Hi. I’ve already shared most of this collection with you as part of "The Riverdale Archives", but I recently discovered two more dances ("The Angel" and "The Bubblegum") from my old VHS tapes. I think there are still more out there, but this gave me 19 tracks, enough to warrant a separate collection focusing just on the dance numbers. In case you’re not familiar with these, they’re all unreleased and taken directly from videotapes of the first season cartoons. When "The Archie Show" debuted on CBS-TV in 1968, the music was a big part of the show’s draw. Not only did the half-hour series feature the best stories of the entire Filmation/Archie run (very similar to the old comic book plotlines), it also gave us one of the finest bubblegum bands on the planet. Kirshner Records’ Archies albums are some of the best pop records ever recorded. Don Kirshner did have a golden ear, and it heard a golden voice in singer Ron Dante. Ron’s voice shines like the sun itself on a brilliant catalog that gave us four top 40 hits and five studio albums. The only reason that I don’t share the albums is out of respect and love for Ron, who is one of the nicest guys in show business. I don’t want to curtail one thin dime from him, as he and Kirshner do plan to release a box set at some point. These TV-only tracks will probably never be released, so I don’t mind sharing them. The "Dance-of-the-Week" segments were used in the first season only to lead into a track from the first album. They were terrific little numbers that featured the Archie gang performing an animated version of the dance steps while the music played. The voice that introduces the dances is Dallas McKennon, Archie’s TV speaking voice. The songs themeselves are performed by Ron Dante and the crack musicians from the albums (including Jeff Barry and Toni Wine!) These dance numbers bring back such fantastic memories of that awesome first season that made The Archies rock stars! I am currently sharing mp3’s of the following Dance-of-the-week numbers at my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/ Enjoy! TRACK LISTING: 01. DANCE-OF-THE-WEEK INTRODUCTION, 02. THE STICKSHIFT, 03. THE ANGEL, 04. THE BUBBLEGUM, 05. THE ROCKETSHIP, 06. THE MILKSHAKE, 07. THE INDIAN, 08. THE JUGHEAD, 09. THE BEANIE, 10. THE BETTY, 11. THE GRUNDY, 12. THE SURFER, 13. THE WEATHERBEE, 14. THE HAMBURGER HOP, 15. THE BANANA SPLIT, 16. THE VERONICA WALK, 17. THE TOUCHDOWN, 18. THE MOONWALK (Recorded for Tang Radio Ad), 19. TANG RADIO AD.
Author: daddykin
THE BUBBLEGUM FILES- Check Out the First in a Series of Shares at MONDO DADDYKIN!!
Hi. As you all know by now, I’ve collected bubblegum records all my life. Well, when I first bought my computer, I decided to see what was out there on the various filesharing sites. While I didn’t find many full albums from bands, I did find a wealth of obscure singles being shared…which is great. This is what bubblegum is really about to me- the 2-minute pop song with hooks that grab you and won’t let go. I have a lot of this stuff on vinyl, but some of it is too rough to transfer. So, the keyword "bubblegum" was my starting point. Over the last five years, I have gathered hundreds of great tracks from the mid-60s through the early 70s. The term "bubblegum" is sometimes too general for these gems, as they also cover sunshine pop, AM radio hits, and even psychedelia at times. It was an incredible age for music, a pocket of time when The Ohio Express, The Supremes, and Buck Owens could all share the Billboard Pop Charts at the same time. Well, obviously the fan-originated "Bubblegum MF" series gets a big nod here. Many of the rarer tracks come from that series, but there are also files from official CD compilations, K-Tel albums, Ronco albums, personal collections, etc. My goal was and is to put together the biggest Bubblegum Box Set possible, not for sale but for personal enjoyment and to share with other fans. As I would gather enough tracks for each 80-minute CD, I would copy the results and clear the decks to start all over. Now, one disc at a time, I will share what I call "The Bubblegum Files" with you. Please be patient with these, as I’m going to upload them sporadically between my other posts, with no set timetable. You’ll probably be getting volumes a year from now, so take your time and really get into the music. I’m sharing Volume One at my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/
Enjoy! TRACK LISTING: 01. TOOT TOOT TOOT- Ganip Ganop, 02. JAMAICA- Bohanna, 03. SWEETS FOR MY SWEET- Central Park West, 04. PAM- Crazy Elephant, 05. LOOKY LOOKY- Giorgio, 06. LAST OF THE WINE- The Robbs, 07. NAMBY PAMBY- The Hardy Boys, 08. BANG BANG- Nancy Sinatra, 09. SUNSHINE GAMES- The Music Explosion, 10. YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY- The Ohio Express, 11. REMAINS TO BE SEEN- Steve and Stevie, 12. MUNY MUNY MUNY- Daisy Clan, 13. CINNAMON- Derek, 14. CHEWIN’ GUM KID- Ice Cream, 15. YES SIR, NO SIR- Art Movement, 16. PATTY CAKE- The Yummies, 17. HIP HIP HOORAY- The Troggs, 18. NEON- Young Turks, 19. ALICE LONG- Boyce and Hart, 20. BEEP BEEP- The Bumbles, 21. SUNDAY MORNING- Oliver, 22. FEE-FI-FO-FUM- Hungry Tiger, 23. SNOWBALL- American Machine, 24. LOOK AT YOU- Bazooka, 25. STOP- Giorgio, 26. FAIRY TALES CAN COME TRUE- San Francisco Earthquake, 27. SALLY ANN- The Cuff Links, 28. LOLLIPOP MAN- The Sweet, 29. TRACY- The Cuff Links, 30. CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP- The Others, 31. LOVER’S CONGREGATION- The Matchmakers.
Ron Dante’s Lost Singles- Forgotten Gems From The Voice Of The Archies!
Hi. As a huge Archies fan and avid record collector, I set out to find as many tracks as I could that featured the golden pop voice of Ron Dante. Many of you may know that in addition to the wonderful Archies catalog, Ron was also the voice of "Tracy" by The Cufflinks. Well, his pop music history goes much further and deeper than that. While researching his career on the internet a few years ago, I stumbled into a website called "Laura Pinto’s Ron Dante Fan Pages." This chick had written extensive articles on Dante, including a discography that blew me away! While I had found a few old singles at yard sales and flea markets, Laura had amassed a collection so thorough that she was providing the man himself with copies of his own lost songs! Well, after a few e-mail exchanges, Laura and I became friends and started to trade tracks and videos back and forth. While the CD that I’m offering at MONDO DADDYKIN does not give you everything from our collections, it is definitely the cream of the crop of the rarities. These 32 tracks are all compiled from Laura’s singles. She had me transfer them for her and Ron awhile back, and has graciously given me permission to post them. We tried to avoid songs that are available commercially or for download from Ron’s official site. Ron Dante’s work was often released under the name of a "ghost group" or a pseudonym. The CD starts with his very first record, Ronnie Dante’s "Little Lollipop" from 1963! Laura Pinto also runs several other awesome sites dedicated to bubblegum music and classic oldies, and contributes invaluable articles to the pop community on a regular basis. Laura, bless you for sharing your collection with us. Hopefully, this will give our readers a new appreciation of the pop giant that is Ron Dante. I am sharing mp3’s of many of these rarities at my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/ Check it out!! daddykin
So You Are A Star- Remembering The Hudson Brothers
Hi. Remember The Hudson Brothers? They had a great primetime variety series on CBS-TV in the summer of 1974. "The Hudson Brothers Show" did so well as a summer replacement series that CBS put in a quick order for a Saturday morning version to debut the following month. Becoming "The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show," the boys graced our TV sets through 1975. Mark, Brett, and Bill had been making records since 1972, originally under the name "Hudson." By the time their second album was picking up speed, Casablanca Records scurried to put together a soundtrack album to tie in with their TV success. "Hollywood Situation," from 1974, offers songs heard in both TV series as well as a comedy skit called "The Adventures of Chucky Margolis," one of the more popular segments from both series. This album, along with the TV push, scored them a hit with the Beatlesque "So You Are A Star." Even as their TV career was nearing its end, they scored a big hit in 1975 with "Rendezvous." This is from their Rocket Records debut called "Ba-Fa." As an FYI, I should mention that Bill is the father of actress Kate Hudson (he was married to Goldie Hawn at the time). I haven’t heard much from Brett since, but Mark has been busy collaborating with, producing, and touring with Ringo Starr in recent years. Their songs were all solid AM pop material, mostly penned by the three brothers themselves. I’m sharing mp3’s of "Hollywood Situation" and "Ba-Fa" at my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/ Check it out! daddykin
The Higher They Climb- A Look Back At David Cassidy’s RCA Debut!
Hi. Even though this was technically David Cassidy’s fifth "solo" album, many consider it his first because of the circumstances surrounding it. His career to this point was orchestrated by Bell Records. Even the non-Partridge Family records had a similar thread in that they used a lot of the same musicians, songwriters and producers. Now, to my ears, the Bell period will always be the golden period. Wes Farrell’s production and arrangements, using strings and harpsichords with a pop group, were the perfect complement to David’s throaty vocals. Let’s face it, the boy had some chops. Well, when "The Partridge Family" was cancelled in 1974, so ended his contract with Bell. The end of a great era. Now a free agent for the first time in his career, David signed with RCA, who gave him complete control over his output. Cassidy could finally make the rock and roll album that he’d always wanted to. Released in 1975, this first RCA album is almost a concept album. Titled "The Higher They Climb, The Harder They Fall," it’s a tongue-in-cheek jab at his own rise and fall. Cassidy produced the album himself with the help of Bruce Johnston. In addition to Johnston, the players include Beach Boy Carl Wilson, Richie Furay, Jesse Ed Davis, Danny Kortchmar, and Jim Gordon- all session players of rock and roll legend. The Turtles’ Flo and Eddie sing backup on a couple of songs, and there’s even a comedy skit with Phil Austin of The Firesign Theatre! A fine, underappreciated album that tends to be forgotten with time. I’m sharing mp3’s of this classic album at my blog, http://mondodaddykin.blogspot.com Check it out! daddykin
MONKEES “RARITEES” UNEARTHED!!
Hi. Just when I thought Rhino had given us everything and the kitchen sink, I found this awesome boot a couple of years ago. "Raritees" gives you demo tapes that Michael Nesmith would submit for use in the TV series and records, 45-RPM singles that he released as Michael Blessing, a rare Micky Dolenz solo single, the original pilot versions of the theme song and "I Wanna Be Free" performed by Boyce & Hart, Monkees musical bumpers from the show, and "The In Sound," a recorded interview with the Monkees from 1966! There are also alternate versions of songs that have yet to be officially released. It’s an amazing find for the Monkees completist, and even good listening for the casual fan. I’m sharing mp3’s of these "raritees" at my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/
Check it out! daddykin
PARTRIDGE FAMILY 2200 A.D.!! Songs From The 1974 Cartoon Series!
Hi. In 1974, the same year that the live-action sitcom was cancelled, Hanna-Barbera turned The Partridge Family into cartoon characters. The original plan was to update "The Jetsons," but CBS pushed for them to revise the cartoon with the Partridge Family instead. That’s why it’s set in 2200 A.D. Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Brian Forster, Suzanne Crough, and Dave Madden all worked on the project at some point. The only holdouts were unfortunately the most glaring holdouts…Shirley Jones and David Cassidy refused to participate. The character of Shirley Partridge was voiced by Joan Gerber, and Keith Partridge was played by Chuck McClenan. As with most Hanna-Barbera projects, Hoyt Curtin was the musical director and penned some pretty good gum tunes for McClenan to sing. In addition to the new songs, they recorded an updated version of "Take Good Care of Her" from "The Partridge Family Notebook" album, with McClenan singing Cassidy’s lines. Pretty weird! These songs were never issued in any form, but I’ve rescued them from my old VHS tapes. I’m sharing the mp3’s at my blog, http://mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/ Check it out!
The Sun Is Going To Shine…TOOMORROW!!
Hi. In 1970, after his phenomenal success with The Monkees and The Archies via television, Don Kirshner set his sights on the motion picture industry to launch his latest bubblegum band. "Toomorrow" was a movie, a band, an album, two singles…and a flop! Kirshner recruited a 21-year-old Australian singer and actress named Olivia Newton-John to front the band, which also included Vic Cooper, Ben Thomas, and Karl Chambers. The plot is pretty wild. A space center called Alphoid Galactic Control has assigned an alien (played by John Williams) to observe Earthlings in search of a cure for "the sterility of sound in space." When he hears the music of Toomorrow, he kidnaps the band and their positive sounds and whisks them into outer space to save the day. I actually think it’s pretty groovy. The film bombed, but has since become a cult classic. The music is pretty good pop in my opinion. Despite the project’s failure, the sun is going to shine…toomorrow! I’m sharing mp3’s of the music at my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/ Check it out!
THE GLOBETROTTERS- BASKETBALL AND BUBBLEGUM!!
Hi. Remember The Harlem Globetrotters cartoon from 1970? Kirshner Records released an album to coincide with the Saturday morning cartoon by Hanna-Barbera. The series was so popular that it made superstars out of the already famous basketball legends. Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal became household names in 1970. Enter Don Kirshner, who will make a bubblegum band from any known substance. The Globetrotters album is unique in that it transcended the kiddie market, and produced a huge beach-music hit with "Rainy Day Bells." Yes, this is the hit version that appears on The Beach Music Anthology box set among many other beach compilations. The other songs are a lot of fun as well. Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield penned half of the album, and the other half was written by gum legends like Jeff Barry, Ron Dante, and Jamie Carr. Good stuff! At my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/ , I’m sharing mp3 files of the album, including a couple of bonus tracks! Take care, more gum later…
THE ARCHIES- THE RIVERDALE ARCHIVES!!
Calling all fans of The Archies and Ron Dante! Did you know there is a wealth of unreleased material from The Archies at their peak period? About 95% of the songs played on "Archie’s Funhouse" (the third season of the TV cartoon) were unreleased pop gems penned primarily by Neil Goldberg, working under Jeff Barry at the time (1970-71). Along with the dance-of-the-week numbers, we’re talking close to 50 rarities. When I first heard these on TV, I was about 10 years old. I had no concept of the value of a "non-LP B-side." It’s like a treasure hidden away for the truest fans. That’s what I equate the "Funhouse" songs and the dances to, and why I consider it the Holy Grail of Archies music. This is not some lame later incarnation of the band, but the same awesome musicians that gave us "Sugar Sugar." To Beatles fans (which I am one of the biggest in the whole wide universe), it’s the equivalent of finding several unreleased studio albums lying in a warehouse…they’re in their PRIME and Ron Dante’s voice shines like the sun itself. Well, you may ask, "How can I hear these?" I put together a VHS video compilation of these clips that I sell on eBay (just look under my member name, daddykin, for availability). Then, I culled the audio of the songs off the videotapes and transferred it to a CD that I call "The Riverdale Archives." I share this CD with you freely at my blog, http://www.mondodaddykin.blogspot.com/ Please check it out. You won’t be disappointed. daddykin