Thanks Mike for the info on your book. One of my fav songs of yours was Texas Sparrow on your solo lp. Thanks for posting this song SeaOvJapan!!! Great video.
Lets get it real here, the 60's music was a blessing in so many ways. It's not in you face music like today's JUNK RAP CRAP stuff. Thank GOD for the 60's! This tune, Western Union, by The 5 Americans was ahead of its time like all other songs of that decade. GREAT!
hey mike rabon--really enjoyed your five american stuff in the 60's but sure wish there was a cd of michael rabon and choctaw with "california hollywood" we got the promo albums and 45s in the arly 70's and gave you some airplay. guess it didn't help but i still like the song. take care.
Jeptha Wade. He owned and operated Western Union out of Cleveland, Ohio, and made 'millions!" Congress wanted to break up the company for 15 years because they alleged it held a monopoly. He kept the rates down, and paid the right politicians, and raked it in for a couple decades. One of the richest men to ever walk the earth. Buried above John D Rockefeller in Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Co-founded Case Western University, Wade Park, Cleveland Art Museum... Nobody cares, I'm sure!
A retroactive thankyou, Mr. Rabon. I always thought "Western Union" was a brilliant emulation of that early Monkees sound. Was that planned or coincidence?
Mike Rabon! Wow! This band is great AND I just recently read your awesome book. I had seen some fabulous reviews and had to buy it. It was mesmerizing. We normal folk admire our Pop heroes and can only guess at the highs and lows of stardom. Thanks for the amazing story...or NOT really a story, but REAL LIFE history of a talented and very lucky gentleman. Buy and read this book folks.
Hello everyone this is Mike Rabon lead guitar player ( really). Thanks for the Kudos. I appreciate all the great comments and I have special memories from this time in my life. To that end I have written my memoirs entitled "High Strung" a Five American memoir. You can get a copy online at amazon or Barnes and Noble and books-a-million. Thanks again! Mike Rabon
@mrabon1 .......Thank you Mike for such a classy post and I'm looking forward to buying and reading your book. I apologize for asking this but could you point out which member of the group was you in the video? For that matter could you name each member in the video if you have the time? I'd appreciate it and I'm sure others would as well. Thanks.
@coolsouthernrain75 Bass player on the view's left is Jim Grant Bassist, Then me Mike Rabon, The Norman Ezell guitar, then John Durrill keyboard, Jimmy Wright on drums. There you go!
@mrabon1 Dear Mike, and I am being honest, Western Union was the first 45 I bought in my entire life. You were a great group. Thank you for sharing the info on "High Strung," which I ordered tonight. Best, Arnie
Some music is timeless, larger than men and sound and remain relevant and understandable for decades and even centuries like some of the great symphonies. Others are a fragment of time held in song,a little slice of the past to give us a little look back, like the Sidewalks of New York, or this song.
Thanks for posting it. I always liked this song, but even when it was recorded ( well over 40 years ago ), the message was already outdated. Who still used Western Union to send a personal telegram in the mid 60's. Of course, today you can break up via email, instant message, text, or announce the breakup to the world via twitter or Facebooik., on which you can still remain friends.
One can hear this song everyday on the radio if they try hard enough but watching this film clip makes me take a whole different perspective of them. Thanks for putting this on.
@wp4866 From what I've heard, they're from Texas, the same state at President Lyndon Johnson. So they made the joke of the message from the President.
@Mavarla That "old square"you refer to is the great Steve Allan. He was a true visionary in comedy and music, no one did what he did at that time. He was anti-war, promoted modern music and had some of the best comedic talent at the time on his show, Carlin, Bruce, Klein even Steve martin's first appearance on TV. He was a legend and just great man.
Now this song really does make me feel old. Recalling a time when most working people still didn't have a telephone - after all this was the 1960s (!) - so important messages were brought to us by the dreaded telegram delivery man.....usually a bringer of bad news: usually a death in the family.
I couldn't wait to turn on the radio in the sixties to see what new songs were being released for that day. Songs like this one. The Five Americans were great and the kind of group that kept the Sixties' music surprising and rockin'.
@geoffdoor You embarrass yourself with such a foolish comment. Your emotional well being comes into question and you owe us an apology. Of course I would not expect to hear one because that's how weak you show yourself to be. Norm (and his wife) were both great people, made positive contributions, loved others and have a wonderful legacy to show for it... you have none of these things and I feel sorry for you.
I was born in 1954. I can remember Western Union being used twice (other than to send money). The first time, my father received the telegram and showed it to all of us at dinner to show us what a Western Union telegram actually looked like. The second time was when the San Francisco Giants traded Bobby Bonds for Bobby Murcer and my friend Mark Loomis, sent Horace Stoneman, the owner of the Giants a telegram that read, "Bonds for Murcer" followed by 97 question marks.
Oh wow-I just realized I still have the album Steve Allen held up! Back in the day a former boyfriend in Texas gave me the album,and I have to admit-their music was not my taste at the time. But I believed it was bad luck to get rid of a gift.
And being the pack rat I am I still have it,.Thanks for the upload its brought back some good memories.
@hifijohn The video's not clear, so it isn't easy to see, but all three guitars are cabled. I can't see if the keyboard is cabled, but if the guitars are, why not the keyboard? It's true that producers of many, if not most, TV shows in that era wouldn't risk live performances and required groups to sing to prerecorded instrumentals, or even worse, lipsync to a prerecorded soundtrack. Cabling and microphones were conspicuously absent just to keep the stage clear in such cases.
Da da da da da da da da da...classic , I love...60's bands used a drum, guitar and organ, or little keyboard like this, with a bar stool, so fresh, so new da da da da da da.
What a strange sounding song. "A group even the old squares like" Maybe if your tone deaf. Again this is a strange sounding song and i love 60s music.
Regarding Norm Ezell... give yourself a real treat and visit his web site and listen to his song 24/7. Keep in mind Norm is now 24/7 living in Heaven, a fitting reward for such a wonderful man who served and gave so much love to so many.
Norm Ezell the lead singer in this wonderful song passed away last Saturday May 8th 2010. I knew Norm well as we played worship music together for the homeless in Lodi. Norm was a great friend, a superb musician but most of all Norm was a deep man of God.
@GoAndMake - actually, Norm is the tall guy pretending to sing the lead; he's actually singing backing vocals (dit di dit di dit, and harmonys in places). The shorter guitarist at left (sorry, don't know the name) is actually singing lead.
@GoAndMake did you know norms wife ...and did you ever fancy moving in her now that norms gone !!! wink wink nudge nudge go on fuck her you know you wan to
@nancyzeetoo : as a guitarist, i think they sounded good live. Alot of groups would have lip-synced it. Did you know that the Beatles early rival...."The Dave Clark 5" ...never played live "ever" on TV.....in fact, there is only "one" known recording of them live
My favorite song by this great band was I See the Light, the wild and crazy one, not one the old folks would like, as Steve says here. That one is hard to come by. I had to give up and order it from Amazon.
Actually the "da da da da" is not nonsensical, it is a representation of the morse code that Western Union used to transmit messages back in the day - and very clever of them...in my opinion...
@nightliter I was in a brigade communications platoon and when we were done sending a message on the RATT, radio tele-type ,we would end the message by typing KKK .
@nightliter I may be one of the few on youtube to have actually delivered telegrams, which I did as a senior in high school in 1972, working downtown Milwaukee for my father, who ran the operations at the Western Union office there. I agree with you about the da da da da part.
Steve Allen was a great host. Wrote over 14,000 songs and it was something to be on his show. He was also the original host of the "Tonight Show". This was a great live performance from 1967. Sounded just like the record which was a rarity back then in the era of lip sync.
I agree DBLCC! I would say if they had any similarity to any other group, it would be The Monkees, but still had their own sound and style. And very good live. I had two of their singles when I was a kid circa 1967/68.
Oh please...every band back then was trying to find a niche. The Beatles influenced EVERYBODY! Give them credit for doing this live and not lipsyncing. I loved this song when it come out.
This song was produced by Dale Hawkins, the rockabilly pioneer best known for his 1957 hit "Suzy Q". Dale left us a few days ago after a battle with colon cancer.
I love nothing more than watching these groups perform their big hit live in their prime. Catchy song from 1967. They had another hit in "I See The Light" but this one I think was their best.
Really? Wow! I don't recall ever hearing that tune. I lived in NJ, and WABC was our main music station. They pretty much played the same 10 songs every hour. We rarely heard follow-up singles from groups like this one. On clear nights we'd listen to a station in Buffalo that featured singles that were just entering the charts. It was on that station that I first heard "Lies" by The Knickerbockers. I thought it was a new Beatle song! I miss those days.
I was referring to their follow-up hit, "See The Light". I never heard this or any of their other songs. I loved "Western Union." Funny, some thirty-odd years later I got my Amateur Radio license and became very proficient at using Morse Code! Where in Jersey did you live?
A great Norm Ezell story: 1968 & I'm in the 5th grade. Guy in a suit w/hair in a ponytail walks into class w/guitar case in one hand & small amp in the other. He's our sub. teacher for the day. Says his name is Mr. Ezell & when he's not teaching he's a musician & and have we heard the tune Western Union? Wow! Says if we're good he'll fire up the guitar the last hour of the day. After that nobody ever saw such well-behaved kids! We saw a live show by a real rocker. Thanks again, Mr. Ezell!
One of the few live performances that were done on television in the '60s. This was a great song and their live performance didn't take one thing away from the recorded song. Nice posting.
Oldies clips, like this one, on YouTube really bring out emotions and memories in me that don't happen when I just hear them on the radio. And reading through the comments adds to the feeling. Thanks, YouTube!
The Five Americans were the featured headliners September 2009 at The Oklahoma History Center. Mike Rabon and John Durrill were there from the original band, and made this song happen again
Agree with you vidconcep, it's refreshing to see a live performance for a change. It's unfortunate, but most bands had to lip-synch when they appeared on these shows due to lack of time for rehearsal and other acoustic factors, so it's nice when a band did do it live. And this is a great performance of their hit record...
I first thought oh, no not another lip synched performance but was I surprised. This was a rock solid rendition. I can't believe how dead on this performance was. Thanks for posting a classic!!
Great band! One of the first singles I bought (at 9 years old!) was 'Zipcode'. I've looked on the internet, but found very little info on them. Thank you for posting.
the drummer is from durant okla he was just inducted into some kinda hall of fame down there, and this song went to #2 on billboard hadnt been for the beatles theyed been #1
Just heard this for the first time over the 'Muzak' system at a local Eat 'n Park restaurant. Pretty neeeet. I like how they work the dot-dash-dot Western Union signals into the song!!
It's a pop song. It's a gem, and there's no real point comparing its cut and luster to others. Nice live harmonies - that's HARD.
"Non-Top 10 songs get almost no airplay, anywhere." ain't it the truth, and thank (let's not go into that) for the Internet. I always liked the song that made it all the way up to 188 on the charts... and props to locally owned businesses (that's you, Yeagers) that used to carry the top 200 instead of the top 20.
@tgtg123 Thats too cool never new that when this song came out I was one of the few to admit I liked it still do ! Yea its good music when you hear it for the first time.
@Klattu Don't forget the fact that it was a revolution in music and American culture. To me, it feels like the songs from then have a lot more meaning then now a days..
@jayrox40 If any paved the way, it would be further back than 1964, maybe Buddy Holly, or Chuck Berry, or even Little Richard. A little research and the Beatles will tell you themself that the were making new songs based on other greats, even the fab 'Sgt. Peppers' was a answer to the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds'. Yes it eclipsed them, but at the time the Beatles feared the Beach Boys resurgence.
@shmuli9 And when the hype about Madona outselling the Supremes was broadcast, they kinda forget many facts, as there were far less people in the 'market' and in the world back then, and the Supremes were loved by a much larger cross section of America, young and old, we all enjoyed the harmony. And everyone knows the Supremes for good reasons, and everyone knows Madona for bad reasons.
@Klattu Exactly! That's rather similar to saying "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" made more money than "Singing in the Rain"... BOTH did well, but of course, given that film tickets cost $5.00 in the 1980s and $0.75 in the 1950s, "Indiana Jones" did better in absoltue numbers...
Changing subject, I LOVE old Madonna, but I prefer other musical artists...
The Sound of Love is such a Terrific song. One of your group's best. Sincerely wish it was a bigger hit so that people today would hear it Daily on those Oldies Radio stations. Non-Top 10 songs get almost no airplay, anywhere. That's a tragedy for a song like, The Sound of Love. Folks need to hear songs like that one, today. Western Union is a classic, anyhow.
We had a lot of fun trying to sing this song and others walking home from school and carrying on in the after noons Miss those great songs & times, Thanks for posting
Thanks Mike for the info on your book. One of my fav songs of yours was Texas Sparrow on your solo lp. Thanks for posting this song SeaOvJapan!!! Great video.
petiedink 1 month ago
Thanks for the MUSIC-Still and always will be GREAT!
oopsadaze 1 month ago
I remember this one and loved the vocals, but what really struck me (from detroit) was the hard punk sound of I See The Light. What a rocker!
7425park 2 months ago in playlist The Vogues
Lets get it real here, the 60's music was a blessing in so many ways. It's not in you face music like today's JUNK RAP CRAP stuff. Thank GOD for the 60's! This tune, Western Union, by The 5 Americans was ahead of its time like all other songs of that decade. GREAT!
mosesram3 2 months ago
@mlexinton hey they are for sale just goodle it. Thanks!
mrabon1 2 months ago
Wow, it's live, unusual for those times on a show like that. I had this 45 when it was new, I loved this tune.
G8GT364CI 2 months ago
hey mike rabon--really enjoyed your five american stuff in the 60's but sure wish there was a cd of michael rabon and choctaw with "california hollywood" we got the promo albums and 45s in the arly 70's and gave you some airplay. guess it didn't help but i still like the song. take care.
mlexington 2 months ago
I was 5 years old when this song came out and have always loved it. So glad to find a video!
powerpaw2 3 months ago
Hey You Guys were actually plugged in on Steve Allen!!!
Respect.
stan2211stan 3 months ago 2
Must be "The Steve Allen Show"?
tad95683usa 3 months ago
What TV show was this?
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bigseller2010 4 months ago
Jeptha Wade. He owned and operated Western Union out of Cleveland, Ohio, and made 'millions!" Congress wanted to break up the company for 15 years because they alleged it held a monopoly. He kept the rates down, and paid the right politicians, and raked it in for a couple decades. One of the richest men to ever walk the earth. Buried above John D Rockefeller in Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio. Co-founded Case Western University, Wade Park, Cleveland Art Museum... Nobody cares, I'm sure!
55DepotStreet 4 months ago
fantastic song from a great band !
GreenhouseEffectGE 4 months ago
I'll look it up Mike and thank you for such good music...AJG
artdodge2001 4 months ago
Not dubbed - live. Nice.
bossdowner 4 months ago
Hi Ho... It's Steverino.
meatrevolver 4 months ago
A rare real live performance from the mid-60's "lip sync" era.
Stephanjnj 4 months ago
All, Steve Allen. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
ponyboy314 5 months ago
A retroactive thankyou, Mr. Rabon. I always thought "Western Union" was a brilliant emulation of that early Monkees sound. Was that planned or coincidence?
professortheremin 5 months ago
Fun to see the group! Is that a Farfisa organ?
KB4QAA 5 months ago
The five Americans...Not to be Confused with the Five Israelis, Who had a Lukewarm hit with "Western Jewnion "...
KREEPNASTY1 5 months ago
@KREEPNASTY1 ..or The Five Iranians.....Eastern Loonian
roostertrigger 4 months ago
@roostertrigger lol
KREEPNASTY1 4 months ago
Wow..Telivision has evolved So much since then...Or has it ?
KREEPNASTY1 5 months ago
hey i know Jimmy(the drummer) he is my boss. his name is jimmy wright!
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wurealhacker 6 months ago
Love the album cover...such creativity...ah...the sounds of yester-year
Hholeo8 6 months ago
@EatBonelessSausage And your a fucking homo for eating (and liking) Boneless sausage!!!
RustyZeppelin 6 months ago
They sound like they are on drugs!
bleachbred 6 months ago
Mike Rabon! Wow! This band is great AND I just recently read your awesome book. I had seen some fabulous reviews and had to buy it. It was mesmerizing. We normal folk admire our Pop heroes and can only guess at the highs and lows of stardom. Thanks for the amazing story...or NOT really a story, but REAL LIFE history of a talented and very lucky gentleman. Buy and read this book folks.
EJA91506 7 months ago
Hello everyone this is Mike Rabon lead guitar player ( really). Thanks for the Kudos. I appreciate all the great comments and I have special memories from this time in my life. To that end I have written my memoirs entitled "High Strung" a Five American memoir. You can get a copy online at amazon or Barnes and Noble and books-a-million. Thanks again! Mike Rabon
mrabon1 7 months ago 49
@mrabon1 .......Thank you Mike for such a classy post and I'm looking forward to buying and reading your book. I apologize for asking this but could you point out which member of the group was you in the video? For that matter could you name each member in the video if you have the time? I'd appreciate it and I'm sure others would as well. Thanks.
coolsouthernrain75 5 months ago
@coolsouthernrain75 Bass player on the view's left is Jim Grant Bassist, Then me Mike Rabon, The Norman Ezell guitar, then John Durrill keyboard, Jimmy Wright on drums. There you go!
mrabon1 4 months ago
@mrabon1 ....Thanks for the reply and I'm looking forward to reading your book.
coolsouthernrain75 4 months ago
@mrabon1 Dear Mike, and I am being honest, Western Union was the first 45 I bought in my entire life. You were a great group. Thank you for sharing the info on "High Strung," which I ordered tonight. Best, Arnie
ZiggyArno 4 months ago
@mrabon1 You guys were great live.
G8GT364CI 2 months ago
Comment removed
mrabon1 7 months ago
Some music is timeless, larger than men and sound and remain relevant and understandable for decades and even centuries like some of the great symphonies. Others are a fragment of time held in song,a little slice of the past to give us a little look back, like the Sidewalks of New York, or this song.
jrkepler 7 months ago
When I was a wee lad I'd mistakenly believed this was The Monkees....
Wilthomer66 7 months ago
@Wilthomer66 I thought the same thing when i was younger. How funny?
JoviMoon 7 months ago
Thanks for posting it. I always liked this song, but even when it was recorded ( well over 40 years ago ), the message was already outdated. Who still used Western Union to send a personal telegram in the mid 60's. Of course, today you can break up via email, instant message, text, or announce the breakup to the world via twitter or Facebooik., on which you can still remain friends.
StarRiders100 8 months ago
a great big fart at 2;54 ??
cshargeit 9 months ago
@cshargeit haha ...lol yep it sounds like one...is it at 2:52?....nice song regardless....cheers
johnnybanana99 9 months ago
@cshargeit Must have been prearranged, as Norm pointed up with his hand at the same time!
apsscinc 8 months ago
Thanks alot eBay for not allowing me to list this song on a record lot!
pannoni1 9 months ago 4
One can hear this song everyday on the radio if they try hard enough but watching this film clip makes me take a whole different perspective of them. Thanks for putting this on.
coolsouthernrain75 11 months ago
were these guys from oklahoma?
wp4866 11 months ago
@wp4866 From what I've heard, they're from Texas, the same state at President Lyndon Johnson. So they made the joke of the message from the President.
BuddyNovinski 9 months ago
Did the Drummer fart @ 2:53 ???!!!
Mavarla 11 months ago
@Mavarla ..judging by his smile @ 2:59, I'd say 'yes'.
geoffreydlang 11 months ago
@geoffreydlang: A fitting "reply" to that gaseous preamble by that old square.
Mavarla 11 months ago
@Mavarla That "old square"you refer to is the great Steve Allan. He was a true visionary in comedy and music, no one did what he did at that time. He was anti-war, promoted modern music and had some of the best comedic talent at the time on his show, Carlin, Bruce, Klein even Steve martin's first appearance on TV. He was a legend and just great man.
barnyardstory 9 months ago 2
@barnyardstory Frank Zappa also first appeared on Steve Allen in 1963 , check it out!
mewrth 8 months ago
Now this song really does make me feel old. Recalling a time when most working people still didn't have a telephone - after all this was the 1960s (!) - so important messages were brought to us by the dreaded telegram delivery man.....usually a bringer of bad news: usually a death in the family.
omak1974 11 months ago
Rock In Peace Norm Ezell. A great song!
AristedesDuVal 1 year ago
It IS Steve Allen, lol. Who did you think it was? It's from the old Steve Allen show of the '60s.
pl2623 1 year ago
Kind of hard to harmonize without monitors and they nail it!
swamposo 1 year ago
What show is this from?
renues 1 year ago
@renues Looks like Steve Allen
bjf6151 1 year ago
I couldn't wait to turn on the radio in the sixties to see what new songs were being released for that day. Songs like this one. The Five Americans were great and the kind of group that kept the Sixties' music surprising and rockin'.
46razzledazzle 1 year ago
You gotta respect these guys, back in '67 few pop bands performed live on variety
television shows. Now, two of the five are deseased. The bass player, who does the
occasional dance steps here, passed away about a decade back. RI.P.
movingon4ever 1 year ago
@geoffdoor You embarrass yourself with such a foolish comment. Your emotional well being comes into question and you owe us an apology. Of course I would not expect to hear one because that's how weak you show yourself to be. Norm (and his wife) were both great people, made positive contributions, loved others and have a wonderful legacy to show for it... you have none of these things and I feel sorry for you.
SurfGuitarJunkie 1 year ago
Does anyone know which keyboard is being played?
SeattleLA 1 year ago
@SeattleLA It's a Vox Continental :)
mewrth 8 months ago
@mewrth thank you
SeattleLA 7 months ago
I'm getting an outfit like the bass player. Not! XD
Manwithjeep 1 year ago
never herd of this group before there ok
Dolphindream15 1 year ago
" Da da da da "
My mom hates this song muhaha
MashBananaPirate 1 year ago
Saw them perform and danced all evening to the music at the Military Ball at LSU in 65 or 66.
HISTEX81 1 year ago
I saw this group in concert when I was 16 years old. I loved them then and still listen to their oldies
Trying00 1 year ago
Song starts at 1:00
The Searchers also did a great job covering this song.
robertlaberge 1 year ago
This little gem was a biggie as we used to say in the day. Coolness of cool! Thanks guys.
Jimboyc21 1 year ago
very nice tune. if i didn't know any better, i'd think boyce & hart composed this.
wallofvideo 1 year ago 2
Dotatatattata tatatatatatatata
catchy ass song.
IxnayOnT3hHombre 1 year ago
@IxnayOnT3hHombre it is a sound to mimic the teletype, or Moris Code ... _ _ _ ...
Klattu 1 year ago
@Klattu You had just been DRAFTED !
Klattu 1 year ago
I was born in 1954. I can remember Western Union being used twice (other than to send money). The first time, my father received the telegram and showed it to all of us at dinner to show us what a Western Union telegram actually looked like. The second time was when the San Francisco Giants traded Bobby Bonds for Bobby Murcer and my friend Mark Loomis, sent Horace Stoneman, the owner of the Giants a telegram that read, "Bonds for Murcer" followed by 97 question marks.
gmartinz01 1 year ago
the vocals at least are live dick clark never let any of the performances be live
phildirt3 1 year ago
A bit dated this song I do believe.
Western Union?
Today they would be singing about emails,texts,or tweets.
Rusfi16 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
@Rusfi16: Well, Western Union is still around. This band sucks.
knowledgeiswhatsup 1 year ago
@Rusfi16 Your comment does not make sense. Take the song for what it is.
Treaty4 1 year ago
see: Os Velhos da Montanha
osvelhos 1 year ago
Were from America, and there is 5 of us, what do we call our selves?
kennnmoran 1 year ago
Oh wow-I just realized I still have the album Steve Allen held up! Back in the day a former boyfriend in Texas gave me the album,and I have to admit-their music was not my taste at the time. But I believed it was bad luck to get rid of a gift.
And being the pack rat I am I still have it,.Thanks for the upload its brought back some good memories.
BrandonTxOthor 1 year ago
OMG - How far back I am going now....
mik63m 1 year ago
whats live?? the vocals are live but the guitars (except the bass) and keyboard dont look like there plugged in.
hifijohn 1 year ago
@hifijohn The video's not clear, so it isn't easy to see, but all three guitars are cabled. I can't see if the keyboard is cabled, but if the guitars are, why not the keyboard? It's true that producers of many, if not most, TV shows in that era wouldn't risk live performances and required groups to sing to prerecorded instrumentals, or even worse, lipsync to a prerecorded soundtrack. Cabling and microphones were conspicuously absent just to keep the stage clear in such cases.
lshurr 1 year ago
Hi Ho Steverino!
pvrdvd123 1 year ago
Thanks - one of the first hit songs I remember hearing on the radio. Still a fave!
RandoWilson 1 year ago
Bass player sure looks like Florence Henderson!
GlorifiedTruth 1 year ago
@GlorifiedTruth OMG....I AM LAUGHING SO HARD AT YOUR COMMENT - LOL AND YOU ARE RIGHT - he looks like he could be her twin brother!!!!
Lonestarry 1 year ago
Jim Grant on bass was a great friend. Sweet guy.
TheAndycandy 1 year ago
Da da da da da da da da da...classic , I love...60's bands used a drum, guitar and organ, or little keyboard like this, with a bar stool, so fresh, so new da da da da da da.
jillysworld 1 year ago
What a strange sounding song. "A group even the old squares like" Maybe if your tone deaf. Again this is a strange sounding song and i love 60s music.
ProudScotsmanRex 1 year ago
RIP Norm. You will be missed.
momathehelm 1 year ago
those guys suck ha ha ha h a ha ha yeh suck ha ha ha ha ha ha poop
Carley53217 1 year ago
So sorry to hear about Norm. He was a great musician and great person. He touched a lot of lives, including my own. He will be missed.
GaryG660 1 year ago
Regarding Norm Ezell... give yourself a real treat and visit his web site and listen to his song 24/7. Keep in mind Norm is now 24/7 living in Heaven, a fitting reward for such a wonderful man who served and gave so much love to so many.
GoAndMake 1 year ago
Norm Ezell the lead singer in this wonderful song passed away last Saturday May 8th 2010. I knew Norm well as we played worship music together for the homeless in Lodi. Norm was a great friend, a superb musician but most of all Norm was a deep man of God.
GoAndMake 1 year ago 45
@GoAndMake - actually, Norm is the tall guy pretending to sing the lead; he's actually singing backing vocals (dit di dit di dit, and harmonys in places). The shorter guitarist at left (sorry, don't know the name) is actually singing lead.
RIP Norm.
mkp823 1 year ago
@mkp823 Lead guitarist is Mike Rabon. He, the drummer, Jimmy Wright and keyboardist, John Durrill are the only surviving members.
GaryG660 1 year ago
@GoAndMake God Bless!
7chill777 1 year ago
@GoAndMake
Beautiful man! I remember this song as a kid and it always stayed with me.
berky1 1 year ago
@GoAndMake Did Norm play on "I See the Light"? Wasn't that one of their hits?
titostacos 1 year ago
@GoAndMake did you know norms wife ...and did you ever fancy moving in her now that norms gone !!! wink wink nudge nudge go on fuck her you know you wan to
geoffdoor 1 year ago
@GoAndMake that is a wonderful tribute. he was lucky to have good friends like you!
BBQkrewe 1 year ago
@GoAndMake sorry to hear it. sounds like a great guy. always loved this band.
chuckhous 11 months ago
@GoAndMake
chuckhous 11 months ago
"They are one of the few groups that the old squares actually like!" lol
countryrockstar2008 1 year ago
wow....sounds like they were doing this live. Even the instruments sound live. That's kind of unusual.....most groups "lip-synced" on shows like this
inkey2 1 year ago
@inkey2 Definitely live. Painfully so, I'm afraid. But props to them for giving it a shot when they probably didn't have to.
nancyzeetoo 1 year ago
@nancyzeetoo : as a guitarist, i think they sounded good live. Alot of groups would have lip-synced it. Did you know that the Beatles early rival...."The Dave Clark 5" ...never played live "ever" on TV.....in fact, there is only "one" known recording of them live
inkey2 1 year ago
@nancyzeetoo I think the rendition sounds just fine live. It doesn't sound "painful" to me.
huskyjerk 1 year ago
Wow! The 5 Ams on Steve Allen. And love!
Love the talk about "old squares"... :p
ModGirl1966 1 year ago
@ModGirl1966 ...oops, meant to say and "live!"
ModGirl1966 1 year ago
My favorite song by this great band was I See the Light, the wild and crazy one, not one the old folks would like, as Steve says here. That one is hard to come by. I had to give up and order it from Amazon.
axecalibore 1 year ago
Very American~ Garage Bands ~ Moog Synthesizers ~ Gibson 345's. Yes Ron - The Five Americans - But The Monkeys was not far off!!
Bobber305 1 year ago
Actually the "da da da da" is not nonsensical, it is a representation of the morse code that Western Union used to transmit messages back in the day - and very clever of them...in my opinion...
nightliter 1 year ago 25
@nightliter it is cool! ;) and other bands have used this technique, eg Rush on YYZ and Genesis on Watcher of The Skies.
rickfan1964 11 months ago
@nightliter I was in a brigade communications platoon and when we were done sending a message on the RATT, radio tele-type ,we would end the message by typing KKK .
Lolyf55 11 months ago
@nightliter I may be one of the few on youtube to have actually delivered telegrams, which I did as a senior in high school in 1972, working downtown Milwaukee for my father, who ran the operations at the Western Union office there. I agree with you about the da da da da part.
RawUmbers1 10 months ago 2
@RawUmbers1 one of our film directors is actually working for Western Union now! He has never used a telegram he confirms :)
Check out his films on our channel ||| mypixelstory |||
tag along with indie spirit !
mypixelstory 8 months ago
Steve Allen was a great host. Wrote over 14,000 songs and it was something to be on his show. He was also the original host of the "Tonight Show". This was a great live performance from 1967. Sounded just like the record which was a rarity back then in the era of lip sync.
newhotman1001 1 year ago
Love the nonsensical "da da da da"
Could have been the SEEDS or BYRDS
RAMONES should have covered this one
jkat2000 1 year ago
Love the nonsensical "da da da da"
Could have been the SEEDS or BYRDS
RAMONES should have covered this one
jkat2000 1 year ago
I agree DBLCC! I would say if they had any similarity to any other group, it would be The Monkees, but still had their own sound and style. And very good live. I had two of their singles when I was a kid circa 1967/68.
GaryG660 1 year ago
Oh please...every band back then was trying to find a niche. The Beatles influenced EVERYBODY! Give them credit for doing this live and not lipsyncing. I loved this song when it come out.
DBLCC 1 year ago
the Beatles cheap imaitation!
alvarobus 1 year ago
They're trying really hard to be solid and good and guess what? They've succeeding! Praise the Big D--from Cleveland!
hodadsmusic 1 year ago
Fantastic
jemeni12345 1 year ago
Way to stand up for the "old squares" Steve Allen. you were hipper than most of the hipsters on your show!
UnderStoryProd 1 year ago 2
Great music by a bunch of really nice guys! The Five Americans are also Great Americans.
JimMcDadeTake 1 year ago
This song was produced by Dale Hawkins, the rockabilly pioneer best known for his 1957 hit "Suzy Q". Dale left us a few days ago after a battle with colon cancer.
craigseuf 1 year ago 4
RIP Dale!!!!!!!!!!!!
iowa61 1 year ago
@craigseuf I'm sorry to hear that. :(
ModGirl1966 1 year ago
I love nothing more than watching these groups perform their big hit live in their prime. Catchy song from 1967. They had another hit in "I See The Light" but this one I think was their best.
paste1952 2 years ago 2
Really? Wow! I don't recall ever hearing that tune. I lived in NJ, and WABC was our main music station. They pretty much played the same 10 songs every hour. We rarely heard follow-up singles from groups like this one. On clear nights we'd listen to a station in Buffalo that featured singles that were just entering the charts. It was on that station that I first heard "Lies" by The Knickerbockers. I thought it was a new Beatle song! I miss those days.
willssonline 1 year ago 2
@willssonline I can't believe you didn't hear this mega hit.
I also lived in Jersey at this time and it was played a lot.
Det,deta dat
Bigum99 1 year ago
I was referring to their follow-up hit, "See The Light". I never heard this or any of their other songs. I loved "Western Union." Funny, some thirty-odd years later I got my Amateur Radio license and became very proficient at using Morse Code! Where in Jersey did you live?
willssonline 1 year ago
NA (North Arlington) was my home, went to Qyeen of Peace and rival was Harrison High.
Kearny and Lyndhurst and remember "Bunny Land" on River Road by Two Guys.
A lot still the same... the two diners
Bigum99 1 year ago
A great Norm Ezell story: 1968 & I'm in the 5th grade. Guy in a suit w/hair in a ponytail walks into class w/guitar case in one hand & small amp in the other. He's our sub. teacher for the day. Says his name is Mr. Ezell & when he's not teaching he's a musician & and have we heard the tune Western Union? Wow! Says if we're good he'll fire up the guitar the last hour of the day. After that nobody ever saw such well-behaved kids! We saw a live show by a real rocker. Thanks again, Mr. Ezell!
mitchellkarera 2 years ago 3
One of the few live performances that were done on television in the '60s. This was a great song and their live performance didn't take one thing away from the recorded song. Nice posting.
newhotman1001 2 years ago
Oldies clips, like this one, on YouTube really bring out emotions and memories in me that don't happen when I just hear them on the radio. And reading through the comments adds to the feeling. Thanks, YouTube!
london2z 2 years ago
@london2z -- Thanks, I couldn't have expressed it better myself!
KnightHawk111 1 year ago
how fun, brings back the good ole days!
SueBeaWho 2 years ago 2
The Five Americans were the featured headliners September 2009 at The Oklahoma History Center. Mike Rabon and John Durrill were there from the original band, and made this song happen again
rtsryder 2 years ago
Agree with you vidconcep, it's refreshing to see a live performance for a change. It's unfortunate, but most bands had to lip-synch when they appeared on these shows due to lack of time for rehearsal and other acoustic factors, so it's nice when a band did do it live. And this is a great performance of their hit record...
paleblue498 2 years ago
I first thought oh, no not another lip synched performance but was I surprised. This was a rock solid rendition. I can't believe how dead on this performance was. Thanks for posting a classic!!
vidconceptual 2 years ago 3
Love me some Steve Allen!
olderbudnoweiser 2 years ago
Fabulous song by the Five Americans!
I had the 45rpm done by the Searchers
before I'd heard the original. Both are fab!
Saggitarian2December 2 years ago 3
Great band! One of the first singles I bought (at 9 years old!) was 'Zipcode'. I've looked on the internet, but found very little info on them. Thank you for posting.
GaryG660 2 years ago 2
Live Music!!!!!!
So Cool!!
ironbuttermilk 2 years ago 4
thanks posting this group...it sure takes me back.
Anoint2 2 years ago 2
the drummer is from durant okla he was just inducted into some kinda hall of fame down there, and this song went to #2 on billboard hadnt been for the beatles theyed been #1
killerbydayornight 2 years ago 2
Just heard this for the first time over the 'Muzak' system at a local Eat 'n Park restaurant. Pretty neeeet. I like how they work the dot-dash-dot Western Union signals into the song!!
monoceros1222 2 years ago
It's a pop song. It's a gem, and there's no real point comparing its cut and luster to others. Nice live harmonies - that's HARD.
"Non-Top 10 songs get almost no airplay, anywhere." ain't it the truth, and thank (let's not go into that) for the Internet. I always liked the song that made it all the way up to 188 on the charts... and props to locally owned businesses (that's you, Yeagers) that used to carry the top 200 instead of the top 20.
msbfd 2 years ago
Nice to hear them live - instead of lip synching their song.
citizenfitz 2 years ago 3
Telegraph operators were know as "Dit-Da Artists".....
DA-DA-DA-DIT-DIT-DIT means that I'm so in love with you
DIT-DIT-DIT-DA-DA-DA means I hope that you will love me too!
DA-DA-DA-DIT-DIT-DIT means that I'm longing dear for you.
DIT-DIT-DIT-DA-DA-DA means that this song was just composed for you.
Haven't known you very long, but I hope that doesn't matter
My heart is like a telegraph machine,
It's always DA-DA-DIT-TING in my dreams.
Cont......
tgtg123 2 years ago 2
@tgtg123 Thats too cool never new that when this song came out I was one of the few to admit I liked it still do ! Yea its good music when you hear it for the first time.
G0K3001 2 years ago
Very MONKEES...
Baskerville22 2 years ago
BS!
The Monkees, Beatles, Stones did not make the 60's.
It was everybody, all the music groups.
Klattu 2 years ago 25
@Klattu AGREED!!!
jkat2000 1 year ago
@Klattu - So true! So many forgotten. Boyce and Heart wrote a bunch of Monkees songs too. Love it!
lilerik1 1 year ago
@Klattu Don't forget the fact that it was a revolution in music and American culture. To me, it feels like the songs from then have a lot more meaning then now a days..
somenosuke 1 year ago
@Klattu The Beatles paved the way though!
jayrox40 1 year ago
@jayrox40 If any paved the way, it would be further back than 1964, maybe Buddy Holly, or Chuck Berry, or even Little Richard. A little research and the Beatles will tell you themself that the were making new songs based on other greats, even the fab 'Sgt. Peppers' was a answer to the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds'. Yes it eclipsed them, but at the time the Beatles feared the Beach Boys resurgence.
Klattu 1 year ago
@Klattu
well i can say one thing, definetly not the monkees
1m2a3t4t5 1 year ago
@Klattu You're right! Next to the Beatles, the Supremes (how dare they, they are women and black) sold the most records...
shmuli9 1 year ago
@shmuli9 And when the hype about Madona outselling the Supremes was broadcast, they kinda forget many facts, as there were far less people in the 'market' and in the world back then, and the Supremes were loved by a much larger cross section of America, young and old, we all enjoyed the harmony. And everyone knows the Supremes for good reasons, and everyone knows Madona for bad reasons.
Klattu 1 year ago
@Klattu Exactly! That's rather similar to saying "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" made more money than "Singing in the Rain"... BOTH did well, but of course, given that film tickets cost $5.00 in the 1980s and $0.75 in the 1950s, "Indiana Jones" did better in absoltue numbers...
Changing subject, I LOVE old Madonna, but I prefer other musical artists...
shmuli9 1 year ago
Good to hear this song after nearly 40 years.
nagged1958 2 years ago
Hey, Mike Rabon,
The Sound of Love is such a Terrific song. One of your group's best. Sincerely wish it was a bigger hit so that people today would hear it Daily on those Oldies Radio stations. Non-Top 10 songs get almost no airplay, anywhere. That's a tragedy for a song like, The Sound of Love. Folks need to hear songs like that one, today. Western Union is a classic, anyhow.
Thanks for Listening.
Trader Jack
ASite4u2c 2 years ago
not bad....kooolll
spareaxe 2 years ago 2
I like the do-do-do-do....
PinkChocolat07 2 years ago 3
I know, that parts wicked sick
symsfirehose 2 years ago
We had a lot of fun trying to sing this song and others walking home from school and carrying on in the after noons Miss those great songs & times, Thanks for posting
Chadsdad12 2 years ago