my dad’s big hifi stereo it sounded so wonderful. After really getting into “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, and “The Machine”, wow I could appreciate those amazing electric guitar howling sounds, then suddenly Hendricks started to sound nice, along with many other harder rock songs with amazing electric guitar sounds. “Wish You Were Here” was so beautiful. Later in high school I befriended a kid who liked Santana, and then later AC/DC, and my musical palette sort of expanded from there. But the Beach Boys and Beatles were my first love, and still is.

My very first vinyl was this one I bought at 16, and then in short order. Pet Sounds…and before I knew it I had a dozen Beach Boys vinyls…and later got into cassettes Kinks, McCartney and Wings, Steve Miller, Eagles, Elton John….My brother’s Blue and Red Beatles compilation albums I listened to a lot too.

Here is my very first album I bought with my own money at 16. My allowance was not big enough prior to then to afford to buy vinyls. It had some great songs that really pulled me into the Beach Boys rabbit hole. HAHAHA.

[Tim Arnold]

Yep, sounds like your siblings were a big influence on your musical taste too. I was generally at the mercy of listening to their favorites but most of it was pretty cool. When I did get a chance to pick something from their collections it was probably Hair by the Cowsills, Leader of the Pack or maybe Snoopy and The Red Baron, Lol.

I never got into Hendrix much either or some of the earlier metal bands like Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin. I like some of the songs but never enough to spend hard earned money on their albums.

Same with R&B or Blues, I tended to like the more pop/rock bands that still put hits on the radio like Kiss, Queen, and Styx. I think Rush and Heart were two of the main ones that were a little more prog rock type that I really enjoyed. They had a different sound than anyone else and were a welcome alternative to the disco type pop stuff that was taking over. Then AC/DC came along and blew the doors off everything for me. Just straight up Rock n Roll, loud but not heavy, just a great beat. You could put any of their albums on and put the needle anywhere and you knew what you were going to get.

It wasn’t until lately, since YouTube started I guess, that I started listening to the bluesy stuff which I really love now. I guess losing a wife and many loved ones tend to take you in that direction, it really does kind of resonate in your soul. I like hearing a lot of the old stuff from the 50’s and 60’s that I never listened to much when I was young. I like finding new bands that are playing these old songs and creating new songs in this style. I guess it’s one of the main reasons I’m here in the Twins Club talking about it.

Oh Jung, I never had that LP but all the great early Beach Boys songs are there. If a kid could only have one album that would be a great one to have. I’ve got to look up Long Tall Texan by the Beach Boys, I don’t think I’ve ever heard them do that one.

Edit: I found a video of the Beach Boys playing Long Tall Texan live. Yeah, it’s really corny, I love it.

https://youtu.be/Z7cZerPrTnw?feature=shared

[Jung Roe]

Hi Tim

I know what you mean, with loss, music is the greatest consoler. Bob Marley said “music can calm the agitations of the soul”.

Yeah, I never got into heavy metal really. Groups like Metallica and others I could never get into, but AC/DC is a unique genre unto itself. The guitar work is just hypnotic, like none other. It wasn’t their lyrics which were at times juvenile, but the guitar sounds that drew me in, it was amazing. Angus Young in an interview attributed their guitar style inspiration to Chuck Berry. AC/DC certainly calmed my early 20s agitated soul when I needed it. I’ve said this many times, but AC/DC and Bach are not that far apart really in the instrumental realm.

Here is a video of the Beach Boys performing “Long Tall Texan”. Brian Wilson was in his top form then, he looked like the anchor of the group with his great vocals and the highs. The song was a cover they did, written by a Country musician Henry Strezelecki who worked with Chet Atkins, that became a hit for the Beach Boys.

Edit: Tim, I see you found the video. 👍🙂

[Tim Arnold]

Jung,

You’re right about the juvenile lyrics of AC/DC. I just loved the guitars and the driving beat, didn’t care much about the lyrics.

I remember a few country artists like Buck Owens playing Long Tall Texan, my brothers even played it once in a while. Just a fun song, I liked some of the novelty songs. I just never heard the Beach Boys play it and it sounds really good. Even a little nose harp at the end.

[Daryl Jones]

Guys, I’m sort of a latecomer to the AC/DC fan club. In the 80’s I wouldn’t have given a plug nickel to see or hear them. Now though, a totally different attitude prevails. And I can thank my former guitar mentor for that. Serious guitar critics (not usually “actual renowned” guitarists) will say things like “Bah, all Angus does is repeatedly use nothing but power chords.” which is actually true for the most part. But it’s the degree of incredible accuracy and extreme proficiency he uses that makes him a great player in his own right. Angus is “meticulous”! He’s no Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck, that’s is a given. But what he does do he does so very well it’s scary. Something I would have never learned had I not decided to take playing seriously and immerse myself in all kinds/genres of music. Most people just see some goofball in a suit of schoolboy clothes (especially the hat and shorts) pretending to be Chuck Berry. But he and his late brother Malcolm pair and team up so well it is it’s own form of magic.
And that’s another cool thing about the Beach Boys and “Long Tall Texan” you guys brought up. When I graduated high school (Class of ’75), the Beach Boys had just been in their resurgence phase for a couple years and my boogie van could often be heard with the 8-track “best of” playing loud and proud in the local burger joint parking lot…that was kind of like our small town version of “Arnold’s” or “Burger City”. And yes, the volume usually got a tad louder when Long Tall Texan came on the rotation. But of course, that wasn’t “Country”. No self respecting modern dude would ever play anything as “hayseed” as C&W in public! Especially not in a cool looking custom van with fat tires on chromies, side-pipes, shag carpet and a “sultan’s den” bedroom in the back!