August 31

I finally got a new printer that works!!
After years of dodgy functioning of my devices, we (Margo,) got a new one on sale, absurdly cheap... so, of course, I worried that it would not only fail  to print but more importantly, print from my iPad.
Whoopee! It does both: prints from the PC and the iPad. (A public thank you to my wife.)

Today is one of those life-stones (my word for events that mark a milestone in one's life, either in a physical sense or emotional one.) August is in fact one of those life-stones that is shared collectively by a whole community - or in this case, the whole World : the day that Lady Diana, Princess of Wales died. Millennials all remember where they were when they heard the news of her death. It is burned into the collective consciousness.  For us baby boomers, it was the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated that marks a similar Life-stone.

On August 31, 1997, The children, my mother and I had returned from a touring holiday in Cape Breton; My mother was sleeping in my son Andy's bedroom; I had a bed in the living room. I could not sleep so was watching CNN. Around 4.a.m. AST it came on as Breaking News. I flicked between CNN & CBC to get as much detail as I could. It was stunning, an emotional  shock, This woman whom I had never met, died and I  was profoundly sad. I cried. My mum came down around 5:30, she was an early riser in the days before Alzheimer's cruelly took her simple functions away from her. We sat and watched the TV for the next 24 hours - straight.

Lady Diana was arguably the most recognizable woman on the planet, and possibly, save for the Royal Family, the most loved celebrity. The Princess is dead! Long Live the Princess, at least in our memories.

After school snacks

My sister and I had some weird after school snack experiences. In Calcutta, after the school bus brought us home, the Ayah would have our cuppa Chaa waiting, (not Chai, regular, most probably Darjeeling tea.) However, she would also bring us each a plate of toast with a thick spreading of Nestle's Condensed milk. We loved it ! All dripping and gooey and sweet.

When we moved to London, and then when  Sis & I got home from school, (I was 10 and took 2 London Transport Double-deckers to get home. One penny for each leg, no such thing as "transfers" back then,) we still had tea and toast. Mum worked, so dinner was later after she and Dad returned. On our toast in this period we favored Kraft's DairyLea cheese spread. Mild and yet tasty.

Beatles and Beyond - playlist for August 16th

Hello, this is the playlist from The Beatles and Beyond on   97.5 CIOE-FM for August 16th 

The perfect Beatles song for a summer gathering, from their final studio LP, Abbey Road, Come Together.

SONGS

Come Together - The Beatles

 Ob-La Di, Ob-la Da - Marmalade

After "Come Together" we heard  Ob-La Di, Ob-la Da done here by Marmalade. Their version was the hit single as the Beatles track from the White album was never released as a single in the UK. Marmalade's tune topped the UK charts.

One of the big groups of the British invasion but not from Liverpool, were the Zombies. Here is their Time of the Season. It is followed by a Motown stalwart covering the Beatles' We can work it out from, no longer Little,  Stevie wonder.

SONGS 

Time of the season - the Zombies

We can work it out - Stevie wonder

The first Beatles' film was A Hard Day's Night and it was a really good depiction of the crazy times they were going through. Here is the movie's title song plus others from the soundtrack,  I should have known better and If I Fell. 

SONGS

Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

 I should have known better - The Beatles

If I Fell - The Beatles

 A British singer who had many US hits, remained a TV and Broadway celebrity for decades, right up to this century, is Petula Clark. This is Pet's I Know a Place.  An American Duo who truly embodied the spirit of the 1960's and continued into the late part of the C20th as this duo, then as solo artists were  - Sonny & Cher. After Pet Clark is the iconic 1960's  hit, I Got You, Babe.

SONGS

I Know a Place - Pet Clark

I Got You, Babe - Sonny & Cher

Can't Buy Me Love -  - Beatles

Right after the Break we heard the Beatles  with Can't Buy Me Love - which is also from the Hard Days Night movie. Coming up are 2 more tunes from the soundtrack album,  I'll Cry Instead and Things We Said Today. I really like this soundtrack LP it has so many lovely simple pop song melodies. The Boys at their early days' best.  The Hard Day's Night tunes are followed by Am I that Easy to Forget from my fellow Anglo-Indian,  Englebert Humperdinck. Real name Arnold Gerry Dorsey who born in Madras.

SONGS

I'll Cry Instead - - Beatles

Things we said today - - Beatles

Am I that Easy to Forget - Englebert Humperdinck

Now,  2 groups that had major hits with the British invasion were  Edison Lighthouse mostly a studio-group, with Love Grows and Build Me Up (Buttercup) from  The Foundations.

SONGS

Love Grows - Edison Lighthouse

Build Me Up (Buttercup) - The Foundations

 

The second Beatles film was called Help! Here is the title song plus You Like Me Too Much, also from the soundtrack.

 SONGS

Help! -  - The Beatles

You Like Me Too Much -  - The Beatles

 

The next song is the most covered tune in recording history, but was also included in the Help soundtrack. McCartney's beautiful Yesterday.

SONGS

Yesterday -  - The Beatles

For the Millennials listening to this show, it may come as a surprise that American Idol, or America's Got Talent are nothing new in concept. From the days of radio, programmers have had talent shows from the earliest days of mass communications. For us in London in the 60's it was a show called Opportunity knocks. The world famous petite  model Twiggy, saw welsh singer Mary Hopkins winning the British ITV 's talent show, Opportunity Knocks and she telephoned Paul McCartney and recommended her. She became one of the first artists to record on The Beatles' Apple record label.This is her first big hit -- Those were the Days. It produced by Paul McCartney.

Listen in again next week to the Beatles and Beyond with Michael Lavalette on 97.5 CIOE.

 

SONGS

Those were the Days - Mary Hopkins

PLAYLIST SONGS

Come Together - The Beatles

Ob-La Di, Ob-la Da - Marmalade

Time of the season - the Zombies

We can work it out - Stevie wonder

Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

 I should have known better - The Beatles

If I Fell - The Beatles

I Know a Place - Petula Clark

I Got You, Babe - Sonny & Cher

Can't Buy Me Love -   Beatles

Help! -   The Beatles

You Like Me Too Much   - The Beatles

Yesterday -  - The Beatles

Those were the Days - Mary Hopkins

Life in the 1950's London

Not surprisingly as a child of 8, going on 9, I had no pre-conceived notion of what to expect when we arrived in London. All I knew is that Queen Elizabeth II 's coronation had occurred 4 days before we arrived. The city was still decked out in bunting and Union Jacks and all manner of fancy decorations. It looked lovely to a young child's eye.
However, six months after arriving we moved into our first (and only,) home in London.
It was about 900 square feet; no basement, no attic as  livable floor space. It was exciting nonetheless.
Outside, on the pavement, (sidewalk,) beside a street lamp stood the garbage can for "pigs swill" as the neighbours told us. In 1953, a war measures attempt for the UK to be more self-reliant, lots of communities still had this productivity item. A truck came along and emptied it regularly for distribution to Farmers to supplement live stock feed.

Summer of 1967

There has been a lot written about the summer of love in 1967. It seemed as if young people were trying to create a peaceful and more loving life style. It is particularly associated with Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco and very significantly, The Beatles Sgt.  Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, followed by Scott Mackenzie's If you're going to San Francisco, (wear some flowers in your hair.)
It was about trying a new social-ethos of sharing.
However, it is not surprising, but the summer of love in Haight-Ashbury turned into a dismal autumn.
By 1969, the same mass of youth were the Woodstock generation.
We tried to keep the spirit going up until late 69, but many factors formed road blocks for the crowds to move forward.
The peace & love & music culture was happening before the Human Be-In that occurred in San Francisco in January 1967.
I was in New York in the summer of 1966. I hung around Greenwich Village, Washington Square, all the places I heard mentioned in songs. The place was full of young people (yes, just like I was,) who were sleeping rough and simply bonding.
The big societal changes were already underway; The "anniversary" shows gloss over how many young people were hitch-hiking away from their safe suburban communities to the big cities on the coast; New York and California primarily.
There was a lot of segregation still that summer. I witnessed it on my Greyhound Bus ride from New York to Florida.
The summer of 1967 is also remembered as the time America's big cities were a cauldron of unrest. Riots, primarily in Detroit and New Jersey, set the black community on fire. The Detroit riot is the basis on a forthcoming movie, called, simply Detroit.
I recall the events vividly. I arrived in Windsor, Ontario in 1976 and people were still talking about that year when they stood on Riverside Drive and could see the flames and hear the police sirens and gunshots.
LBJ's "Great Society" took a little longer to foster real change.

Quarry Men + Dylan from Beatles & Beyond show on Wednesday July 12th

Because of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band LP along with the summer of love blossoming around the world, 1967 appeared to be an auspicious year and of course, it is 50 years ago, so the media frenzy is in overdrive doing anniversary shows.

One small anniversary that got little attention is: the 60th anniversary of Paul & John's first meeting. It happened  on Saturday 6 July 1957. The Quarry Men played at St. Peter's Church Rose Queen garden fête in Woolton. This was John's group and Paul attended the fete and was introduced to John. Paul joined the Quarry Men in October of that year.

SONGS

That'll be the day - The Beatles

How Do You Do it  - The Beatles

After "That'll be the day." we heard  How Do You Do it  from The Beatles which is also from their Anthologies & Artifacts series of releases. 

Other groups that were part of the British invasion or "Liverpool Sound" were   Billy J. Kramer and Gerry & the Pacemakers. All of them played the cavern and were signed up by Brian Epstein. However, they did not have a sustained  career as the Beatles did. Here are Bad to Me by Billy J. Kramer then, Do You want to know a secret from  The Beatles followed by I Like it from Gerry & the Pacemakers.

SONGS

Bad to Me - Billy J. Kramer

Do You want to know a secret - - The Beatles

I Like it - Gerry & the Pacemakers

Before the British invasion dominated the american charts, the 60's began with the so-called folk & Hootenanny styles of music. The artist that began quietly with a largely ignored first album, suddenly erupted on to the world's music scene, and grew along with the Beatles. That person was Bob Dylan. Coming up is the decidedly pop style of the Beatles and I Feel Fine then two landmark Dylan tunes, the astoundingly prescient Times They are A-Changing and Subterranean Homesick Blues.

SONGS

I Feel Fine - The Beatles

Times They are a changing - Bob Dylan

Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan

George Harrison was an early friend of Bob Dylan that lasted his whole life. He & Dylan & others became the travelling Wilbury's. A mock band in the manner of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Here he is with Dylan's If Not For You, which is from George's solo career, then another pop hit from the Boys, A Hard Day's Night. 

SONGS

If Not For You - George Harrison

Hard Days Night  - The Beatles

Just as Lennon-McCartney compositions overtook the singles and album charts, Dylan's songwriting output in the mid-60's was prodigious. Many performers had hits with his material. Here are two, one very famous, the other less so. Peter, Paul & Mary's chart topping version of Blowing in the wind is followed by Manfred Mann and If you got to go, go now.

SONGS

Blowing in the Wind - Peter, Paul & Mary

If you got to go, go now - Manfred Mann

This is  In the Bad, Bad Old Days from The Foundations a British group. This was a minor hit but they had a huge world wide hit with Baby, Now that I found you, in 1970.

SONG

In the Bad, Bad Old Days - The Foundations

Of course, the other prominent British hit makers were the Rolling Stones. This is their signature  tune, Satisfaction, and Joe Cocker doing a Bob Dylan composition, Just like a woman.

SONGS

Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones

Just Like a Woman - Joe Cocker

When Bob Dylan moved from the austere sounds of folk to the electric sounds of folk-rock or even outright rock, he was backed by a group called, simply, the Band. They were a mixture of Canadian & American boys. Depending on whose biography you read, the leader was Canadian Robbie Robertson or American Levon Helms. Both wonderful musicians. The Band were big in their own right, without Dylan at the mic. This is their Up on Cripple Creek followed by Irishman Gilbert O'Sullivan (real name Raymond O'Sullivan) and the charming Claire.

SONGS

Up on Cripple Creek - The Band

Claire - Gilbert O'Sullivan

Closing today's show  with Ob-la-di, Ob-la- da from the Beatles' White Album, and a perennial favorite of people and especially party goers for decades. Definitely a pop song and not a protest or hippie song. Just fun loving sing-a-long material.

SONGS

 Obla- di, Obla- da - The Beatles

When the Lights Come On Again celebrates Canada's 150th birthday

PLAYLIST for June 28th Show

This show is going to celebrate Canada's 150th Birthday. All the selections have a Canadian connection. Some are Sung by Canadians, others are written by Canadians, and a couple are performed by Canadian singer/songwriters. Beginning with the great sound of Guy Lombardo and his band telling us to Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think. A song I remember my grandmother playing on the piano in Calcutta. So, I feel a special link to this great Canadian. Followed by Gisele McKenzie, from Winnipeg doing Answer me, my love.

SONGS

Enjoy Yourself - Guy Lombardo
Answer me, my love   - Gisele McKenzie

The next song was written by Toronto born Ruth Lowe. I'll never smile again. Written in the 1930's when her first husband died, in the war years, Frank Sinatra recorded it, and while numerous other artists have recorded it, Frank's is the definitive version. It is credited as launching his career with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. After Frank, is one of the biggest hit of the 1950's Theme from A Summer Place from Canadian Percy Faith.

 SONGS

I'll never smile again -  - Frank Sinatra

Theme from A Summer Place - Percy Faith

In my early days in Toronto in the 1970's, Moe Kaufman was on the television frequently. Moe is known for his 1958 hit Swinging Shepherd Blues. It was a hit everywhere, I remember hearing it on the BBC. After Moe's instrumental, is a vocal version from  Ella Fitzgerald. 

SONGS

Swinging Shepherd Blues - Moe Kaufman

Swinging Shepherd Blues - Ella Fitzgerald  

Here is My True Love from Ontario born Jack Scott.

SONGS

My True Love - Jack Scott

Coming up is american heart throb from the early 1950's, Johnnie Ray with his big hit Cry. However, Johnnie is assisted on the vocals by the Canadian harmony group  the Four Lads. I have mentioned before that the Four Lads grew up together in Toronto, Ontario, and were members of St. Michael's Choir School. After Cry, there is country hit Slow Poke  by  Gisele McKenzie

 

SONGS

Johnnie Ray & the Four Lads - Cry

Slow Poke   - Gisele McKenzie

 

another song from my  childhood is Earth Angel by The Crew cuts. We had the 78 RPM and I loved it. However, my dad was less than fond of it and complained when I played it as he did not understand  what a the noise was.  Followed by Paul Anka and Put Your Head on My Shoulder..

 

SONGS 

The Crew cuts - Earth Angel

Put Your Head on My Shoulder - Paul Anka

 

Now another favorites of Michael's , and definitely annoying to my Dad, Little Darlin'  by  The Diamonds and Another tune from Jack Scott, the sad Goodbye Baby.

SONGS

Little Darlin'  - The Diamonds 

Goodbye Baby  - Jack Scott

For a long time, the biggest selling single in the world, even according to the Guinness Book of Records, was Diana by Paul Anka. Another, Ottawa born performer. It is coming up now followed by New Zealand born,but raised in Canada, Gale Garnett. We'll sing in the Sunshine. In 1970, when I arrived in Toronto, I found that she was also a writer, and her articles appeared in the Toronto weekend papers.

SONGS

Diana - Paul Anka -

We'll Sing in the Sunshine - Gale Garnett

Seasons of the Sun - Terry Jacks was one of the biggest hits in North America in the early 70's. When I traveled to America to see my family I was proud to tell them "He's a Canadian, you know."

SONG

Seasons of the Sun - Terry Jacks

Ending with 2 classic Canadian icons  and one with a special Nova Scotia connection. When I heard Elvis' version in the summer of 1959, I fell in love with A Fool Such as I. Here is Liverpool NS' Hank Snow with his version, also great. He wrote it.

47 years ago, I arrived in my now adopted country, one of the first Canadian singles I recall was Mashmakan's As years go by. A fitting title to include in an oldies show! A big hit for them; almost half a century ago.

SONGS

A Fool Such as I - Hank Snow

As the years go by - Mashmakan