Get on the beam, teen!

With the rapid spread of swiping, followed by the rise of tapping and digital wallets, is anybody using cash anymore?

Maybe not so surprisingly, the answer is – not much. The Federal Reserve estimates that people are using cash for only 26% of all transactions, and that number is sure to decline as Baby Boomers become less of the total population and Millennials and younger – raised in a cashless society – increase.

However, there are 2 advantages to using cash in certain situations:

1.) You’re likely to spend less – Studies show that opening our wallets and purses and forking over cold, hard cash is something we always hate to do. So, if we relying on cash, we’re far more likely to spend less.

2.) Cash helps small, local businesses – Whether you’re aware of it or not, every time you use plastic to pay for something, the businesses that gave you the plastic take a cut of the purchase price. For big corporations, that’s no big deal. But for smaller, locally-owned businesses, that extra percent of two can have a big impact on their bottom line.

So, perhaps it’s best to always have a little cash on hand.

It’s Vitamin D were talking about. This vitamin is absolutely essential for bone density, strengthening the body’s immune system and may even reduce the risk of cancer. The problem is the primary way we get Vitamin D is from sunlight, And we all know the health risks associated with too much sun.

As we age, our bodies need more of this vitamin, but we also become more susceptible to overexposure to the UV rays of the sun. So what’s a good Baby Boomer supposed to do? There are two additional solutions:

Vitamin D capsules: Sold over the counter in drug and grocery stores everywhere, Vitamin D tablets can help give us the daily recommended dose of 600 IU for those under 80 and 800 IU for those over 80. As always, consult your physician before starting on Vitamin D supplements.

Diet: We can also get Vitamin D from the foods we eat – although the typical American diet is woefully lacking in foods that provide this vital nutrient. Foods high in Vitamin D include:

• Fatty Fish (Salmon, Mackerel, Trout)
• Portobello Mushrooms
• Fortified Milk & Non-Dairy Milk
• Fortified Orange Juice
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• Pork

Legendary songwriter/producer Phil Spector, workd with many gret recording acts from the Beatles to the Righteous Brothers to Cher and more. But did you know he once wrote a song for Lucille Ball?

Now, it can be told.

An episode from the 1966–67 season of The Lucy Show, "Lucy Flies to London," set up the spin-off TV special “Lucy in London,” which saw her character, Lucy Carmichael, swingin' around mod London. It's certainly a capsule of its era, with Mary Quant mini-skirts, dance routines and the Dave Clark Five.

"Wall of Sound" producer Spector contributed the special’s theme song, also providing the track’s lead vocal! It's thick with '60s slang. "With her mini-skirt on / She got in with the Mods / And she really became top gear." If you’re interested, you can hear the tune and watch video from the special here.

In 1972, pretty much everybody was sure of one thing: Chi Coltrane was destined to become a big rock star. She was a songwriter with a powerhouse voice. She was easy on the eyes. And she had already been the leader of a couple of rock bands at a time when women in rock bands, let alone being the boss lady, were scarce.

Born in Racine, Wisconsin in 1948, Coltrane received classical training in piano and sang in her church choir as a lass. Then, she heard rock & roll and that was all she wrote. Realizing she was unlikely to be discovered singing in the bars of Wisconsin, she moved to L.A. and then to Chicago where she came to the attention of Columbia Records who promptly signed her to a contract and put a big promotional push behind her.

Her first single, “Thunder and Lightning” raced up the charts cracking the top 20. And then… nothing. Her follow-up records failed to chart. Like a few other American acts, she had developed a stronger fan following in Europe, so in 1977, that’s where she went.

Chi eventually returned to the states and has recorded off and on ever since, but thunder and lightning has not struck twice.

A complicated man (to say the least) who scored his first hit record while still in high school – drawing his inspiration for the song from his father’s tombstone (which read: “To Know Him Was To Love Him”). His career included so many hit records that formed the soundtrack for the Baby Boomer’s “wonder years,” – “Be My Baby,” Da Doo Ron Ron,” You’ve Lost  That Lovin’ Feeling” as well as the very first Christmas album of rock music. He remixed the Beatles final LP (Let it Be) and worked extensively with John Lennon.

Phil Spector, whose final years descended into highly erratic behavior and finally, a murder conviction, has passed away at the age of 81.

Is it just us or does it look like Mick Jagger replaced Ringo in the band?

In the heyday of Top 40 radio, when the 45 was king, record labels typically put all their effort into only one side of single, the A-side. B-sides were considered throwaways. The Beatles were the exceptions as nearly all of their singles produced double-sided hits, but for the vast majority, “flip sides” were often only heard by the kids who purchased the singles and then, usually in the privacy of their bedrooms when they were alone – seldom shared when friends dropped into visit.

That said, some B-sides have gone on to far greater fame than their A-sides. Here are h=wht we consider the top 10:

1. “Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets – Yes, the song that’s often credited with launching rock into the mainstream begam life as the B-side to “13 Women.” Initially, the record was a two-sided flop. Then, movie producers used the B-side over the titles for the movie Blackboard Jungle. The single was re-issued with A & B sides reversing and the rest is rock & roll history!
2. “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley – Hard to believe, but this all-time classic was actually released as the flip side of “Don’t Be Cruel. Now, “Don’t Be Cruel” is famous in its own right, but nowhere near as well known or remembered as “Hound Dog.”
3. “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers – Yes, this little opus was considered a throwaway track by legendary producer Phil Spector. The A-side was supposed to be “Hung on You.” On that, Spector lavished his usual amount of time and attention. “Unchained Melody” was thrown together so quickly that it features only one, not both, of the Righteous Brothers (Bobby Hatfield) and was recorded fairly quickly. In truth, neither side found much initial success. It as only when the track was used as part of the 1990 film, Ghost, that it became the classic it is today.
4. “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys – Hailed by many as Brian Wilson’s greatest composition and far and away the Boys most popular tune in the UK, this thoughtful ballad was the B-side and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was the A-side. Actually, both are still considered stone cold rock classics.
5. “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart – You read that correctly, the song that is probably Rod’s best remembered song was actually the B-ide of his breakout single, “Reason to Believe.” Reading both those titles, we know which one is currently playing in your mind. “Wake up, Maggie!”
6. “Beth” by KISS – The ultimate irony is that KISS achieved their greatest chart success with a soft, reflective ballad, rather than the uncomplicated head-banging music that makes up most of their oeuvre. “Beth” started out as the flip side to “Detroit Rock City,” but quickly became the side most deejays were playing.
7. “We Will Rock You” by Queen – This perennial favorite of sports stadiums and motivational speaker warm-ups, started out as the B-side to Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” On lasic Rock radio, one is hardly played without the other.
8. “Colour My World” by Chicago – Why an American band wanted to use the British spelling of “color” may still be something of a mystery, but it’s obvious the band itself liked this song. They used as a B-side, not once, but twice – backing both “Beginnings” and “Make Me Smile.”
9. “Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac – When the band was recording their monster LP, Rumours, “Silver Springs was the last song cut from the album’s final line-up. To make it up to composer Stevie Nicks, the band used it as the flip side to the first single off that album “Go Your Own Way.” The song also became a staple of the group’s live shows. That in turn led to it finally becoming an A-side when Mac released it as a single off their live double-set, The Dance.
10. “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones – Okay, the A-side, “Honky Tonk Women,” is still the best-known side of this single, but as B-sides go, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is pretty damn good!

Merry Christmas from the Cleavers & everyone at Boomtown America! We hope Santa doesn't give you the business this year.

While we all marvel at the astounding success the Beatles had when Beatlemania broke big throughout the world – landing multiple songs of theirs in the charts simultaneously, what makes their success even more remarkable was the number of hit songs they wrote and gave away to other artists.

At one point in early 1964, the Fab Four had 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 (a record never beaten during the era of physical media). John & Paul were absolutely on fire creatively, penning a virtually inexhaustible stream of catchy ditties.

Their manager, Brian Epstein acquired other acts to promote. Invariably, he would ask the boys if they could contribute a tune or two to get these new artists launched properly. During this time, Lennon & McCartney weren’t writing with anybody but the Beatles in mind. So, they simply selected any of a number of songs they had written, intending to record themselves. Some of these include:

“I’ll Be on My Way” – Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas

The first of the Epstein acts to get the Lennon/McCartney treatment. This song was actually the B-side of Kramer’s first single. A cover of the Beatles’ “Do You Want to Know a Secret” was released as the A-side.

“Bad to Me” – Billy J. Kramer

For his follow-up, Kramer got an original Lennon/McCartney tune.

“Tip of My Tongue” – Tommy Quickly

Epstein really thought Tommy would become a major recording star, but it wasn’t in the cards. This Lennon/McCartney composition is all he’s remembered for today.

“Hello Little Girl” – The Fourmost

Another Epstein act that had minor success in the UK, but failed to crossover to the States.

“Love of the Loved” – Cilla Black

By far, the most successful of Epstein’s stable of talent after the Beatles. A fellow Liverpudlian, the former Priscilla White went on to a long career as a cabaret singer in the UK, remaining active and recording well into this century.

“Like Dreamers Do” – The Applejacks

Clearly, a song the Beatles thought about releasing themselves as their own version of this song finally saw the light of day on the Beatles’ Anthology CDs.

“I’ll Keep You Satisfied” – Billy J. Kramer

Kramer was the Epstein act that had the most success stateside after the Beatles. But his career stalled after the initial British Invasion lost steam.

“I’m in Love” – The Fourmost

A very pretty little pop song, but truth be told, this sounds more like a Beatles album cut than a hit single.

As John & Paul became accustomed to hearing their tunes performed by others, they did begin to write with other artists in mind. These tunes included:

“A World Without Love” – Peter & Gordon

The first non-Epstein act to be graced with a Lennon/McCartney composition, this duo had an inside track. Paul was dating Peter’s sister, actress Jane Asher. And, in fact, most rock historians believe Paul did most of the actual writing for the Lennon/McCartney material this duo recorded.

“One and One Is Two” – The Strangers with Mike Shannon

A minor bit of pop fluff the lads were probably wise to give away.

“It’s for You” – Cilla Black

A big hit in Britain, this Lennon/McCartney song remained virtually unknown in America until Three Dog Night recoded a rather inventive cover of it for their debut album.

“Nobody I Know” & “I Don’t Want to See You Again” – Peter & Gordon

The hits kept coming as long as John & Paul were supplying fresh material. Rumor has it the second tune was written by Paul as a message to Peter’s sister after a particularly nasty fight. (Although the couple would remain together until Jane allegedly caught Paul in bed with another woman in the Asher family home.)

“From a Window” – Billy J. Kramer

A hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Woman” – Peter & Gordon

Paul wanted to see if he could write a hit record without people knowing he was the composer, so this single was released crediting a “Bernard Webb” as the composer. The song was, indeed, another hit and McCartney was unmasked as the actual composer. This was notable at the time because it was the first tune where credit was not shared by John & Paul no matter who had really done the writing.

“Step Inside Love” – Cilla Black

A lovely ballad and one of her biggest hits in the UK, definitely written especially for her by John & Paul.

“That Means a Lot” – P.J. Proby

Proby had a few hits in the UK, but never managed to really get a foothold in America. It wasn’t for lack of effort. Proby was a frequent guest in the early days of Shindig.

“Cat Call” – The Chris Barber Band

This is a real obscure little gem. Written by McCartney in 1967 and given to a group known for mushy, middle-of-the-road instrumentals. It sounds vaguely like some strip club music from the early 1950’s (note the title) and does feature McCartney providing a few cat calls of his own.

As the band finally fractured, John & Paul went their separate ways as songwriters, but continued to provide material for other artists. A few of the more notable tunes include:

“Come & Get It” – Badfinger

A tune written for the movie The Magic Christian, which co-starred Ringo, Paul called a band known as the Iveys (signed to Apple Records) into the studio and produced the session himself. The band renamed themselves Badfinger and went on to a nice little string of hit records in the early 1970’s.

Pernina – Carlos Medes

A McCartney love song you’ve probably never heard. Written by Paul and given to singer Carlos Mendes while Paul was on holiday in Portugal in 1969.

“I Am the Greatest” – Ringo Starr

John wrote this specifically for Ringo. The recording session featured 3 of the 4 former Beatles, John, George & Ringo as well as Billy Preston & Klaus Voorman.

“Goodbye” – Mary Hopkins

While today, Hopkins is regarded as a “one hit wonder” for her recording of “Those Were the Days,” she actually had a second hit with this song, written for her by Paul McCartney, who also produced it (as he had produced “Those Were the Days”).

“On the Wings of a Nightingale” – The Everly Brothers

When Don & Phil Everly ended their long feud and began recording together again in 1984, Paul McCartney was one of the composers who repaid the musical debt he felt he owed the duo by writing this song especially for them. Produced by Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys), in another, better world, this should have become a huge hit.

This list is by no means complete. Half the fun is discovering some of the songs Lennon & McCartney gave away for yourself. But any dyed-in-the-wool Beatles fans should certainly have all of these in the personal record collection.