Rare & Scratchy Rock 'n Roll Podcast

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_119 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF THE KINGSTON TRIO" Once upon a time – back in the 1950s and 1960s – folk music was all over your radio dial. Not much anymore on AM, FM, or satellite broadcasts. But your friends at “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” are bringing it back for you. This episode salutes a group that helped launch the “folk music” craze and set records for selling records that lasted for more than half a century – as one of the most influential acts in pop music history. the Kingston Trio. We’ll cover its hit singles history along with the original versions by other artists who inspired the group. We’ll also recount how the Kingston Trio was the first to wax songs that became trademark tunes for such other artists as Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, the Youngbloods, and Terry Jacks. Our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will be along to put the Kingston Trio’s platters into the context of the times. And Ra

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_118 – THE HISTORY OF THE BAND & ROBBIE ROBERTSON This episode spotlights a band that started in the 1950s as the supporting musicians for Canada’s biggest rockabilly star. Later, they moved to the United States and fine- tuned their sound under a variety of different names. That led Bob Dylan to hire them to back him on concert tours and studio recordings. Then the band finally established themselves as one of the leading rock and roll groups of the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. Actually, we’ve already mentioned their name: – The Band. We’ll track The Band’s history – along with a particular emphasis on their most prominent member – Robbie Robertson. His work with The Band and his successful post-Band solo career – including his decades of work on major Hollywood motion picture soundtracks – are profiled in the film, “Once Were Brothers.” Our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rockologist. Ken Deutsch, interviewed Daniel Roher, the director of that documentary,

R&SRNR_#117 – LOST HITS (& LOST HEADLINES) FROM EACH OF THE FIRST 20 YEARS OF THE “ROCK & ROLL ERA” This episode spotlights 60 lost hits from the first 20 years of the “Rock & Roll Era” – 1955 through 1974. We’ve picked three songs from each of those years, and they’re tunes you rarely hear on the radio, or from a satellite, or on anyone’s live stream anymore. And to add a little more perspective to such platters, our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will join me throughout this episode with some “Lost Headlines” from each year, too. He's assembled some stories that made the news in those days, but rarely got much attention – sometimes for good reason. On this episode, Radio Dave play a song about a bull that used sound effects recorded at a major league baseball game. Plus, a ditty about a dog that was banned by many radio stations. And Ken Deutsch will feature a famous failed make of motorcar that later shared its name with a major motorway in the Motor C

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_116 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF PETER & GORDON + PETER ASHER PRODUCTION HIGHLIGHTS" There’s only person that we can think of in the annals of rock and roll history who worked with the Beatles, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Cher, Neil Diamond, and Diana Ross. He also was one-half of one of the most successful British invasion duos that rocked the U.S. during the 1960s – Peter & Gordon. You know who we're talking about – Peter Asher. We’ll sample all of Peter & Gordon’s charted 45s, along with any original versions by other artists who recorded some of these songs first. Plus, we’ll sample many of the hit singles and albums Peter Asher crafted for other artists after his career evolved into record producing. He also has a new book, “The Beatles A To Zed.” Peter Asher joins us to talk about that, as well as his prolific career. It’s all interspersed throughout this episode in an interview with our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rockologist, Ke

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL _115 – "THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT  – 60 HIT PRODUCING PROGENCY OF FAMED ROCK, RHYTHM & BLUES, COUNTRY, AND POP PERFORMERS" This episode spotlights 60 hit-producing progeny of famed rock, rhythm & blues, country, and pop performers who also had charted records, owned record companies, and/or made their musical marks on Broadway stages or Hollywood screens. We’re calling this collection “The Kids Are Alright.” These include the offspring of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Jerry Lewis, Doris Day, Hank Williams Senior, Berry Gordy Junior, Brian Wilson, and members of the Mamas & Papas, among many others. Several famed fathers also recorded hit singles with their children, and we’ll feature seven of these 45 RPM family affairs during this podcast. Our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rockologist Ken Deutsch will be along to add some roll calls of other multi-generational hit music makers we won’t have time to rec

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL #113 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF DIONNE WARWICK - PART 2" This episode chronicles all of the rest of Dionne Warwick's hit singles, along with the numerous original versions by the many other artists who inspired her. We’ll highlight Dionne Warwick’s special connections and collaborations with the Spinners, Barry Manilow, the Bee Gees, Johnny Mathis, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Gladys Knight, Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, Isaac Hayes, and Billy Ray Cyrus, among many others. Our Resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rockologist, Ken Deutsch presents more of his 1974 interview with Dionne Warwick, along with his always incisive comments about the tunes. And Radio Dave will have more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL #112 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF DIONNE WARWICK - PART 1" This is part one of our two-part salute to a singer, actress, and television personality, who is one of the most successful female vocalists of all time. She charted hit singles spanning seven decades beginning in the 1960s. Her recordings have sold more than100 million copies world-wide. She’s Dionne Warwick. We’ll chronicle all of her hit singles, along with the numerous original versions by the many other artists who inspired her. And you’ll hear several recordings that are almost never played on the radio anymore. On this episode, we’ll highlight her special connections with the legendary composing team of Hal David & Burt Bacharach, famed fictional super-spy James Bond, Jerry Butler, the Drifters, and Isaac Hayes, among many others. Our Resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rockologist, Ken Deutsch presents his 1974 interview with Dionne Warwick, along with his always incisive comments about th

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL – “THE TOP 40 LOST HITS OF 1965" – This episode spotlights 40 top 40 lost hits from the year 1965 – the tunes you never seem to hear on the radio, or the satellite or on anyone’s live stream anymore. Talk about variety, we’ve got some dreamers and a Duke, a religious King and a Johann Sebastian Bach concerto that all rocked. Somewhere in our list of hits there’s even a Cannon and a shotgun, so watch out for those. And talk about family-friendly programming, we’ve also got the only father and son with their own individual top 40 hits in the same year. Then there are several country singers who scored some of the biggest rock hits in this country. As always, our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will be along to give us a little historical perspective about the tunes and times of the mid-1960s. And Radio Dave will have more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL #_110 – SUNSHINE POP HITS OF THE LATE 1960s – Remember a time when life was groovy, love-ins were the in-thing, and happenings happened? An era when flower power energized us? When far out and out of sight were what we wanted to be? If you were around in the late 1960s, then you know what we're rapping about. And if you were born later, and you’re listening to this podcast series, then it’s likely you also love the music we dug during those years. No matter what bag you were in back then, there were many varieties of rock and roll from which to choose. One was “Sunshine Pop.” We’re gonna sock it to you with selected songs from 40 “Sunshine Pop” acts who were really boss. That’s along with 10 more acts from other music genres who earned some bread by copping the “Sunshine Pop” style.50 songs in total. Our resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will make the scene, so don’t be uptight, man. And Radio Dave will have more of the choicest rock and stories on record

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_109 – "THE GREATEST ROCK & ROLL DOCTORS OF ALL TIME" Are the endless encores of the same songs, constant commercials, and perpetual pre-pubescent patter on the radio giving you a headache? Is your home audio system constipated? Does your car stereo have indigestion? Is your podcast player all pooped out? Sounds like you need an immediate appointment with the “Rare & Scratchy Rock & Roll” Doctors. They’ve got the prescription to cure your musical ills! For this episode, we’ve assembled the greatest group of melodious MDs and alternative medicine mavens ever to be heard in one podcast. Their diagnosis is that you need some strong musical medicine. So, they’ve prescribed a concentrated dose of songs about doctors and rock and roll illnesses. And we’ve got ‘em for you. Plus, our resident Rockologist Ken Deutsch interviews a real rock and roll doctor – renowned Neurologist Hal Pineless – who’ll opine on the health benefits of the music we love. And Radio Dave will have

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_108 – "40 GREATEST BIRD-NAMED GROUPS" More rock, rhythm & blues, and country groups have been named after birds than any other member of the animal kingdom on this planet. Thirty-seven of our feathered musical friends have found nesting places on the hit singles charts. Our “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Ornithology Department has also identified three more bird groups whose records perched on the playlists of major radio stations even though their tweets didn’t result in hits. That’s a total of 40 bird groups in the flock of songs we’re presenting on this podcast. These include multiple different groups who named themselves after the same bird species – such as eagles, larks, crows, and swans. Nay Nassar – a world-class expert on vocal groups, will opine on why so many groups with bird names took flight in pop music. Our resident Rockologist Ken Deutsch will explain how the harmonious chirps that went into many of these recordings were put together. And Radio Dave wil

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_107 – THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF NEIL DIAMOND, PART 2  This is part two of our two-part salute to a singer/songwriter who’s been making hit records for more than a half-century. His recordings have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. And the songs he composed for other performers have added many millions to that total. He’s Neil Diamond. Continuing our retrospective from the year 1970 forward, we’ll chronicle all the rest of his hit singles, along with the original versions by other artists who inspired him, Plus, later hit recordings of Neil Diamond originals by different singers – as well as songs he composed for various artists, but didn’t record himself. In this part two of our two-part Neil Diamond rockumentary, we’ll highlight Neil Diamond’s special connections with Paul Newman, Glen Campbell, Barbra Streisand, and Brian Wilson, among others. Our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock & Roll” Rockologist Ken Deutsch will spotlight Neil Diamond’s incred

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_106 – THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF NEIL DIAMOND, PART 1 This is part one of our two-part salute to a singer/songwriter who’s been making hit records for more than a half-century. His recordings have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. And the songs he composed for other performers have added many millions to that total. He’s Neil Diamond. We’ll chronicle all of his hit singles, along with the original versions by other artists who inspired him. Plus, later hit recordings of Neil Diamond originals by other singers – as well as songs he composed for various artists, but didn’t record himself. In this part one of our two-part Neil Diamond rockumentary, we’ll highlight Neil Diamond’s special connections with Pat Boone, Jay & The Americans, the Monkees, Cliff Richard, Lulu, Deep Purple, and Junior Walker & The All-Stars, among many others. Our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock & Roll” Rockologist Ken Deutsch will put Neil Diamond’s accomplishments into

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL – "THE LOST TOP 40 HITS OF 1961" – This episode spotlights 40 lost hits from the year 1961. These include top 40 tunes radio stations no longer play – by major artists such as Tony Orlando, Fats Domino, Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles, and Chubby Checker, as well as famed actress/singer Ann-Margret, among many others. We’ll also reveal the special connection between one of Elvis Presley’s #1 hits from 1961 and a 78 RPM platter recorded in 1905 by one of that era’s most famous operatic tenors. You’ll hear a sample of that rare & scratchy recording – restored as much as possible to its original fidelity by our “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Production Department. Many of the lost 1961 top 40 hits that have found their way onto this episode are instrumentals – a type of tunes no longer heard on today’s rock stations. Our resident Rockologist Ken Deutsch will be along to explain why. And Radio Dave will have more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record.

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_104 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF THE EVERLY BROTHERS, PART 2" – This is part two of our two-part salute to two siblings who comprised the most successful duo in the history of rock and roll – the Everly Brothers. We’ll chronicle the rest of their hit singles – singing together and also apart as solo artists – along with the original versions by other performers who inspired them. Plus, later hit recordings of Everly Brothers songs by other singers. We’ll track their successful 1983 comeback – a decade after their 1973 breakup. We’ll remember more of their connections with Buddy Holly & The Crickets and Simon & Garfunkel, as well as their later collaborations with the Hollies, Paul McCartney, Warren Zevon, Cliff Richard, Dave Edmunds, Johnny Cash, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, and Andrew Lloyd Webber, among others. Our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rocklogist, Ken Deutsch, has a special presentation for you on hit singles by some of the many acts t

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_103 – "THE COMPLETE HIT SINGLES HISTORY OF THE EVERLY BROTHERS, PART 1" – This is part one of our two-part salute to two siblings who comprised the most successful duo in the history of rock and roll. They mixed their Appalachian mountain music heritage with some rockabilly, a little country and western, a dash of rhythm and blues, and a sprinkle of easy listening pop to chart more hit singles than any other twosome ever. They’re the Everly Brothers – Phil and Don.  We’ll chronicle all of their hit singles, along with the original versions by other artists who inspired them. Plus, later hit recordings of Everly Brothers songs by other singers. In this part one of our Everly Brothers rockumentary, we’ll highlight their special connections with Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Chet Atkins, Roy Orbison, Simon & Garfunkel, and Linda Ronstadt among many others.  Our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock & Roll” Rockologist Ken Deutsch will put the Everly Brothers accomplishment

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL #_102 – "40 GOOD SONGS FROM 30 BAD MOVIES" Have you ever seen a really bad major motion picture where the original soundtrack music was the only good part of the film? We have.  Our resident “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” Rockogolist, Ken Deutsch, picked 30 such flicks, and I plucked 40 songs that debuted in those pictures for this presentation.  Most of these movies were musicals that hit the wrong notes. But our celluloid collection also includes atrocious comedies, dreadful dramas, science fiction fiascos, and creepy cult classics.  Three of those films featured songs that were written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David – one of the greatest composing teams of all-time. And there were sundry superstars whose singing surpassed the plots of the pictures in which their songs originated: Olivia Newton-John, Queen, Dionne Warwick, David Bowie, Diana Ross, the Electric Light Orchestra, Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, the Bee Gees, Dusty Springfield, and Frankie Avalon, among ot

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL _101 – 45 LOST 1960s XMAS 45s This is our fourth annual Xmas podcast. On earlier editions, show #25 told “The Little-Known Stories Of The Biggest Christmas Hits." #51 showcased "The Top 40 Lost Hits Of Christmas." And #75 presented "The Beatles & Elvis Presley For Christmas." Now, on this episode #101, it’s the yuletide tunes of a specific decade. We’ll remember “45 forgotten 1960s Xmas 45s.” Most were played on one or more radio stations somewhere, but with just a few exceptions, they went nowhere on the hit music charts. These include platters by then-established or emerging artists, such as Aretha Franklin, Gary U.S. Bonds, Solomon Burke, Jack Scott, Dodie Stevens, Charles Brown, and Ike & Tina Turner, among others.  We’ll also unwrap some singles worth hearing by artists who were hardly ever if ever heard from again. And we’ve got some 45s that appeared on the rock charts back then, but seem to have disappeared from radio station playlists today. They’re all part o

R&SRNR_100 – “What’s Playin’ On The Jukebox At Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll World Headquarters” This is show #100 in our podcast series. And to commemorate our reaching the century mark, we’ve prepared a celebration that we hope you’ll share. It’s 40 of the records that are playin’ on the Jukebox at “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll World Headquarters.”  These are some of the songs that I, my podcast partner and our resident Rockologist Ken Deutsch, our support staff, spouses, enablers, and known children and grandchildren like to listen to when we’re relaxing around our studios.  I chose 20, and Ken chose 20. Each tune has a back story, and Ken and I will tell those tales, including why we chose them.  These include the absolutely smokin’ hit version of a movie theme that became the soundtrack for a famous cigarette ad campaign. And there’s the psychedelic folk song that provided the name for a comic book super hero nearly two decades later.  They’re all part of the greatest rock and roll stories on

RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_099 – "Sex-Rated Hit Singles Of The 1960s & 1970s" Our earlier episode #8 – “Risque Records, Banned Ballads, & Profane Platters” – is the second most downloaded show in our “Rare & Scratchy Rock ‘N Roll” series. It covers 52 songs spanning all the decades since the 1950s.  Now, as an extension of that rockumentary, we’ll listen a little closer to how rock and roll reflected the evolution of pop culture attitudes about sex in the 1960s and 1970s. Radio stations played all the songs we’re presenting in this edition back in the day, and most of these tunes are still heard today. That said, we suggest you cover the ears of any younger rock and rollers who might be listening to this download with you. That’s because we’ll sample 40 songs with lyrics that have adult content.  We’re calling this presentation “Sex-Rated Hit Singles Of The 1960s and 1970s.”