Sunday Showcase April 2, 1972

How could I resist a Sunday Showcase with The Brady Bunch on the cover. This was probably the peak original run Brady's since the show still had a couple of seasons left to go. It was and always will be one of my favorite television shows ever made. There's no story on them inside, but the cover alone will do. 

This Sunday Showcase April 2, 1972 review is brought to us by Fotomat's everywhere. I'm afraid the special offer is expired. 

This commercial is from 1976...let's pretend it's 1972

Neil Diamond was set to play his first concert ever in Nashville a few weeks later on April 16th. The talented songwriter had become a big time performer too and was well on his way to becoming the mega-star we know today. I am curious though as to why the advertisement for him seems to have a photo of Lou Reed instead of Neil. I've added a photo of Lou circa 1972 for comparison and even though Lou wasn't about to play Nashville until decades later I'm adding a tune from him too. 

  

This is Neil Diamond - he's great

This is Lou Reed - he's vicious

The Villa is once again promoting "Bandito Nite" which makes me wonder whether you are supposed to dress up like a "bandito" or whether you are supposed to come stick up the place. 

Eddy Dee and The Blues Express are the highlighted act fresh from a stint playing the Playboy Club in Chicago. More questions....why did so many musical acts pose in front of trains? I think I will have to have a separate blog post about this mystery. Eddy "Dee" Dempley was a fairly well known blues singer back in the day and he also played a mean saxophone too. 

Eddy Dee rocks!

The King was coming, but not to Nashville. If you wanted to see Elvis Presley on April 8th you'd have to journey east on I-40 and see him in Knoxville at the Stokely Center. You can get the whole rundown of this performance right here. 

Bootleg of some of this Knoxville show

If you head back to Nashville the morning after Elvis you can enjoy an evening of rock with Lee Michaels along with openers Osibisa and Jo Jo Gunne. Lee Michaels is one of those artists that was popular enough to play Municipal, yet I can't think of any of his songs (and then I stand corrected later). My friend DD Blank likes him. I guess I can begin to acquaint myself better with Lee Michaels by posting a tune from him.

Ok - I did know this tune...I just always forget it's by Lee Michaels - he's cool

Every Sunday Showcase also included a handy capsule guide to all of the sports that would be on TV that week. Sports were not as omnipresent as they are now (well, at least until this pandemic), but they still took up a good chunk of the time especially on the weekend. I would have been most interested about the NBA and ABA basketball, the pro wrestling, and Wide World of Sports since there was no baseball on yet. 

A little bit of Dr. J operating

The Top 10 Records are a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll with Donny Osmond and the Osmonds taking two of the spots. America sits atop the list with their best Neil Young homage. I love Joe Tex's funky soul. The most interesting tune in the Top 10 for me is Giorgio Moroder's "Son Of My Father" which only made it up to 46 on the Billboard charts. 

Joe Tex on Soul Train (a Saturday morning viewing staple for me then)

felt good to be out of the rain

Moroder!

Thus ends another Sunday Showcase review. The Lord willing, the creek don't rise, and the virus don't get me I'll have another one of these up next week for some other year from the 60's, 70's, 80's, and maybe one day a 90's one too.