The Styrous® Viewfinder: John Lennon

Showing posts with label John Lennon. Show all posts

June 13, 2026

Remembering Bobby Freeman

date & photographer unknown

Today is the birthday of Bobby Freeman, a San Francisco performer I remember from my high school days. He was born on June 13, 1940. We went to different schools, he at Mission High, me at Poly High. Mission High was one of the SF schools that were athletic rivals for my school. I remember during one of the games we played with Mission he performed during the half-time. Years later, he performed at the Condor Club at the corner of Broadway and Columbus Avenue in North Beach, near the Hungri i where I danced (links below).

He is known for his 1958 top ten hit, Do You Want to Dance on Josie Records when he was still only 17. The song was covered by Del Shannon, the Beach Boys, Johnny Rivers, Bette Midler, John Lennon, Cliff Richard with The Shadows, Marc Bolan & T.Rex, the Mamas & The Papas, Bobby Vee and the Ramones. He toured with Fats Domino, the Coasters, Jackie Wilson and 20-year-old Sylvester Stewart, later known as Sly Stone.

Do You Want to Dance was also featured in the George Lucas 1973 film, American Graffiti, which was based on the director’s teenage years growing up in Modesto and sparked the 1950s and ’60s revival that led to the TV series Happy Days and the blockbuster musical Grease.

Bobby Freeman died of natural causes on January 23, 2017, aged 76. He was remembered by SFGate as "the man who became known as San Francisco's first rock 'n' roll star after his song Do You Want to Dance climbed the pop charts in 1958."

Bobby Freeman

date & photographer unknown

Viewfinder links::

the Beach Boys

the Coasters

The Condor Club, Carol Doda, her piano & Theresa Hill

Fats Domino

Bobby Freeman

Grease with a corkscrew & a Duck's Ass

John Lennon

the Mamas & The Papas

Bette Midler

The Poly Math*

the Ramones

Cliff Richard

Johnny Rivers

Del Shannon

Sly Stone

T.Rex

Bobby Vee

Jackie Wilson

Net links:

SF Gate ~ Bobby Freeman, SF’s first rock ’n’ roll star, dies at 76

YouTube links:

Music People

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February 23, 2025

20,000 vinyl LPs 380: Easy Rider Soundtrack & Peter Fonda

Easy Rider ~ poster

Today is the birthday of Peter Fonda, born on February 23, 1940, at the LeRoy Hospital in New York City. He was a member of the Fonda acting family, the son of actor Henry Fonda, the brother of actress and activist Jane Fonda, the father of actress Bridget Fonda and uncle of Troy Garity, son of Jane Fonda and political activist Tom Hayden.

Peter Fonda - 1970

promo photo

In 1969 Peter Fonda starred in and co-wrote, with Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern, the film Easy Rider; Hopper also directed the film.

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP front cover detail

photo of album cover by Styrous®

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP back cover

photo of album back cover by Styrous®

Through his friendships with members of the rock band The Byrds, whose song appears on the film soundtrack years later, Fonda visited The Beatles in their rented house in Benedict Canyon in Los Angeles in August 1965. While John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and Fonda were under the influence of LSD, Lennon heard Fonda say, "I know what it's like to be dead." Lennon used the phrase in the lyrics for his song, She Said She Said, which was included on their 1966 album, Revolver.

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP back cover

detail photos of album back cover by Styrous®

I've liked the Easy Rider soundtrack album as it is a small time capsule of the music of that long vanished period. It featured music by Steppenwolf, The Electric Prunes, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix; greats of the era.

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP back cover

detail photos of album back cover by Styrous®

The film itself is a time capsule of the world at that time. It explored the societal landscape, issues, and tensions towards adolescents in the United States during the 1960s, such as the rise of the hippie movement, drug use, and communal lifestyle. Real drugs were used in scenes showing the use of marijuana and other substances.

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP back cover

detail photos of album back cover by Styrous®

An independent production, the film was released by Columbia Pictures on July 14, 1969, and earned $60 million worldwide compared to a modest filming budget of $400,000. Critics praised the performances, directing, writing, soundtrack, and visuals. It received two Academy Awards nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson.

In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP back cover

detail photos of album back cover by Styrous®

Peter Fonda began his acting career in 1961 with the Broadway play, Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole, by James and William Goldman, for which he won a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Theatre World Award.

In 1964, Fonda impressed director Robert Rossen who cast him in the totally weird (on many levels) movie, Lilith, alongside Warren Beatty, Jean Seberg and Gene Hackman.

In 1966, Fonda appeared in The Wild Angels, the first of the outlaw biker films, produced and directed by Roger Corman, it also featured Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. The film associated Fonda with Harley-Davidson motorcycles and 1960s counterculture and inspired the biker film genre that continued into the early 1970s.

The Wild Angels movie still

After the success of Easy Rider, both Hopper and Fonda were sought for film projects. In 1971 Hopper directed the film The Last Movie, in which Fonda co-starred with singer Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas.

He appeared in the 1999 television mini series, The Passion of Ayn Rand, one of my heroes, which starred Helen Mirren and Eric Stoltz, and in the sixties, a spot on the The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

In 2002, Fonda was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. In 2000, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars was dedicated to him.

In 2011, Fonda and Tim Robbins produced The Big Fix, a documentary that examined the role of BP in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its effects on the Gulf of Mexico.

Peter Fonda died from respiratory failure caused by lung cancer at his home in Los Angeles on August 16, 2019, at the age of 79.

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP side 1

photos by Styrous®

Easy Rider ~ vinyl LP side 2

photos by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Steppenwolf - The Pusher - 5:48

A2 - Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild - 3:29

A3 - Smith (3) - The Weight - 4:29

A4 - The Byrds - Wasn't Born To Follow - 2:03

A5 - The Holy Modal Rounders - If You Want To Be A Bird - 2:35

Side 2:

B1 - The Fraternity Of Man - Don't Bogart Me - 3:02

B2 - The Jimi Hendrix Experience - If Six Was Nine - 5:32

B3 - The Electric Prunes - Kyrie Eleison - 4:02

B4 - Roger McGuinn - It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) - 3:03

B5 - Roger McGuinn - Ballad Of Easy Rider - 2:13

Companies, etc.

    Record Company – ABC Records, Inc.
    Published By – Lady Jane Music
    Published By – Duchess Music Corp.
    Published By – Dwarf Music
    Published By – Screen Gems-Columbia Music, Inc.
    Published By – Obscure Music
    Published By – Terrible Tunes, Inc.
    Published By – Sea-Lark Enterprises, Inc.
    Published By – E.H. Morris & Co., Inc.
    Published By – M Wittmark & Sons
    Published By – Blackwood Music
    Published By – Patian Music
    Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute

Credits:

Director: Dennis Hopper

Writers: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern

Producer: Peter Fonda

Cinematographer: Laszlo Kovacs

Editor: Donn Cambern

Production Designer: Jerry Kay

Production Companies: Raybert Productions, Inc. and The Pando Company, Inc.

Cast: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, and Toni Basil

Other cast members: Antonio Mendoza, Phil Spector, Mac Mashourian, Warren Finnerty, Tita Colorado, Luke Askew, Luana Anders, Sabrina Scharf, Sandy Brown Wyeth, Robert Walker Jr., Robert Ball, Carmen Phillips, Ellie Wood Walker, Michael Pataki, and George Fowler Jr.

Notes:

A3: The song is performed in the motion picture by "The Band" and is not available for this album. We have taken the liberty of including the song as recorded by "Smith" in this package.

The Byrds and Roger McGuinn appear courtesy of Columbia Records.
The Holy Modal Rounders appears courtesy of Elektra Records.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience and The Electric Prunes appear courtesy Reprise Records.

Runouts are primarily etched. Stamped characters include A B 2 12.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Rights Society: ASCAP
    Rights Society: BMI
    Pressing Plant ID (Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute): T
    Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): DS-50063-A
    Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): DS-50063-B
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 1): DSX 50063 A -1D T I
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 1): DSX 50063 B -1A T I
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 2): DSX 50063 A -1A C 3 T Z
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 2): DSX 50063 B -1J G V
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 3): DSX 50063 A-1A C3 T Ƨ
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 3): DSX 50063 B-1J A 9
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 4): DSX 50063 A -1A 2 XT
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 4): o DSX 50063 B -1C 12 2
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 5): DSX 50063 A-1A B5 T 1
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 5): DSX 50063 B -1A A 10 o T Ƨ
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 6): DSX 50063 A -1B oO B
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 6): DSX 50063 B -1L B
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 7): DSX 50063 A -1A A8 T I
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 7): DSX 50063 B -1D D T I
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 8): DSX 50063 A -1A A6 T 1
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 8): DSX 50063 B -1D A T 2
    Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, variant 9): DSX 50063 A -1A. T
    Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, variant 9): DSX 50063 B -1D. C T

Various – Easy Rider (Music From The Soundtrack)
Label: Dunhill – DSX 50063, ABC Records – DSX 50063
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Terre Haute Pressing
Country: US
Released: Aug 1969
Genre: Rock, Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Classic Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock

Viewfinder links:

All things Beatles

The Byrds

Roger Corman

Bruce Dern

Henry Fonda

Jane Fonda

Peter Fonda

George Harrison

Dennis Hopper

John Lennon

The Mamas and the Papas

Helen Mirren

Jack Nicholson

Michelle Phillips

Nancy Sinatra

Ringo Starr

Steppenwolf

Eric Stoltz

Net links:

Criterion ~ Easy Rider

YouTube links:

The Byrds - Wasn't Born To Follow

The Electric Prunes - Kyrie Eleison

Peter Fonda - November night

The Fraternity Of Man - Don't Bogart Me

The Holy Modal Rounders - If You Want To Be A Bird

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - If Six Was Nine

Roger McGuinn -

Ballad Of Easy Rider

it's alright ma

Steppenwolf ~

Born To Be Wild

The Pusher

The Weight ~

The Band

A Group Named Smith

Styrous® ~ Sunday, February 23, 2025

20,000 Vinyl LPs Archive
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June 28, 2024

Music Note: David Bowie ~ Fame 90, 12" 33 RPM on Rykodisc

On June 28, 1975, the song Fame written by by David Bowie, Carlos Alomar and John Lennon, was released on his ninth studio album, Young Americans.

RCA Records released Fame as a single in June 1975.

On Mar 5, 1990, Rykodisc records issued this single, an extended version of the song, which featured the amazing talent of rapper Queen Latifah and DJ, Arthur Baker, and the result was that the song was revived and became a huge hit in Discothèques all over the world.

David Bowie ~ Fame 90

12" 33 1/3 RPM vinyl front cover

cover photo by Herb Ritts

photo of album cover by Styrous®

David Bowie ~ Fame 90

12" 33 1/3 RPM single back cover

back cover photo by Herb Ritts

photo of album back cover by Styrous®

Rykodisc records was originally founded to feature only CDs and it claimed "Ryko," was a Japanese word meaning "sound from a flash of light." In the 1980's it began to include vinyl LPs and singles as well.

Fame (Fame), makes a man take things over
Fame (Fame), lets him loose, hard to swallow
Fame (Fame), puts you there where things are hollow
Fame (Fame)

[Chorus 1]
Fame, it's not your brain, it's just the flame
That burns your change to keep you insane ('Sane)
Fame (Fame)

[Verse 2]
Fame (Fame), what you like is in the limo
Fame (Fame), what you get is no tomorrow
Fame (Fame), what you need, you have to borrow
Fame (Fame)

[Chorus 2]
Fame, "Nein! It's mine!" is just his line
To bind your time, it drives you to crime
Fame (Fame)

[Bridge]
Could it be the best, could it be?
Really be, really, babe?
Could it be, my babe, could it, babe?
Could it, babe? Could it, babe?
See rock shows near San Francisco
Get tickets as low as $36
You might also like
The girl, so confusing version with lorde
Charli xcx & Lorde
Houdini
Eminem
us.
Gracie Abrams

[Verse 3]
Is it any wonder I reject you first?
Fame (Fame), fame, fame, fame
Is it any wonder you are too cool to fool
Fame (Fame)

[Chorus 3]
Fame, bully for you, chilly for me
Got to get a rain check on pain (Pain)
(Fame)

[Outro]
Fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame
Fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame
Fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame, fame
Fame
What's your name?
(Feeling so gay, feeling gay)

David Bowie ~ Fame 90

12" 33 1/3 RPM vinyl side 1

photo by Styrous®

David Bowie ~ Fame 90

12" 33 1/3 RPM vinyl side 2

photo by Styrous®

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - David Bowie With Queen Latifah – Fame 90 Featuring – Queen Latifah
Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – D.J. Mark "The 45 King"* - 4:05

A2 - David Bowie – Fame 90 (House Mix) Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Arthur Baker - 5:57

A3 - David Bowie – Fame 90 (Gass Mix) Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Jon Gass - 3:36

Side 2:

B1 - David Bowie – Fame 90 (Hip Hop Mix) Remix, Producer [Additional Production] – Arthur Baker - 5:57

B2 - David Bowi– Fame 90 (Absolutely Nothing Premeditated / Epic Mix)Remix – David Barratt - 14:24

Companies, etc.

    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – EMI USA
    Copyright © – EMI USA
    Manufactured By – Capitol Records, Inc.
    Mastered At – Sterling Sound

Credits:

    Design – Reiner Design Consultants*
    Executive-Producer – Ron Fair
    Photography By – Herb Ritts
    Producer – David Bowie, Harry Maslin
    Written-By – Carlos Alomar, David Bowie, John Lennon

Notes:

From the original motion picture soundtrack "Pretty Woman"

Direct Metal Mastered.

Some copies came with stickers. One on the back saying EMI Ryko Analogue and one purple on the left bottom corner saying Y-56163 EMI USA.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Barcode (Scanned): 077775616316
    Barcode (Text): 0 7777-56163-1 6
    Matrix / Runout (Etched, Runout Groove, Side A): V-1-56163-Z1-DMM SP1-1
    Matrix / Runout (Etched, Runout Groove, Side B): V-2-56163-Z1-DMM SP1-1
    Matrix / Runout (Stamped, Runout Groove, Both Sides): STERLING
    Other (Embossed Around Center Hole): E A S T

David Bowie – Fame 90
Label: EMI USA – V-56163, Ryko Analogue – V-56163
Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single
Country: US
Released: Mar 5, 1990
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop, Stage & Screen
Style: Downtempo, House, Hip Hop, Pop Rock, Synth-pop, Soundtrack, Glam

Viewfinder links:

Arthur Baker

David Bowie

John Lennon

Queen Latifah

Herb Ritts

Net links:

YouTube links:

David Bowie ~ Fame 12" 33-1/3 RPM

Fame 90 (Official Video)

Styrous® ~ Friday, June 28, 2024

Record Labels

20,000 Vinyl LPs Archive
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March 23, 2024

John Lennon and Yoko Ono Gibraltar postage stamps

John Lennon and Yoko Ono postage stamps - 1969

420 - 2021

photo by Styrous®

Fifty-five years ago, on march 23, 1969, Gibraltar printed but never issued a set of postage stamps that would have commemorated the wedding of John Lennon and Yoko Ono who were married in Gibraltar on March 20, 1969, and spent their honeymoon at the Hilton Amsterdam, campaigning with a week-long Bed-In for Peace against the Vietnam War.

Bed-In for Peace - March 25, 1969

photo by Gerry Deiter

On the last day of their Bed-In for Peace, John Lennon wrote his iconic anti-war song song, Give Peace a Chance. Released as a single in July 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, it is the first solo single issued by Lennon, released while he was still a member of the Beatles, and became an anthem of the American anti-war movement during the 1970s. It peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the British singles chart.

A photo exhibition and other events remembering Yoko Ono and John Lennon, The Beatles songwriter who was shot and killed in New York in 1980, are being held this week in Amsterdam to commemorate the events 50 years ago.

In 2020 on the 21st of September, International Peace Day, a film by Yoko Ono was released (link below). What ono has said about the film:

Dear Friends, In 1969, John and I were so naïve to think that doing the Bed-In would help change the world. Well, it might have. But at the time, we didn't know. It was good that we filmed it, though. The film is powerful now. What we said then could have been said now. In fact, there are things that we said then in the film, which may give some encouragement and inspiration to the activists of today. Good luck to us all. Let's remember WAR IS OVER If We Want It. It's up to us, and nobody else. John would have wanted to say that. love, Yoko Ono Lennon."

NYC International Peace Day, 21 September 2020"

Viewfinder links:

Gerry Deiter

Postal stamps on the Viewfinder

Net links:

CTV News ~ Photos of Ono & Lennon Bed-in for Peace protest Gerry Deiter

UN ~ International Day of Peace 21 September

Vanity Fair ~ Rarely Seen Photos of Ono and Lennon

YouTube links:

Bed Piece (1969) (complete film) (1 hr, 10 mins., 55 secs.)

Govert De Roos ~ John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s Bed in for peace

History Chanel ~ 50th Anniversary of the John Lennon and Yoko Ono "Bed-In"