Labor Day Weekend-- Part 2: About Those Bar Dogs

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

On the internet in the early morning and found out that Illinois evidently had our own ribbon highway, like that one stretch of Oklahoma's Route 66.  And it went from DeKalb to Waterman, Illinois.

Enjoyed Bob Stroud taking his listeners, the Stroud Crowd, back 40 years to a summer I remember well, 1977, on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM from 7 to 10 a.m..

We had planned to go to Cabana's on Pistakee Lake to see the band, but it was way too crowded, so we went to Oak Park Lounge nearby on the same lake.  This is an original bar on the Chain of Lakes, dating back to the 1890s and a favorite of ours.  We also got to see (and feed) the bar dog, Bomber.  If there is another more spoiled animal in the world than a bar dog, I'd like to know?  He has us all trained well.

We then went to the PLAV (Polish Legion of American Veterans) in McHenry for Bloody Marys and last stop was at Sunnyside in Johnsburg.

Bomber Likes His Pepperoni.  --RoadDog

Going Back to Summer '77-- Part 10: "Don't Stop"

Part 4 of Bob Stroud's annual trip back to a summer 40 years ago took place on September 3.  This time, 40 years ago was 1977.

I was back in school teaching 7th and 8th graders at Magee Middle School in Round Lake, Illinois.  Liz was teaching 1st grade at Beach Elementary School in Round Lake Beach.  We were living at 1013 Morningside in Round Lake Beach, Illinois, so both of us didn't have far to drive to school.

SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE--  Townsend Sanford Band    A lot of local bands also were  using the two name name back then.  We had the Thompson-Rydberg band in Lake County.
HIGH ROLLER--  Little Feat   I didn't know about them back then, but now they are one of my favorite bands.
LITTLE DARLIN' I NEED YOU--  Doobie Brothers   Getting their Soul thing on.

BLACK BETTY--  Ram Jam    I suppose they couldn't sing this song in today's clime.
BREAKDOWN--  Alan Parsons Project
DON'T STOP--  Fleetwood Mac   They were everywhere on the radio back then, the Peter Frampton of the year before.

WHAT YOU GONNA DO--  Pablo Cruise
ONE LOVE--  Bob Marley   Good old reggae, but I didn't really get into it until around 1981.  Big fan, now, though.
TELEPHONE LINE--  Electric Light Orchestra

Name That Tune (from above songs):  "The Damn Thing Gone Wild (Ban-Ba-Lam)."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

LIFE'S LITTLE TRUTHS:  Amazing!  You just hang something in your closet for awhile and it shrinks two sizes.

"Black Betty"

Pearl Harbor, Kennedy Assassination, Man on the Moon and 9-11

It seems that each generation has their "Where Were You" moment.

For my parents, it was Pearl Harbor.

For my generation it was the Kennedy Assassination and Man on the Moon.

For the next generation it was 9-11.

Of course, anyone old enough will know where they were when the event happened.

Pearl Harbor   I wasn't born yet (1951).

Kennedy Assassination    I was in 7th grade at Winston Park Junior High School in Palatine, Illinois.

Man on the Moon     I was at a friend's house in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where we were visiting family.

9-11    I was teaching school at Magee Middle School in Round Lake, Illinois.

Flags Up for 9-11

I have been outside and put up my United States flags in commemoration and memory of all those who died this date sixteen years ago.

Not Forgetting.

WLS Top 40 for September 8, 1967-- Part 7: "Brown Eyed Girl"

10.  BROWN EYED GIRL--  Van Morrison   #10   His first solo hit and probably his best-known song.
9.  WORDS/PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY--  Monkees    #3
8.  I HAD A DREAM--  Paul Revere & the Raiders    #17

7.  REFLECTIONS--  Diana Ross & the Supremes    #2
6.  NEVER MY LOVE--  Association    #2
5.  WE'RE IN LOVE--  Cryan' Shames    #14   "It Could Be We're In Love"
4.  THE LETTER--  Box Tops   #1

3.  LIGHT MY FIRE--  Doors   #1
2.  COME BACK WHEN YOU GROWN UP--  Bobby Vee    #3
1.  ODE TO BILLY JOE--  Bobbie Gentry    #1  "Ode to Billie Joe"

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Seems Like Nothing Ever Comes To No Good Up On Choctaw Ridge."  (Answer below).  --RoadDog


"Ode to Billie Joe"

Tune in for Three Hours of 1969 Music Today

Chicago's WXRT, 93.1 FM will be featuring three hours of music and events from 1969 starting at 8 a.m. CDST on their Saturday Morning Flashback Show.

It streams at www.wxrt.com.

I'll Be There.  --RoadDog

LIFE'S LITTLE TRUTHS:  I had to give up jogging for my health.  My thighs kept rubbing together and setting my pants on fire.

WLS Top 40 for September 8, 1967-- Part 6: "Funky Broadway"

15.  FUNKY BROADWAY--  Wilson Pickett    #8   Born in 1941 in Prattville, Alabama.

14.  CARRIE ANNE--  Hollies   #9   Their "Pay You Back With Interest" debuted two weeks earlier.

13.  GETTIN' TOGETHER--  Tommy James & the Shondells    #18    Tommy's real name is Thomas Jackson.  Wonder if he's related to Stonewall.

12.  ZIP CODE--  Five Americans    #36  The group was originally from Oklahoma, but based out of Dallas.  Great garage rock.

11.  THANK THE LORD--  Neil Diamond   #13     Worked as a song plugger/staff writer in New York.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Daytime Turns Me Off And I Don'yt Mean Maybe."  Answer Below.  --RoadDog

WLS Top 40 for September 8, 1967-- Part 5: "Silence Is Golden"

20.  LITLLE OLE MAN--  Bill Cosby   #4  Actual title "Little Ole Man (Uptight - Everything's Alright)"  His biggest hit

19.  HEROES & VILLAINS--  Beach Boys    #12    Three brothers.  Can you name them?

18.  YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN--  Turtles  #12   Follow up to #3  "She'd Rather Be With Me."

17.  SILENCE IS GOLDEN--  Tremeloes   #11    Their biggest hit and follow up to "Here Comes My Baby"  (#13-1967)

16.  BABY I LOVE YOU--  Aretha Franklin   #4

Name That Tune (from the above):  "I Been In This Town So Long."  Answer below.  --RoadDog



"Heroes & Villains"

WLS Top 40 for September 8, 1967-- Part 4: ""Run, Run, Run"

25.  12:30--  Mama's and Papa's    #20  Actual name "  "Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon."

24.  RUN, RUN, RUN--  Third Rail    #53    Studio trio.  Sung by Joey Levine, who also sang lead on "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy."

23.  GIMME LITTLE SIGN--  Brenton Wood   #9   Follow up to "Oogum Boogum."  His biggest hit.

22.  THERE IS A MOUNTAIN--  Donovan   #11.  A fun song.  Try not to groove to it too much.   Born near Glasgow Scotland in 1946.  A fun song.  Try not to groove to it.

21.  I MAKE A FOOL OUT OF MYSELF--  Frankie Valli    #18   Born in 1937 in Newark, New Jersey.  This song reminds me a lot of his "Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "The Lock Upon My Garden Gate is a Snail, That's What It Is."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

LIFE'S LITTLE THINGS:  If at first you don't succeed, see if the loser gets anything.

"There Is a Mountain"

WLS Top 40 for September 8, 1967-- Part 3: "Apples, Peaches & Pumpkin Pie"

30..  APPLES, PEACHES & PUMPKIN PIE--  Jay & the Techniques   #6  Their biggest hit.  Interracial R&B-Rock group.

29.  ANYTHING GOES--  Harpers Bizarre    (D)    #43  Written in 1934 by Cole Porter for the musical of the same name.

28.  CAT IN THE WINDOW--  Petula Clark    (D)    #26   She was on the radio at age 7.

27.  HA HA SAID THE CLOWN--  Yardbirds   #45   One of their last hits.  Formed in Surrey, England in 1963.

26.  I DIG ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC--  Peter, Paul & Mary   #9  Can you think of the three performers they mentioned in this song?  Answer below.

Name That Tune from the above songs:  "I Figure It's About the Happiest Sound Going Down Today."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

Answer to # 26:  Beatles, Mamas and Papas, Donovan.


"I Dig Rock and Roll Music"

Labor Day Weekend --Part 1: Love Those Bands

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

Enjoyed the FP (front porch) and OD  (on deck)  I did some shopping in Spring Grove and McHenry and went to the American Legion in Fox Lake.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2

FP and OD.

We went to the American Legion at 3 to enjoy one of our favorite bands, 3 Aces, playing all those great pop and country songs from the 1950s-1970s.  We then went to Sunnyside in Johnsburg to see the band Central Stonerollers playing classic rock and some of their own songs.

Very good band, but like so many, they were way too loud considering how small Sunnyside is.

--RoadDog

WLS Top 40 for September 8, 1967-- Part 2: "All You Need Is Love"

35.  YOU NEED LOVE--  Beatles    #1   Most of us know it as "All You Need Is Love."

34.  BALLAD OF YOU & ME POONEIL--  Jefferson Airplane   (D)   #42.  I always wondered where they got the name Jefferson Airplane from.  Well, it is slang for a split paper match used to hold a marijuana cigarette.  Go figure.

33.  THE WINDOWS OF THE WORLD--  Dionne Warwicke   (D)   #32   Burt Bacarach makes an anti-war song, but in a Dionne-way.  Dionne is actually her middle name.

32.  HEY BABY--  Buckinghams     (D)   #12    WLS backing another Chicago band.  Actual name  "Hey baby (They're Playing Our Song)."

31.  LOVE BUG LEAVE MY HEART ALONE--  Martha & the Vandellas   (D)   #25  Clocking at at just 2:10, as good as Motown gets for this little-known classic.  Martha is actually Martha reeves.  From Detroit.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "The One We Used To Hear When We Used To Get Along."  Answer Below.  --RoadDog

LIFE'S LITTLE TRUTHS:  Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today.

"Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song"

WLS Top 40 for September 8, 1967-- Part 1: ""We Love You"

From WLS Oldies Loon and "Joel Whitburn's Top Pop: The Singles 1955-1993"  Billboard.

There were a lot of debuts this week.  Also, I was on You Tube a lot listening to the songs in the survey as there were a lot I never remember hearing and also a lot that you rarely hear anymore.  I liked most of the ones I didn't remember, especially after hearing the song several times.  They just grew on me.

(D)  Debut.  The number after the artist is the highest it got on Billboard's Top 100

40.  GROOVIN'--  Booker T. & the M.G.s   (D)   #21  Putting a blast of soul onto the Young Rascals song.

39.  WE LOVE YOU--  Rolling Stones    (D)   #50  Regardless of what others say, I really liked their "Satanic Majesty's Request" album and that 3-D cover.  Psychedelic, MAN!!

38.  LONELY DRIFTER--  Pieces of Eight   #59  Formerly sung by the O'Jays (#93-1963)  Great Beach Music song.

37.  TAKE ME BACK--  Flock    No rank  Chicago group being pushed by LS.  Started out originally as a rock group, but after 1969 became better known in Chicago for their jazz-rock sound.  If you like horn songs, this one's for you.

36.  A GIRL LIKE YOU--  Young Rascals--    #10  Most of the group were formerly with Joey Dee & the Starliters.

Name That Tune (From the above songs):  "I Don't Know What It's All About But I Feel I'll Soon Find Out."  --Answer below.  --RoadDog

LIFE'S LITTLE TRUTHS:  Life not only begins at forty, it begins to show.

"A Girl Like You"

JSS: Boating (Lack Of)-- Gas Gouge-- Quite Cool

JSS--  Just Some Stuff

1.  BOATING (LACK OF)--  Try as I might, getting out on the boat "School's Out...Forever" is not easy.  Monday and Tuesday this last week, it threatened to rain the whole day.  I was able to do some cruising Wednesday.  Thursday and Friday it was sunny, but very windy, and, even worse, lots of cold in that wind, so didn't go out.

This weekend, of course, is Labor Day Weekend.  Way too many boaters out on the water, so probably won't be going out.

2.  GAS GOUGE--  I was wondering when the gas prices around here were going to go up because of Hurricane Harvey.  They went up Wednesday from $2.30 to $2.60 in Fox Lake.  I, though, was able to find a Mobil station that hadn't raised their price yet and still was at $2.40, so filled up the '03 Malibu and got 5 gallons for the boat.

3.  QUITE COOL-- Thursday and Friday, we had quite cool temperatures.  Even worse, there was a lot of wind blowing the cool on you, even with a lot of sun.  We also did not go to the McHenry Concert in the Park Thursday because of the cold.

--RoadDog

About Those Chicago White Sox

This is the first year I have looked at Major League Baseball standings from a negative perspective.  I only look at the Major League Baseball standings to see how my team, the Chicago White Sox, is doing as far as having the worst record in baseball.  Of course, they are in the middle of a rebuilding process.  The more games we lose, the better our draft choice.  I'm pulling for the worst record = top prospects.  The team with the worst record gets the #1 pick.

Of course, I "pull" for the Sox to win, but really "want" them to lose.

We have the worst record in the American league by far.  But right now, the Sox are going to have to "overcome" two National League teams, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies.

White Sox  .391  52-81
Giants  .387  53-84
Phillies  .381  51-83

The Race Heats Up!!  --RoadDog

Music Listening This Weekend Here in Chicago

All times Central Daylight Savings.  Both stations stream.

WXRT, 93.1 FM   www.wxrt.com

Saturday Morning Flashback 8-11 a.m.  Today to 1991

Sunday--
Breakfast With the Beatles  8-10 a.m.  With Terri Hemmert
Bluesbreakers  9-10 p.m.  With Tom Marker

WDRV, 93.1 FM   www.wdrv.com

Rock and Roll Roots  7-10 a.m.  Part 4 of the Summer of 1977  Songs on the radio and in your stereo and your album collection for September 3, 1977.  With Bob Stroud

Tune In or Tune Out.  --RoadDog

The Problem With Chipmunks

Good thing I love those furry lil' varmints or else they would be having some serious problems.  We're essentially overrun with them.  I've seen as many as four scampering about and climbing things in our back yard.

To me, they are close cousins of the wily squirrels.

You can challenge them, but you are not going to win.  Just try to keep them out of a bird feeder when they like the seed.  Ours are particularly fond of safflower and sunflower seed.  At first you could just yell at them and they'd jump off, but now I almost have to walk over to the feeder before they jump off.

Right now, though, I have one who has trained me well.  When I go out on the deck and eat peanuts in the shell, he (or she) comes up to me and impatiently waits to be fed.  They are so funny when they eat, especially when they stiff the peanut or shell in their mouth and it bulges out the sides.  I'm hoping to get him to take the peanut out of my hand one of these days.

The Little Rascals.  Yes, Boss.   --RoadDog

LIFE'S LITTLE TRUTHS:  Brain cells come and go, but fat cells are forever.

WLS Top Ten for September 1, 1967: "Come Back When You Grow Up"

Yep, 50 years ago.

1.  ODE TO BILLY JOE--  Bobbie Gentry  (Not bad for a country song.)
2.  WE'RE IN LOVE--  Cryan's Shames   "It Could Be We're In Love"
3.  LIGHT MY FIRE--  Doors

4.  COME BACK WHEN YOU GROW UP--  Bobby Vee
5.  REFLECTIONS--  Diana Ross & the Supremes
6.  THANK THE LORD--  Neil Diamond   "Thank the Lord for the Night Time"
7.  CARRIE ANNE--  Hollies

8.  WORDS/PLEASANT VALLEY SUNDAY--  Monkees
9.  NEVER MY LOVE--  Association
10.  SILENCE IS GOLDEN--  Tremeloes

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Oh, Don't It Hurt Deep Inside To See Someone Do Something To Her."  Answer Below.  --RoadDog

LIFE'S LITTLE TRUTHS:  The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at a tempting moment.

"Silence Is Golden"