tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45733779908182598352024-03-08T12:14:21.393-05:0070s Music MayhemThis a companion site to my Top Hits of the 1970s website, http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/. While the main purpose of this blog is to review songs that debuted during the 1970s, I'll occasionally add in extra posts about the topic.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.comBlogger234125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-8771609208770749802012-12-26T20:30:00.041-05:002012-12-26T20:30:01.792-05:00Rewind -- December 27, 1975<i>Here is the 52nd and final installment in the Rewind series that modernizes the entries from the first year of this blog.</i><br />
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Since beginning my reviews in August 2009, this is the first time I've done two consecutive weeks in a row, but the fact that <i>Billboard</i> stopped featuring a survey for the last week of the year after 1975 cut the number of available years for me to choose from by half. Of nine new singles entering the Hot 100 for the last week of 1975, all but one would eventually make the Top 40. From those eight songs, two would be Top 10 hits and one would reach #1. Interestingly, the first song in last week's review was by Paul Simon, while this week's list begins with his former partner.<br />
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In several previous posts, I've added links to past <i>Billboard</i> editions for the week in review. Unfortunately, this week's issue isn't in the archive at Google Books. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="All Music. No Ads. Get Rdio Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/rdio_generic_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#Garfunkel">Art Garfunkel</a> - "Break Away"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fbreak-away%252Fid197976353%253Fi%253D197976812%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Art Garfunkel - Breakaway - Break Away" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #81, Peaked at #39, 11 weeks on chart) <br />
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Last week's review began with Paul Simon, who once was part of a very successful partnership with Art Garfunkel. As Simon was recording his 1975 LP <i>Still Crazy After All These Years</i>, he was going through a divorce and many of the songs he wrote for the album reflected his situation. Garfunkel was also going through his own divorce that year, but he wasn't a songwriter like his old buddy and the songs weren't necessarily about his personal issues. However, "Break Away" -- a song about a separation -- probably was hand-picked because of what was going on in his life.<br />
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Garfunkel's 1975 LP <i>Breakaway</i> was one of his most successful solo efforts. Produced by Richard Perry, the album would have three Top 40 singles. The highlight of the record would be the Simon & Garfunkel "reunion" song "My Little Town" but he also scored with a remake of "I Only Have Eyes for You" and the Gallagher & Lyle composition "Break Away." I would have called it the title song; however, the LP is spelled out as one word and the song is broken into two. <br />
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The lyrics tell about a man coming to grips with resuming his life after his lover has left and flown to another country across the ocean (Garfunkel is a New Yorker, so it implies she went to Europe, but writers Gallagher & Lyle were English, which would suggest she came to the US). Though he isn't going to stop her, he still hopes it's merely a phase and she'll return someday. Listening to the song, I can almost hear Paul Simon's voice backing Garfunkel up. I can't find a list online of the musicians involved in the song, but if Simon wasn't one of them whoever booked the session sure found a ringer.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00136NZL6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#4Seasons">The Four Seasons</a> - "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fdecember-1963-oh-what-a-night-lp%252Fid76179432%253Fi%253D76179419%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Anthology - December, 1963 (Oh What A Night!) (LP Version)" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #85, Peaked at #1, 27 weeks on chart)<br />
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The Four Seasons were making a big comeback in the mid-1970s, notching this #1 more than a decade after their last chart-topper. However, this was a much different group than the lineup that ruled the charts in the early 1960s. There were five members then and only Frankie Valli remained from the 1960s lineup that gave us "Sherry," "Rag Doll" and other classics. Additionally, the group had two new members who shared singing duties with Valli: Gerry Polci and Don Ciccone. For "December 1963" Polci handled the first verse, Ciccone took the second and Valli's distinctive falsetto came in for the chorus.<br />
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Another member of the Four Seasons during the glory days was Bob Gaudio, who co-wrote and produced "December 1963" for the group. He originally set the tune in 1933 and the lyrics were a celebration of end of Prohibition; however, to make it more "current" the year was changed. The lyrics were also altered to become a nostalgic look back at a sexual awakening. The song spent three weeks at #1 in its 27-week chart run. In 1994, a remixed version of the song peaked at #14 and enjoyed another 27-week stay on the Hot 100. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00122CB70&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BeeGees">The Bee Gees</a> - "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ffanny-be-tender-with-my-love%252Fid270899717%253Fi%253D270899788%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Bee Gees - Main Course - Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #73, Peaked at #12, 16 weeks on chart)<br />
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The Bee Gees had experienced varying degrees of success for more than a decade before their <i>Main Course</i> LP in 1975, but there were many rough patches in the road for them. Though the group's three brothers were known for their harmonies, they went through some ill-advised ideas like a concept LP (<i>Trafalgar</i>) and a short breakup in 1969. Although the hits were sporadic, they notched some big ones, like "Words," "Lonely Days" and the chart-topping "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart". Their lesser hits -- like "Alive," and "Mr. Natural" and "Run to Me"-- often faded into obscurity except among the group's fans after their chart runs were over. In 1975, they finally found a sound they could grab onto and ride through the rest of the decade. In the process, they became the biggest recording act of the 1970s in the U.S. Making albums in Miami exposed the brothers to the burgeoning disco sounds that were making their way out of that city at the time, and they fully embraced the idea of a more dance-oriented groove.<br />
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Although even the non-hit LP songs had them too, much of the model for the group's late 1970s "sound" to those who listened to the radio came from the two most successful singles from <i>Main Course</i>, the #1 "You Should Be Dancing" and the Top 10 "Nights on Broadway." A third single was "Fanny (Be Tender With My Love)," which marked one of the best uses of Barry Gibb's high-pitched falsetto before their more familiar <i>Saturday Night Fever</i> era. It also gives brothers Robin and Maurice to show their own vocal harmonies. As the song ends, the group builds the emotion and the second half is much different vocally than the first. It's a device they'd use again (and better) in "Stayin' Alive" but the Brothers Gibb showed fans they were up to the task.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00124QCVY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#Doobies">The Doobie Brothers</a> - "I Cheat the Hangman"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fi-cheat-the-hangman%252Fid262088906%253Fi%253D262089581%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="The Doobie Brothers - The Very Best of The Doobie Brothers - I Cheat the Hangman" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #86, Peaked at #60, 4 weeks on chart)<br />
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Of the many Doobie Brothers songs that still get played on classic rock radio, "I Cheat the Hangman" is rarely one of them. When included on the group's LP <i>Stampede</i>, it was a six-and-a-half minute epic with a long buildup and an Old West feel. Written by guitarist Patrick Simmons, the song was influenced by the Ambrose Bierce short story <i>An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge</i>. In the lyrics, a ghost is still hanging around and figures he's "cheated the hangman" because he's still there. After the words fade out, a false ending leads up to a two-minute instrumental outro that sounds like it was influenced by the classical piece <i>Night on Bald Mountain</i> from its string accompaniment.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00122P6FY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#BarryWhite">Barry White</a> - "Let the Music Play"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flet-the-music-play%252Fid3449417%253Fi%253D3449405%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Barry White - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Barry White - Let the Music Play" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #70, Peaked at #32, 9 weeks on chart)<br />
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Barry White was a phenomenon. His sound was highly influential to the developing disco movement and provided a soundtrack for countless seductions. In the 1970s (and even later), when a man was entertaining a lady friend and put on a Barry White LP as "mood music," there was little doubt what was on his mind. The sound was made up by an orchestra (strings, woodwinds, horns), a steady beat and guitars. Among guitarists used on White's projects were acclaimed session men Ray Parker, Jr. and Lee Ritenour. <br />
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This was the title track of White's forthcoming LP <i>Let the Music Play</i>. Though the song included many of the hallmarks of his very successful songs from 1973 until then -- the sultry voice, the half-whisper at the beginning, the Love Unlimited Orchestra string section, music set for sweet lovin' -- Barry White's success was beginning to fade. This was his only Top 40 single from that LP and the singles from his next LP <i>Is This Whatcha Wont?</i> missed the Hot 100 entirely. Although he only had minor pop success for the rest of the decade (aside from one last Top 10 hit), his place in history remained secure and his music has become timeless even as many of his contemporaries and imitators have become forgotten.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VRQRBI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#RoxyMusic">Roxy Music</a> - "Love is the Drug"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flove-is-the-drug%252Fid73541368%253Fi%253D73541350%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Roxy Music - Siren - Love Is the Drug" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at # 89, Peaked at #30, 14 weeks on chart)<br />
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Roxy Music is an "art rock" band that was quite popular in their native U.K. and all across Europe during the 1970s and '80s but saw limited success in the U.S. Despite hitting the British Top 10 several times, "Love is the Drug" would be the only Top 40 U.S. hit (and one of only three Hot 100 singles) the group would enjoy before it broke up in 1983.<br />
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For a band that called itself "art rock," the music in "Love is the Drug" is fairly straightforward. Beginning with some sound effects (a record dropping on a turntable and a car driving away), it has a terrific bass line to open the song before a saxophone, scratch guitar, drums, keyboard and eventually Bryan Ferry's voice join in. A faint cowbell can be heard after the first chorus. While the instruments used on the song don't exactly fit the complexity often associated with art rock, the words in the vocal are pure rock. The lyrics even deal with going to a dance club after work and picking up somebody to spent the night with...not pretentious at all.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000TDYW6Q&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Spinners">The Spinners</a> - "Love or Leave"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flove-or-leave%252Fid204724214%253Fi%253D204724504%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="The Spinners - The Very Best of Spinners, Vol. 2 - Love or Leave" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #77, Peaked at #36, 8 weeks on chart)<br />
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The Spinners were incredibly successful for much of the 1970s after toiling in obscurity for most of the 1960s. Ironically, the group was from Detroit (the home of Motown, their onetime label) but closely identified by the Philadelphia Soul sound because their biggest hits were produced by Thom Bell.<br />
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"Love or Leave" was the second single from the group's LP <i>Pick of the Litter</i>. It's a record featuring many of the band's hallmark features: an upbeat tempo, flawless background support by MFSB, vocal harmony and a fine lead vocal by Phillipe Wynn. The song reached Top 40 pop and Top 10 R&B, a decent showing but disappointing when compared to the LP's lead single "(They Just Can't Help it the) Games People Play."<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00122WJKY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Commodores">The Commodores</a> - "Sweet Love"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fsweet-love%252Fid414499%253Fi%253D414467%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="The Commodores - The Commodores: Anthology - Sweet Love" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #82, Peaked at #5, 23 weeks on chart)<br />
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Beginning as a group made up of students from the Tuskeegee Institute in 1967, the Commodores had spent much of the 1970s as a funk band but didn't make much headway on the chart. Trying their hand at a mellow romantic ballad like "Sweet Love," the group made the Top 10 for the first time. Other than a couple of uptempo hits ("Brick House," "Lady"), the group would become very popular through the rest of the 1970s with that formula. Taking note of this success, singer Lionel Richie would write more of those ballads for the group and later had a very successful solo career with them.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZT59S&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#Cledus">Cleddus Maggard and the Citizen's Band</a> - "The White Knight"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fthe-white-knight%252Fid337134290%253Fi%253D337134420%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Cledus Maggard - The White Knight - The White Knight" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #87, Peaked at #19, 15 weeks on chart)<br />
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For those who lived through the 1970s, there were many fads and crazes that were hugely popular but seem really silly today. Things like mood rings, pet rocks and plaid patterns as fashionable dress are fondly remembered but those who didn't live through that time often wonder what the allure was. For those fads that became subjects of hit songs, it's easier to explain...well, kind of. Ray Stevens had a #1 hit with "The Streak" but even that was a novelty song poking fun of somebody for running naked in public.<br />
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For the CB (short for "citizens' band," hence Maggard's "group" name) radio craze of the mid-1970s, there were several hit records: "Convoy" (high in the charts as this song debuted), the tear-inducing "Teddy Bear" and even a novelty tune called "C.B. Savage" that was itself a parody of "The White Knight." Nearly all of the CB-related tunes were also hits on the country chart, showing its place as a toy among the blue-collar crowd that listened to the music. Perhaps the fact that CB had a special lingo made it easier to write songs about. "The White Knight" is full of CB language..."picture taker" (police with radar gun), "seat covers" (pretty girls in the passenger seat), "double nickels" (55 MPH, the maximum speed limit at the time) and "Smoky" or "Bear" (to borrow another '70s slang word...The Fuzz).<br />
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The story in the song involves a trucker who hears a person calling himself "The White Knight" on the CB who informs him where the state police are sitting and watching for speeders. As it turns out, The White Knight is a state trooper using the CB to entrap truckers for speeding. With mentions of interstate highways 75, 85 and 20, it appears Maggard's narrator is going north on I-75 (said he was going "out of Lake City" which is in northern Florida) and had passed over the Florida-Georgia border and the White Night is probably a Georgia Highway Patrolman. The single clocks in at just a little over four minutes but I'm told that the full LP version of the song is eight minutes long and tells an even better tale.<br />
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"Cledus Maggard" was Jay Huguely, an advertising executive who wrote "The White Knight" to cash in on the CB craze. Of course, the stage name was a nod to Merle Haggard, who's mentioned by name in the song as one of "the ten best things in life." The song was a minor pop hit and a #1 country song but the swift end of the CB fad dried up his future hits. He passed away in December 2008.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-18933350539244214172012-12-19T20:30:00.040-05:002012-12-19T20:30:00.199-05:00Rewind -- December 20, 1975<i>Here's another post from this blog's first year, with the videos added and refreshed for the current format. This is a project that has been running for all of 2012.</i><br />
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This week's <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100 chart saw nine new songs listed. Among the artists were four singers who had previously been in other acts, a band that saw many of its members have solo hits, a future Canadian political hopeful and the biggest country singer of the 1970s. Four of the songs made the Top 40, three made it high into the Top 10 and one was a #1 hit. <br />
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In recent weeks I've linked to a digital copy of the <i>Billboard</i> magazine from the week I was reviewing; however, Google Books is missing this issue in its achive.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="All Music. No Ads. Get Rdio Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/rdio_generic_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#PSimon">Paul Simon</a> - "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252F50-ways-to-leave-your-lover%252Fid150091732%253Fi%253D150091267%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at # 74, Peaked at #1, 17 weeks on chart)<br />
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Believe it or not, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" is the only #1 solo hit Paul Simon had. With a string of successful hits like "Kodachrome," "Loves Me Like a Rock," "Slip Slidin' Away" and "Still Crazy After All These Years" he didn't manage to get any of them to #1 (though he's one of many who lent their voices to the #1 hit "We Are the World" in 1985).<br />
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The LP <i>Still Crazy After All These Years</i> was recorded as Simon was going through a divorce from his first wife, which colored some of the lyrics. Among those that was obviously influenced by his personal issues was "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," although reading the words makes it seem as if his conversation was with a mistress rather than a wife. However, in explaining the 50 ways, Simon only offers up five: "<i>slip out the back, Jack...make a new plan, Stan...no need to be coy, Roy...hop on the bus, Gus...drop off the key, Lee</i>." <br />
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Beyond the conversational style of the words, Simon used all all-star trio of backing singers (Patti Austin, Valerie Simpson and Phoebe Snow). Another distinctive element of the song is the percussion, which sounds almost like a military marching beat. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00122D2X2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#ECarmen">Eric Carmen</a> - "All By Myself"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fall-by-myself-remastered%252Fid268585594%253Fi%253D268586095%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="ERIC CARMEN - Eric Carmen - All By Myself" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at # 85, Peaked at #2, 19 weeks on chart)<br />
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Here's the archetype of the power ballads that were all over the radio during the 1980s, complete with a false ending and bombast before the fade. Eric Carmen's first single away from The Raspberries would be a bigger hit than anything he enjoyed with the group. Even though Carmen would eventually score a #1 hit on the coattails of the film <i>Dirty Dancing</i>, "All By Myself" is probably his best-known composition, with several remakes and interpretations of the song through the years. The best-known remake is likely the 1996 Celine Dion hit single, but has been covered by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones and Hank Williams, Jr.<br />
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Much of the song's music was borrowed from Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff's <i>Piano Conerto No. 2 in C Minor</i>. As a classical piece, Carmen assumed it was in the public domain and safe to use; once the song became successful he was informed that the rights still belonged to Rachmaninoff's estate and the composer's name was added to the songwriter credits. Rachmaninoff had composed his tune in 1900-'01 and had only died on 1943, not long enough for his works to pass into public domain. While Rachmaninoff's heirs probably enjoyed the windfall and renewed interest brought by Carmen's hit, it's a textbook example of the value of having somebody verify the rights.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0016JR1BU&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#AmazinAces">The Amazing Rhythm Aces</a>- "Amazing Grace (Used to Be Her Favorite Song)"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted at # 98, Peaked at #72, 8 weeks on chart)<br />
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The Amazing Rhythm Aces are best known for their minor 1975 hit "Third Rate Romance." This song was the followup to that hit, and while it didn't match the earlier tune's chart success on the pop chart, it would become a Top 10 country hit (the group's best showing on that chart). The song is performed in a solid country style with a steel guitar and a shuffle beat, so the country success (as well as its low peak position on the pop charts) isn't a surprise. <br />
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As the title suggests, the lyrics tell the story of a good girl who turned to the honky-tonk nightlife. That's a storyline that has been around for a long time; the huge 1952 Hank Thompson hit "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" is perhaps the best-known early example but it certainly wasn't the first. The twist in the lyrics of "Amazing Grace" is that in the beginning, the man was the good-timer and his sweet lady began drinking and hanging out in bars to get him to change...only to find that the bottle pulled her farther than he did. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/t.html#Conway">Conway Twitty</a> - "Don't Cry Joni"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fdont-cry-joni%252Fid3441044%253Fi%253D3441036%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Conway Twitty & Joni Lee - Conway Twitty's Greatest Hits, Vol. II - Don't Cry Joni" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #100, Peaked at #63, 7 weeks on chart)<br />
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Many of my favorite country songs tell stories. From the homesick autoworker in "Detroit City" to the jilted husband trying to make sense of his wife leaving in "The Grand Tour" to the childhood remembrance in "Coat of Many Colors" the genre spins many tales. Some -- like "Green, Green Grass of Home" -- have a twist that makes the song entirely different at the end than what a listener might have been thinking. During my days as a DJ, I did a request "classic" country show for WRWD-FM in Poughkeepsie, New York on Saturday nights and two sad story songs from the 1970s never failed to get requests: Red Sovine's "Teddy Bear" and "Don't Cry Joni."<br />
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"Don't Cry Joni" is a song that tells the story of a boy and a girl. At the beginning, she's 15 years old and too young for the boy (who's 22). As the boy strikes out to make a name for himself in the world, she asks him to return and marry him but he insists she'll forget him as time goes on. As he makes his way, it's him who has a hard time forgetting. But there's a twist at the end that I won't spoil. The only thing a listener needs to get past is the fact that the voice of the girl singing with him belongs to Twitty's daughter Joni Lee. The idea of a father and daughter singing a love song together can seem a bit creepy and doesn't do a whole lot to diminish any stereotypes of Tennessee (where the song was recorded).<br />
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Conway Twitty was the most successful country singer of the 1970s. He notched 25 #1 hits between 1970 and '79 and also had a handful of pop hits during those years. Some of those crossover hits -- "Hello Darlin'," "Fifteen Years Ago," "You've Never Been This Far Before" -- are superb songs that spoke to listeners on a human level and laid bare the conflict within a man who's giving in to human emotions. "Don't Cry Joni" would be his last crossover hit of the decade, and the only one of his 70s pop hits that didn't also go to #1 on the country chart.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W04OAA&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/l.html#GregLake">Greg Lake</a> - "I Believe In Father Christmas"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted at #99, Peaked at #95, 3 weeks on chart) <br />
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Christmas tunes don't usually get much respect on the hit parade. Because of their relatively short "shelf life" -- they're usually dusted off by radio stations the week of Thanksgiving and placed back into storage on December 26th -- few ever manage to make the Hot 100. Many 1970s Christmas songs get played every year ("Feliz Navidad," "Merry Christmas Darling," The Jackson 5's take on "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Wonderful Christmastime") but few actually made the regular <i>Billboard</i> pop chart. The rare exceptions seem to be those "holiday" tunes that aren't specific to Christmas, like Merle Haggard's "If We Make it Through December" (which just made the Top 40 around December '73).<br />
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Greg Lake was still a member of Emerson, Lake and Palmer when he recorded and released "I Believe in Father Christmas" by himself; the trio would re-record the song for their 1977 <i>Works Volume II</i> LP. Despite its short stay on the U.S. charts it would reach #2 in the U.K. Ironically, the song wasn't recorded as a holiday tune as Lake seemed to be objecting to the season's commercialization. Beginning with an observation that it rained on Christmas instead of snowing, the second verse contains the lines "<i>They sold me a dream of Christmas, they sold me a silent night</i>" but the third verse contains hopeful optimism that the season could still foster peace and goodwill. This has led to many interpretations of the song, many of which aren't exactly complimentary. A promotional video for the song showing scenes from war-torn places like Lebanon and Vietnam didn't help its critical reception. However, as an outlet for Lake to call it as he saw it, he makes a valid point and the fact that the message often gets lost among the more upbeat holiday standards doesn't change that.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#BWithers">Bill Withers</a> - "Make Love To Your Mind"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fmake-love-to-your-mind%252Fid322983301%253Fi%253D322983313%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Bill Withers - Making Music - Make Love to Your Mind" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at # 96, Peaked at #76, 8 weeks on chart) <br />
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Bill Withers was something of an anomaly as far as musicians went. Rather than devoting himself to the music business as a full-time profession, Withers was content to pursue other avenues while he was a hitmaker. After developing an interest in songwriting during a stint in the U.S. Navy, Withers held down "regular" jobs as he plied his craft. Originally doing demos, he was surprised when he was asked to record the songs for his own LPs. Even after his huge early 1970s hits "Lean on Me" and "Ain't No Sunshine" he still maintained business interests outside the music industry.<br />
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By 1975, Withers was recording with Columbia Records after leaving Sussex, the label that issued his first three LPs. The first single for his new label was "Make Love to Your Mind," a title that might have raised a few eyebrows then. Withers was known for his down-to-earth, homespun style and the new record may have been seen as provocative. Instead, the lyrics mention the importance of getting to know a partner on a personal level before getting physical. It's hard to hear that, however, as the background strings and rhythm section are mixed loud enough to obscure some of Withers' vocal.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002GKJZN0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/e.html#Eagles">The Eagles</a> - "Take It To The Limit"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ftake-it-to-the-limit%252Fid193174698%253Fi%253D193174777%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Eagles - One of These Nights - Take It to the Limit" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at # 80, Peaked at #4, 23 weeks on chart)<br />
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The Eagles had quite a run of hits during the 1970s. With five #1 singles, 13 Top 40 hits and four #1 LPs, the band would remain one of the most influential of the decade. A generation later, the band would be pointed out as inspiration to a wide variety of musicians: rock, country, bluegrass and others. "Take it to the Limit" may not have been the group's most successful single, but it was the one that remained on <i>Billboard</i>'s Hot 100 the longest.<br />
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One of the things that made the Eagles unique was the way many band members shared lead vocals. Don Henley and Glenn Frey were best known for their solo work but other members throughout the years and lineups handled vocals as well. Besides Henley and Frey, fellow Eagles Randy Meisner, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh enjoyed success away from the group. Meisner was the member who lent his voice to "Take it to the Limit." A slow ballad where the narrator is trying to figure out which way to go in life but still not ready to settle down, the song still gets considerable airplay today. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0011ZR2IG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#Hagood">Hagood Hardy</a> - "The Homecoming"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fthe-homecoming%252Fid300364550%253Fi%253D300364551%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Hagood Hardy - The Homecoming - The Homecoming" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #86, Peaked at #41, 13 weeks on chart)<br />
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Just missing the Top 40 in the U.S., this instrumental was originally written in 1972 as a commercial for Salada tea in Canada (Where the song would be a #1 hit). Hagood Hardy was a Canadian artist (born in Indiana) who provided music for TV shows and commercial jingles, most notably the scores for <i>Anne of Green Gables</i> and <i>Anne of Avonlea</i>. During the 1960s he played vibraphone for Herbie Mann and other jazz artists. "The Homecoming" would be his only U.S. pop hit. Hardy later ran unsuccessfully for political office in Ontario during the 1990s and died on New Year's Day 1997.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#Ronstadt">Linda Ronstadt</a> - "Tracks Of My Tears"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ftracks-of-my-tears%252Fid309589779%253Fi%253D309589866%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Linda Ronstadt - Prisoner In Disguise - Tracks of My Tears" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at # 83, Peaked at #25, 13 weeks on chart)<br />
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Since beginning this weekly project in August 2009, I've had a chance to review around 200 songs so far in roughly the first four months. That seems like a lot but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of all the songs that charted during the 1970s. That said, I've already reviewed four Linda Ronstadt singles in that time and this is the second one that's been a cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. At the same time, I've only reviewed one song apiece by other artists who've scored many more hit singles during the decade (James Brown, Elton John, Chicago, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley) but over time that's bound to change as I continue. Nothing about the song; it's just something I noticed.<br />
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As I mentioned already, "Tracks of My Tears" was a cover song like many of Ronstadt's hit singles. Its best-known version is the 1965 original by Smokey Robinson (who co-wrote the song) and the Miracles. That song was the followup single to "Ooh Baby Baby," another song covered by Ronstadt in the 1970s. Ronstadt's single was one of several that were cross-marketed; it hit #25 pop, #11 country and #4 on the easy listening/adult contemporary chart. While her voice is in fine form on the song, Ronstadt's delivery doesn't match the emotion Smokey Robinson lent to the original. Sometimes, trying to get a "one-size-fits-all" single that can be sent to multiple audiences may sell a lot of records but often sacrifices something.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0022F4QX8&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-70395872408705624332012-12-12T18:30:00.056-05:002012-12-12T18:30:01.251-05:00Rewind -- December 11, 1976<i>It's Wednesday, which means it's time to pull out another entry from this blog's first year, add some videos and polish it off. This is a special feature this blog has been doing for all of 2012.</i><br />
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This week's entry has some additional features that I haven't used before. Information on debut position, peak and total time on the chart appear below the song title. Hopefully, these enhancements will make this blog a little more useful. Another recent development came about when I found that many past issues of <i>Billboard</i> magazine are available through Google books as PDF files and they're free to view. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=BiUEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false">Here's a link to the December 11, 1976 issue</a>. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 62.<br />
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Eleven songs debuted this week. Six of those were Top 40 hits, four reached the Top 10 and two went all the way to #1. Six of the songs were the first chart hits for their artists; three of those acts never had another hit. Additionally, four of the songs were remakes. Among the performers are one of the best-selling female performers of all time, Sweden's biggest musical act of the 1970s and the man who had his guitar smashed by "Bluto" Blutarsky in <i>Animal House</i>. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="All Music. No Ads. Get Rdio Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/rdio_generic_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#Abba">ABBA</a> - "Dancing Queen"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fdancing-queen%252Fid409925%253Fi%253D409923%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="ABBA - Arrival - Dancing Queen" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #86, peaked at #1, 22 weeks on chart)<br />
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I once read somewhere where a fan was trying to explain the 1970s phenomena that was ABBA and simply said "you had to be there, it's not easily explained in today's vernacular." However, the group's continued strong catalog sales and the success of the Broadway play and film <i>Mamma Mia!</i> suggest that such statements are simply explanations of people who grew tired of defending the group after their heyday. The fact is, ABBA was a group that was blessed with great singers, songwriters who knew how to craft a good catchy tune and producers who could capture magic in the studio. It's hard to deny that their songs were ear candy. They were highly successful in almost every nation where their music was marketed.<br />
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I used the word "almost" in that last sentence because their chart record in the U.S. was something of a disappointment for the group. While they had several decent hits on this side of the Atlantic, "Dancing Queen" was their only #1 hit here. That was a far cry from the many chart-toppers they enjoyed in other countries around the world. In the case of "Dancing Queen," the song is instantly recognizable as its intro plays. Though not technically a disco song -- as it wasn't recorded to be played by DJs in the dance clubs -- there is a definite disco influence to it, from the fact the lyrics mention finding a place to dance on Friday night to the fact they placed the word "Dancing" in the title. The group had other, more disco-ready hits ("S.O.S," "Gimme Gimme Gimme") but this obviously benefited from the disco craze at the time.<br />
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For me, "Dancing Queen" holds some significance as it was one of the first songs I ever specifically remember hearing on the radio. I was 4 or 5 at the time, didn't quite understand the words but knew the rhythm and just remember hearing it all the time from radio stations. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#Deniece">Deniece Williams</a> - "Free"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ffree-album-version%252Fid170528113%253Fi%253D170528258%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Deniece Williams - The Best of Deniece Williams: Gonna Take a Miracle - Free" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #88, peaked at #25, 20 weeks on chart)<br />
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This delicious slice of Quiet Storm-inspired R&B was the first chart hit for Deniece Williams. Though she was making her chart debut, she wasn't exactly a newcomer to the music industry. In the mid-1970s, she teamed with Minnie Riperton and Syreeta Wright as Wonderlove, who sang background vocals for Stevie Wonder. She was also a backing singer for Roberta Flack, Esther Phillips and Riperton. Her vocal range covered four octaves, which allowed her voice to soar effortlessly between difficult notes and this talent can be heard on "Free" as she sings.<br />
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In addition to its moderate success on the pop chart, "Free" was a #2 hit on the R&B chart and #1 in the UK. The song (like all the songs from her LP <i>This is Niecy</i>) was originally submitted to Earth, Wind & Fire and was initially seen as a possible solo hit for that group's lead singer Phillip Bailey. Backed by many of Earth, Wind & Fire's musicians, Williams sings "Free" as a sultry ballad. She goes from singing in a half-whisper to showing off the dynamic range of her vocals. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00136LP22&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#BFerry">Bryan Ferry</a> - "Heart on My Sleeve"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fheart-on-my-sleeve%252Fid75528530%253Fi%253D75528462%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Bryan Ferry - Let's Stick Together - Heart On My Sleeve" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #90, peaked at #86, 4 weeks on chart)<br />
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Although this was Bryan Ferry's first single on the Hot 100, it wasn't his first time on the survey. As a member of Roxy Music, he sang on the group's 1975 hit "Love is the Drug." When Roxy Music temporarily broke up in 1976, Ferry recorded his solo LP <i>Let's Stick Together</i> and had a minor hit in the U.S. with the Gallagher & Lyle composition "Heart on My Sleeve." The LP was a bigger hit in Ferry's native Britain, with several hit singles, but he would have to wait more than 10 years to get his second U.S. pop hit despite more success with a reunited Roxy Music and several stylish music videos that got quite a bit of MTV airplay.<br />
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"Heart on My Sleeve" was a mid-tempo tune that was very much in line with many of Ferry's familiar solo hits. In write-ups of the LP it came from, the song gets very little mention. Frankly, to my ears his material with Roxy Music was far more interesting. Even Gallagher & Lyle's minor hit version of the song (from earlier in '76) was a better take.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000SXC0PC&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BumbleBee">BubbleBee Unlimited</a>- "Love Bug"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flove-bug%252Fid295214086%253Fi%253D295214156%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Bumblebee Unlimited - Disco Nights, Vol. 1 - EP - Love Bug" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #100, peaked at #92, 5 weeks on chart) <br />
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In 1976, disco was burgeoning and many acts began springing up that were little more than studio musicians and generic singers. BumbleBee Unlimited was a "group" set up by producers Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael, the duo also behind later one-hit projects Universal Robot Band and Inner Life. "Love Bug" was a steady disco record that used sped-up vocals and a synthesized arrangement of "The Flight of the Bumblebee" that may have moved some feet on the dance floor but didn't get to fly very far up the charts. BumbleBee Unlimited never returned to the pop chart again.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Babs">Barbra Streisand</a> - "Love Theme From <i>A Star Is Born</i> (Evergreen)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fevergreen%252Fid201290919%253Fi%253D201292090%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Barbra Streisand - The Essential Barbra Streisand - Evergreen" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a> <br />
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(Debuted at #72, Peaked at #1, 25 weeks on chart) <br />
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Putting aside the legend we know today, by the mid-1970s Barbra Streisand was a curious success story. She wasn't a rock 'n roll singer; rather, she performed a lot of pop standards and was content to perform on Broadway even as her LPs did quite well. She became an actress and went back to singing after she had a few flop films. Her 1970 hit "Stoney End" was an out-of-left-field success (and even then was helped by the adult contemporary audience). Even when "The Way We Were" became the biggest hit song of 1974, Streisand wasn't considered among music's elite artists. "Evergreen" changed that.<br />
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The song was included in the 1976 film <i>A Star is Born</i>, which starred Streisand. In the film, she played an up-and-coming singer whose success was paralleled by the decline of her superstar husband, played by Kris Kristofferson. It was a second reworking of an old film: in 1937 and 1954, the previous examples of <i>A Star is Born</i> had been set in the movie business. Despite the fact that a "rock 'n roll" film didn't have a lot of rock music in it, that Kristofferson could have probably written better material than what he was given and that the chemistry between the two lead actors didn't exactly lend to a willing suspension of disbelief, the film, its "soundtrack" LP and the song "Evergreen" were unqualified hits. <br />
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"Evergreen" spent three weeks at #1 in the spring of '77 and was on the Hot 100 for almost half a year. One of the year's biggest singles, it would win a Grammy for Song of the Year. Streisand co-wrote the song with lyricist Paul Williams, who had an impressive string of hit compositions in the 1970s but doesn't get a lot of recognition for it. Despite his success with Three Dog Night ("Old Fashioned Love Song," "Out in the Country") and The Carpenters ("Rainy Days and Mondays," "We've Only Just Begun" and "I Won't Last a Day Without You") as well as the sublime "Rainbow Connection" from <i>The Muppet Movie</i>, Williams is unfairly viewed through the prism of writing the songs for <i>Ishtar</i> and playing Little Enis in the <i>Smokey & the Bandit</i> movies.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#BobSeger">Bob Seger</a> - "Night Moves"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted at #85, peaked at #4, 21 weeks on chart) <br />
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When I first began this blog in 2008, I tried to write something I called "The Greatest Hits of the 1970s Determined By Me" and hoped to eventually come up with a list of songs that could make a great CD or two. While the project never took off, the posts are still online for anybody who wants to view the oldest posts. <a href="http://70smusicmayhem.blogspot.com/2008/12/1970s-greatest-songs-as-chosen-by-me.html">This post</a> is from the first song I picked, Bob Seger's "Night Moves."<br />
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The funny thing is that when I grew up I wasn't all that crazy about the song. Many of the adults I talked with about music were fans of Seger but I didn't understand what was so special about him. I liked "Katmandu" and "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" but at 13 I found stuff like "We've Got Tonight," "Turn the Page," "Against the Wind" and "Night Moves" slow and boring. Over the years, I've gained a lot of appreciation for Seger's music as my own experience has given me additional insight into life. "Night Moves" is a great example; essentially, the song is done as a narration by an adult looking back at his youth and wondering where the time went. In effect, it's the feeling that hits you when you sit back and think of your teen years only to realize that it was half a lifetime ago. At 13, I had no idea what he was trying to say, but in my late 30s I understood the sentiment much better.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Bish">Stephen Bishop</a> - "Save It For A Rainy Day"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fsave-it-for-a-rainy-day%252Fid1697726%253Fi%253D1697701%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Stephen Bishop - On and On: The Hits of Stephen Bishop - Save It for a Rainy Day" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #87, peaked at #22, 15 weeks on chart)<br />
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In the film <i>Animal House</i>, there's a scene during the toga party where Bluto (played by John Belushi) is coming down the stairs of the frat house and stops beside a beatnik with a guitar singing a folkish song to some girls. Bluto then grabs the guitar, smashes it against the wall and hands it back, saying "sorry" before walking away. The movie's end credits show that "Charming Guy with Guitar" was played Stephen Bishop. Bishop would also appear in small parts in two other John Landis-directed films (<i>Kentucky Fried Movie</i> and <i>The Blues Brothers</i>) as "Charming Guy," but he's best remembered for his music.<br />
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"Save it For a Rainy Day" was Bishop's first chart hit and a cut from his debut LP <i>Careless</i>. Although he was putting out his first album, Bishop had been writing and publishing music for a few years and had some musician friends to help him out. A light MOR pop tune, "Save it For a Rainy Day" had help from Eric Clapton on guitar and Chaka Khan on background vocals (her voice is noticeable toward the end of the song). The song would make the pop Top 40 and reach #6 on the adult contemporary chart, beginning a moderately successful performing career for Bishop.<br />
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After a handful of hits, he would write music for films such as <i>Roadie</i>, <i>Tootsie</i> (which featured his biggest pop hit "It Might Be You") and <i>Unfaithfully Yours</i>. Another film, <i>White Nights</i>, featured a Bishop composition called "Separate Lives" that would be a #1 pop hit for Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin. He also sang the theme song to <i>Animal House</i> and reportedly still has that guitar destroyed by Belushi in the film.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Blaze">Blaze</a> - "Silver Heels"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted at #97, peaked at #95, 2 weeks on chart)<br />
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Blaze was a group from Cincinnati that formed in 1973. "Silver Heels" was a Bob Welch song originally performed by Fleetwood Mac during his tenure with the group. Blaze did a fairly faithful version of the version Fleetwood Mac cut on their <i>Heroes Are Hard to Find</i> LP, as a straightforward rock tune that didn't sound out of place among contemporary hits. Heavy regional airplay around the group's Ohio home base got "Silver Heels" listed on the national pop charts but the group never managed to sustain the momentum, falling off after its second week. The band broke up in 1979 and never charted on the Hot 100 again.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/l.html#LaFlamme">David LaFlamme</a> - "White Bird"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted at #96, peaked at #89, 7 weeks on chart) <br />
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David LaFlamme was a virtuoso violinist who was behind a little-remembered but well-regarded 1960s/70s San Francisco group called It's a Beautiful Day. The group had little success on the pop singles chart but managed some minor hits on <i>Billboard</i>'s LP chart. "White Bird" was originally featured on the group's self-titled 1969 debut album and became their signature song; despite some exposure on FM radio, the format was still in its experimental youth and didn't translate into record sales, only getting the single as high as #118 on <i>Billboard</i>'s "Bubbling Under" chart. A live version of the song was released by the group in 1973 but again failed to chart. By then, legal hassles were forcing LaFlamme from the group he founded.<br />
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By 1974, the sun finally set on It's a Beautiful Day. LaFlamme recorded a solo version of "White Bird" for his first solo LP in 1976. This time, the song finally managed to chart but its success was short-lived. In addition to playing his music, LaFlamme has appeared in a few sitcoms (<i>Ellen</i>, <i>Wings</i> and <i>Frasier</i>) playing a violin player who stands near a table in a restaurant, playing in an annoying fashion.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#AlStewart">Al Stewart</a> - "Year Of The Cat"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fyear-of-the-cat%252Fid160422866%253Fi%253D160423223%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Al Stewart - Year of the Cat - Year of the Cat" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #98, peaked at #8, 17 weeks on chart)<br />
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"Year of the Cat" is Al Stewart's biggest American hit, the title song to his best-known LP here. For all the imagery in the song's lyrics, its best parts may be the instrumental passages. An extended piano intro before the band joins in, a lengthy layered instrumental before the final verse and a sax solo as the song fades are all memorable parts of the song. <br />
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The lyrics paint a picture of a foreign location and a chance encounter with a local lady resulting in a tryst, only to have the protagonist wake up too late to leave for home on schedule. Exactly where the location might be is up to the listener: there's a mention of "a Bogart movie" with Peter Lorre (<i>Casablanca</i>) which could place it in Morocco, a line in the LP version about "incense and patchouli" which are cultivated across the globe from the Caribbean to India to the Orient, and the title itself suggests an Asian culture. Similes abound in the narration: "<i>a silk robe running like a watercolor in the rain</i>," "<i>I feel my life just like a river running through the Year of the Cat</i>." No matter where the story might take place, the music behind the words makes the song what it is.<br />
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From reading placemats at Chinese restaurants, I noticed they don't actually show a Year of the Cat in their 12-year zodiac cycle. In Vietnam, however, the zodiac is slightly different, with a cat replacing the Chinese rabbit. In that event, the closest Year of the Cat would have been 1975, a year before the song was recorded. If the title referred to the year of birth of the lady in the song, that would have made her roughly 25 (or 37...but hopefully not 13). <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BayCity">The Bay City Rollers</a> - "Yesterday's Hero"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fyesterdays-hero-single-version%252Fid271457291%253Fi%253D271457309%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Bay City Rollers - Bay City Rollers: The Definitive Collection - Yesterday's Hero" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #77, peaked at #54, 7 weeks on chart)<br />
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Although the group had seemed to explode out of nowhere to become an overnight sensation late in 1975, the Bay City Rollers had been working as a band for many years before that. Though 1976 would be a great year for the group on the U.S. pop charts, groups seen as fads are notorious for fading as fast as they seem to appear. By recording "Yesterday's Hero" for their LP <i>Dedication</i>, a song that had already appeared on the Hot 100 a year earlier as the first hit for John Paul Young, the band seemed to understand that fact. Done in the band's own musical style, the song is a straightforward rocker whose lyrics mention that fame is fleeting and it won't last if they don't put a plan in motion soon. For the Bay City Rollers, the song proved prophetic. After a few more minor hits (and the excellent Top 10 "You Made Me Believe in Magic"), "Rollermania" would soon be over.<br />
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A special mention should be made of the LP version of this song. While it was recorded in the studio, crowd noises from a live concert were added to the beginning and end. Scattered among the noise was an F-bomb, which may have limited airplay because stations playing off LPs couldn't use it on the air unless they faded the song early.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002LMZBPE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-21682699548407407862012-12-05T15:52:00.112-05:002012-12-05T15:52:00.095-05:00Rewind -- December 2, 1972<i>Here is another review from this blog's first year, with some additional info added with the videos. This was an "automatic" for obvious reasons, which are explained in the next paragraph. Now that we're into December, the "Rewind" feature is about to go away; if there is something you'd like to see in its place, drop me a line.</i><br />
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While I peruse the list of songs from the week in question for each year and consider which one I want to use for my next review, I often find myself looking at song titles or artists before pinning down the specific week to tackle. This week's list is a little different. Yes, I'm still going to do the same preparation as I normally do; however, it's the survey date that determined which week I was going to review. As it turns out, I made my own debut on December 2, 1972: I was born that afternoon in a small town in Upstate New York. So this week's list is rather special to me in a way that goes beyond the songs or artists involved.<br />
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You can read most of that week's issue of Billboard on Google Books. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=Ig8EAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false">Here's a link to read it</a>. For some odd reason, the transcription only has the first 40 pages of the issue and the Hot 100 list is not available. <br />
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This week's review begins and ends with a couple who had just gotten married that November 3rd.In between are two 1950s icons, a producer, a solo singer masquerading as a country band and a band whose leader looked like a pirate.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0"><img alt="All Music. No Ads. Get Rdio Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/rdio_generic_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b>James Taylor - "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fdont-let-me-be-lonely-tonight%252Fid320083830%253Fi%253D320083932%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="James Taylor - James Taylor: Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 - Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #60, Peaked #14, 11 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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James Taylor was absolutely huge in the early 1970s. Most of his success came from his first two LPs of the decade, <i>Sweet Baby James</i> (which included "Fire and Rain") and <i>Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon </i>(which had the #1 hit "You've Got a Friend"). Then, Taylor waited 19 months to put out his next album, <i>One Man Dog</i>. The new LP would hit #4 on the album charts on the strength of Talyor's fanbase but it was considered disappointing; a concept album with 18 short songs -- many instrumental -- wasn't quite what his fans were expecting after such a long wait.<br />
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The first single from Taylor's new LP was a typically understated tune with sparse a jazz arrangement. "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" was a minor hit (#14) but a very stellar performance by JT. Also worth credit is the late jazz legend Michael Brecker, who capably handles the saxophone. Listening to the song for several years, I had always assumed that the song was another example of the "Love the one you're with" attitude of the era...but actually listening to the words I'm realizing that Taylor is singing from the perspective of a man who has been walked over by his woman: he puts up with the abuse she keeps doling out simply because he's either afraid or unwilling to face his nights alone. That's a point of view commonly heard in R&B songs (and usually from a woman's perspective) but deep even for an introspective singer/songwriter.<br />
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<b>Delbert & Glen - "I Received a Letter"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #90, 3 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark were Texans who'd recently moved to Los Angeles. Despite the new California home, their <i>Delbert & Glen</i> LP was loaded with stuff you'd expect from a Texas-based bar band: blues, country, soul and a gospel influence. The album didn't sell well, the single "I Received a Letter" only reached #90 and the duo parted after their second LP fizzled out. <br />
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Delbert McClinton doesn't have a lot of hits, but he's made his mark over the years. Early in his career, he was a harmonica player who was memorably featured on a #1 hit by fellow Ft. Worth resident Bruce Channel ("Hey Baby") in 1962. A little later, he played in England and gave some pointers on playing the "mouth harp" to one of the young musicians touring with him. The results of that instruction would be recorded for posterity when John Lennon played harmonica on early Beatles tunes "Please Please Me" and "From Me to You." After a short stint with a group called The Rondells in the mid-60, he played the Texas roadhouse circuit. After the Delbert & Glen years, McClinton continued both as a solo act and songwriter. His biggest 1970s success came when Emmylou Harris took his "Two More Bottles of Wine" to #1 on the country chart. McClinton would finally reach the Top 40 in 1981 with "Giving it Up for Your Love." He's still a highly regarded musician among fellow musicians, another one of those artists whose chart success really doesn't show up in lists of hit records. <br />
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<b>Luther Ingram - "I'll Be Your Shelter (In Time of Storm)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fill-be-you-shelter-in-time-storm%252Fid275180905%253Fi%253D275180959%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Luther Ingram - The Best of Luther Ingram - I'll Be You Shelter (In Time of Storm)" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84,Peaked #40, 11 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Following up a huge hit with "If Loving You is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)," Ingram went with another longer, parenthesized title and just made the Top 40 with it. Unlike the unrepentant adulterer of the big hit, Luther takes the role of a strong partner and confidant that will help weather any problems this time around. Quite a marked difference in viewpoints. Like many of his 1970s recordings, Ingram is backed on this song by the band and female backup singers for Isaac Hayes, an artist he frequently toured with.<br />
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Though this would be Ingram's last Top 40 hit, he continued to chart with minor hits on the R&B surveys into the 1980s and continued touring for years afterwards. In 2007, he died of a heart attack.<br />
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<b>The Blue Ridge Rangers - "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #78,Peaked #16, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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While the song is credited to a group and the LP cover shows five men in cowboy hats silhouetted on a hillside, this was essentially a John Fogerty solo record. Just months after the breakup of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty must have wanted to put some distance between his group and solo work. For his first "solo" record, he recorded a bunch of cover versions of 1950s and 60s country hits and played all the instruments himself.<br />
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For the first single, Fogerty went with the Hank Williams stalwart "Jambalaya." The tune was based on a Cajun song called "Grand Texas" with Williams (and Moon Mullican) providing lyrics evoking Louisiana. One of Williams' best-known songs, it has been recorded hundreds of times by artists as diverse as Jo Stafford, Fats Domino, Van Morrison, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, The White Stripes and even The Carpenters. The Blue Ridge Rangers version would make #16 on the pop charts and #66 country. It was a surprise pop hit, as few songs so inspired by hard country were doing well at that time; most country crossover hits of the early 1970s were heavy on the strings and featured smooth (non-accented) voices. <br />
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Even though Fogerty wasn't trying to cut a country record, it showed fans how much his Creedence material had been influenced by the sound. A year later, Leon Russell would issue his own 50s/60s country-cover LP under the name Hank Wilson, proving once again that even rock artists appreciated the sound.<br />
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<b>Lyn Collins - "Me and My Baby Got a Good Thing Going"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fme-and-my-baby-got-good-thing-going%252Fid1296947%253Fi%253D1296834%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Lyn Collins - James Brown's Original Funky Divas - Me and My Baby Got a Good Thing Going" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #94,Peaked #86, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Lyn Collins has (unfairly) been forgotten among many music fans. Called "The Female Preacher" for her full-throated delivery, she was a member of James Brown's posse. Her voice is instantly recognizable to fans of hip-hop (that's her voice singing "It takes two to make a thing go right" on Rob Bass & DJ E-Z Rock's hit) but her place in the history of funk has been largely overlooked. <br />
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"Me and My Baby Got a Good Thing Going" used the same chord structure as a country hit from earlier in 1972 by Tom T. Hall ("Me and Jesus") and may have originated as a gospel song. That would be fitting for an artist nicknamed "The Female Preacher." The song was produced by The Godfather of Soul and used his musicians to back her up, so the vibe is purely in the James Brown style. However, the single was overshadowed a few weeks later by a Collins/Brown duet and stalled at #86. <br />
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<b>Hurricane Smith - "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Foh-babe-what-would-you-say%252Fid164357838%253Fi%253D164358333%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Hurricane Smith - Fever Pitch - Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #74, Peaked #3, 15 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I once owned a book by Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell called <i>The Worst Rock & Roll Records of All Time</i>. While I wasn't exactly in agreement with all their choices, I always think of the book every time I hear the opening to "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say" because they mentioned that the saxophone solo sounds a lot like a goose being strangled. And every time I hear it, I picture a goose with somebody shaking its neck.<br />
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Norman "Hurricane" Smith wasn't a musician in the same sense as most hit-makers. After a few years of playing jazz after serving in World War Two, he became a sound engineer and producer for EMI. His duties included assisting George Martin with all Beatles LPs through <i>Rubber Soul</i>. After his promotion, he produced a few early albums for Pink Floyd. In the early 1970s, he released some music on his own, including "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say" that evoked the 1920s. It was antithetical to the rock and pop audiences; however, it ended up being a big hit on both sides of the Atlantic. On <i>Billboard</i>'s Hot 100, it peaked at #3. After one more minor hit and few records over the next couple years, Smith's recording career was over. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 85. <br />
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Since it seems the only MP3 copies of this song on Amazon a re-recordings, I'm substituting a link to Amazon for that book I mentioned above. Some of the commentary won't sit well with some fans but at 1 cent as of the publication date it's not a bad read.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=0806512318" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>The Allman Brothers Band - "One Way Out"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fone-way-out%252Fid251698%253Fi%253D251679%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Allman Brothers Band - The Allman Brothers Band: A Decade of Hits 1969-1979 - One Way Out" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted 92,Peaked #86, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Part of the outstanding live double LP <i>Eat a Peach</i>, "One Way Out" features superb guitar work by both Duane Allman and Dickey Betts. As a Southern Rock-influenced take on a 1960s Elmore James/Sonny Boy Williamson blues tune, it was captured live as part of the final show from New York's Fillmore East. Even though it only hit #86 in a short chart run, the song has grown very popular over the years on classic rock stations (at under 5 minutes long, it is preferable to many longer jams the band had on their albums) and has been featured in films <i>Almost Famous</i>, <i>Lords of Dogtown</i> and <i>The Departed</i>. It's one of those tunes that people who aren't Allman Brothers fans may not recognize by the title but will hear and think, "Okay, I know that one."<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W1Y1UC&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Chuck Berry - "Reelin & Rockin'"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fid57547488%253Fi%253D57547648%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Chuck Berry - Gold - Reelin' and Rockin' (Live) [1972 / Lancaster Arts Festival]" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #27, 13 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Placed on a single to capitalize on the surprise success of "My Ding-a-Ling," this song was another live recording with a sexual subtext. Both songs were taken from the live B-side of Berry's <i>The London Chuck Berry Sessions</i> LP, recorded at the Lanchester Arts Festival in Coventry, England in February '72. <br />
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"Reelin' & Rockin'" is one of the many songs Berry had recorded during his 1950s Chess Records heyday. Under the guise of checking the clock for the time, Berry makes sly references to an all-day session with a lady friend. Actually, it's not all that subtle; the line "I got some on my finger so I wiped it on the wall" brings down the house. The song is an example of what convinced the Establishment that rock & roll was a corrupting influence on American youth in the 1950s but is viewed today as good clean fun. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NTBGMI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Elvis Presley - "Separate Ways"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fseparate-ways%252Fid257540283%253Fi%253D257540867%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Elvis Presley - Walk a Mile In My Shoes: The Essential '70s Masters - Separate Ways" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #71,Peaked #20, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Elvis Presley had a lot of hit singles in the 1970s. In fact, among all artists he ranks fourth (tied with Elton John) with 26 chart singles through a decade he didn't survive. Many of these hits were two-sided so a list of all Presley's charted pop hits includes 38 song titles. While many of these singles reached the Top 40, only three were Top 10s and the highest charting ("Burning Love") stopped at #2. With some artists, those would be phenomenal but in Elvis's case the 1970s material falls far short of his 1950s and 1960s performances in the eyes of many fans.<br />
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Even though Elvis Presley was on his way to becoming the Vegas-attraction, sequin jumpsuit wearing, karate-chopping, overweight and highly medicated shell of his former self, there's no doubt the King of Rock 'n Roll was still in possession of a spectacular gift: his voice. While some of the stuff he put on record in the 1970s was really far below the bar he set for himself during the 1950s, a more mature Elvis was still able to handle more grown-up issues like divorce, separation and wondering about the road not taken. As he was going through his well-publicized split with his wife Priscilla, it's easy to wonder how much his personal feelings informed his music. For instance, "Separate Ways" was a song about an impending breakup and even though Elvis wasn't a songwriter he was able to take tune that and make it his own. There's even a few lines about how his child will come to grips with the reason her parents separated, definitely something Elvis was concerned about with his beloved Lisa Marie.<br />
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The B-side of "Separate Ways" was "Always on My Mind," which was a country hit and the A-side when released in the UK. Like "Separate Ways," "Always on My Mind" was a song that could've been taken from Elvis's own life story at the time, and (to my ears, at least) it's one of the best performances he ever laid down on record. Brenda Lee did the song first, Willie Nelson and The Pet Shop Boys had huge hits with the song in the 1980s, but Presley's take is my pick for the definitive version. Both sides of the single tell a great story, even if it may have been painful for him to share it.<br />
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<b>Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show - "The Cover of <i>Rolling Stone</i>"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fcover-rolling-stone%252Fid197977863%253Fi%253D197978849%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Dr. Hook - Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show Revisited - Cover of the Rolling Stone" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #100,Peaked #6, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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When I was 15, I found a copy of a cassette tape that somebody had discarded called <i>Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show: Revisited</i>. At the time, I was familiar with some of the group's late-70s hits but only knew them as Dr. Hook. My father said, "they were pretty good." When I mentioned I'd never heard of any of the songs on the tape, we went for a ride and listened. There was a telephone conversation ("Sylvia's Mother"), a goofy tale of backstage romance ("Roland the Roadie and Gertrude the Groupie"), a song that still cracks me up when I hear it ("Freakin' at the Freaker's Ball") and a couple of songs that had drug lingo I'd never heard before ("Get My Rocks Off" and "Makin' it Natural," sadly, "I Got Stoned and I Missed it" wasn't included). Then there was "The Cover of <i>Rolling Stone</i>."<br />
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Like many of those early hits for the group, the song was written by Shel Silverstein. It's a tune where the band explains the life they've come to know as rock stars, with drugs and groupies, an Indian guru, limousines driven by family members, playing for cash ("$10,000 a show" in 1972 dollars) but none of that matters since they haven't been able to make the cover of <i>Rolling Stone</i>. Critics and fans have argued whether the tune was glorifying the lifestyle on the road or simply poking fun at it. I just think it was a fun song. Of course, having a #6 national hit with such a song is going to lead to a remedy for such an oversight; indeed, the March 29, 1973 issue had the band on the cover, with the caption: "<i>What's-Their-Names Make Our Cover</i>."<br />
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<b>The Chi-Lites - "We Need Order"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fwe-need-order%252Fid111299588%253Fi%253D111299333%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Chi-Lites - A Letter to Myself - We Need Order" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #76,Peaked #61, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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After scoring big hits with lush ballads as "Oh Girl" and "Have You Seen Her," The Chi-Lites returned to the socially-conscious lyrics of earlier hits like "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People" and "We Are Neighbors." The move wasn't successful; "We Need Order" would peak at #61 pop and missed the R&B Top 10. The song featured the group's excellent harmonies behind singer Eugene Record's vocal, strings that were quite common on 1970s records (especially on socially-aware urban-themed songs) and flute and saxophone solos that unfairly seemed to be buried in the final mix.<br />
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<b>Joe Cocker - "Woman to Woman"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fwoman-to-woman%252Fid256889208%253Fi%253D256889285%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Joe Cocker - Classics, Vol. 4: Joe Cocker - Woman to Woman" height="15" src="http://ax.phobos.apple.com.edgesuite.net/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #95, Peaked #56, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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While many fans know of "Woman to Woman" as a #1 soul song by Shirley Brown and later remade by Barbara Mandrell. However, before either of those songs was ever recorded, "Woman to Woman" was an entirely different song by Joe Cocker. It was a single off an LP titled <i>Joe Cocker</i>, whose press from A&M Records stated: "Only one man in the world can record an album called <i>Joe Cocker</i>." Considering he already had put out a 1969 LP called <i>Joe Cocker!</i> it would seem A&M could have considered some more original album titles instead.<br />
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The song features a repetitive riff and Cocker singing along with his female backers. The constant flow of the music and repeated intonation of the line "woman to woman" makes me wonder whether Cocker was trying to do a James Brown-type song in his own style. Peaking at #56, it didn't stay very long on the charts; however, a sample of the song would appear on a 1996 Tupac Shakur hit called "California Love."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NU1BKO&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Carly Simon - "You're So Vain"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fyoure-so-vain%252Fid271491262%253Fi%253D271491331%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Carly Simon - No Secrets - You're So Vain" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #99, Peaked #1, 17 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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Here's a song that is one of the best-remembered #1 hits of the 1970s. It's also a song that has been discussed, dissected, run through the rumor mill, hashed over, speculated and discussed some more. Did I forget to mention a lot of people have discussed this song? Discussion has often focused on the person Simon was thinking about when she wrote the song. From her husband James Taylor to 1970s serial playboy Warren Beatty to Mick Jagger (who sings backup during the last part of the song), many have been suggested even as Simon herself remained coy about it.<br />
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Personally, I have no idea -- nor do I really care -- about who (or is that whom?) the song is about. In fact, the lines "<i>You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you</i>" tells me that anybody who might wonder if they're that person would be fairly arrogant in the first place. In short, the song is well-performed, superbly crafted in the studio an incredibly catchy. A juicy slice of 1970s gossip among L.A.-based stars, it's good enough to stand on its own without any wasted time discussing who she might be singing about.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0012CS8XG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-29939988624139290222012-11-28T20:30:00.096-05:002012-11-28T20:30:01.648-05:00Rewind -- November 28, 1970<i>Once again, I take a song from this blog's first year and dust it off, adding videos and correcting typos. This is a feature I'll be doing for all of 2012, which is nearly over now. If there are any features you'd like to see here on Wednesdays, drop me a line.</i><br />
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For this week, <i>Billboard</i>'s Hot 100 had eleven songs entering the chart, with six that would reach the Top 40 and two that almost got there. Four hits made the Top 10 and one was a #1. Among the hits: the first ex-Beatle member with a #1 hit, the most successful ex-Monkee, the first Top ten hit for one of the decade's biggest artists, two (actually, <i>three</i>) Motown acts, a group that is among the most influential heavy metal legends and the biggest country song of the year.<br />
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Thanks to Google Books, many of the <i>Billboard</i> issues from the 1970s have been digitized and are available to read for free. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=tSkEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false">Here's the issue dated November 28, 1970</a>. The complete Hot 100 chart can be found on page 70.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0"><img alt="All Music. No Ads. Get Rdio Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/rdio_generic_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b>Donnie Elbert - "Can't Get Over Losing You"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fcant-get-over-losing-you%252Fid334159946%253Fi%253D334160585%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Donnie Elbert - R&B Maverick - Can't Get Over Losing You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #98, Peaked #98, 2 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Donnie Elbert debuted at #98 with this song, but he wouldn't get any higher and was off the charts after two weeks. Born in New Orleans but raised in Buffalo, Elbert had been recording since the late 1950s but hadn't gained much headway on the pop or soul charts despite possessing a tremendous voice and even playing the instruments on his recordings himself. After a few years living in England and gaining some success there, Elbert returned to the U.S. and began getting some hits.<br />
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His first chart entry of the 1970s was "Can't Get Over Losing You," a song that sounds like it was a Motown tune, evoking Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Ooh Baby Baby" in both his vocal delivery and the background strings. Despite underperforming on the Hot 100, the song would reach #26 on the soul chart.<br />
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<b>Gladys Knight & the Pips - "If I Were Your Woman"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fif-i-were-your-woman-single%252Fid381598%253Fi%253D381517%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Gladys Knight & The Pips - The Best of Gladys Knight & The Pips: Anthology - If I Were Your Woman" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86,Peaked #9, 15 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Gladys Knight & the Pips are probably best remembered for their 1970s tenure with Buddah records but spent many years at Motown. Despite gaining some decent hits (even charting "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" a year before Marvin Gaye's seminal version and taking it to #2 pop), neither Gladys Knight or any of the Pips are remembered as a Motown group in the same sense as The Supremes, The Temptations or The Miracles. Before leaving Motown, they managed to score a #9 pop (and #1 soul) hit with this gem.<br />
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"If I Were Your Woman" was another of the many songs that came out of Motown's production line. Written by staff writers and backed with lush orchestration by the company's phenomenal house band, the song still manages to showcase Knight's strong voice and the tight vocal harmonies of The Pips. A fluid bass line (probably by James Jamerson; incredibly, Motown wouldn't list session players on their album liner notes until 1971) also stands out on the recording. Among the group's 1970s recordings, this sometimes gets lost among their successful Buddah records but is still one of their best efforts.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZ3BFM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>B.J. Thomas - "Most of All"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #38, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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B.J. Thomas enjoyed a string of hit singles at the start of the 1970s. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" was the #1 song as the 1970s dawned and the hits kept coming through 1972. Then his label Scepter Records closed shop, causing Thomas's career to skid toward inconsistency and eventually turn him towards the country market with occasional crossover success. "Most of All" would do well, just making the Top 40 on the Hot 100 but peaking at #2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.<br />
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The only thing about "Most of All" is that it doesn't really stand out from Thomas's other work. It's a well-done effort but still sounds a lot like his bigger hits "I Just Can't Help Believing" and "Rock and Roll Lullaby." It's a shame, as the song could have resonated with a lot of people from its story where somebody tells his darling that he'd love to be with her but he has to keep on traveling. He's calling from the train station in St. Paul...and mentions that when the snow falls the next day he won't be there to see it because he must chase his dreams. It's a common theme in songs; musicians who do a lot of touring certainly relate, but so do a lot of people who have to travel for work.<br />
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<b>George Harrison - "My Sweet Lord"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fmy-sweet-lord%252Fid265752411%253Fi%253D265752521%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (30th Anniversary Edition) [Remastered] - My Sweet Lord" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a> <b>b/w "Isn't it a Pity"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fisnt-it-pity%252Fid265752411%253Fi%253D265753094%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (30th Anniversary Edition) [Remastered] - Isn't It a Pity" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted at #72, Peaked #1, 14 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Although most of the credit for the single seems to be focused on the A-Side, Here's the flip side, which was credited for most of the run of the record on the charts:<br />
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Quick, what was the first song by an ex-Beatle to hit #1 on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100? It wasn't Paul McCartney's "Another Day," which only reached #5. John Lennon's "Instant Karma" made it to #3 and Ringo Starr's "It Don't Come Easy" stalled at #4. All of the former Beatles would eventually get multiple #1 hits but George Harrison was the first to reach the summit when "My Sweet Lord" was on top of the charts to end a year that watched the group split up.<br />
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Last week's review featured George Harrison as well; "This Song" was written after the aftermath of "My Sweet Lord" and how the writers and copyright holders of the 1963 hit "He's So Fine" felt Harrison had (perhaps subconsciously) plagiarized their song in order to make his own million-seller. Without getting into that question, it is one of many songs of its era that I could place into the subcategory "God Rock." Despite its assumed piety, the song has quite a catchy slide guitar riff by Harrison and doesn't come off as preachy. Instead, it's sung more like a mantra or prayer in front of a choir. Finally, since George was really the only member of the Beatles truly serious about the whole Indian mysticism vibe that led them the stay with the Maharishi in Rishikesh, India, there's little question as to his intentions in recording such a song.<br />
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Sadly, many stations once again dusted off "My Sweet Lord" in November 2001 when the news broke that Harrison had passed away. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WY7UFW&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WYF5FO&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Black Sabbath - "Paranoid"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #94, Peaked #61, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's a song that is much better remembered than chart positions indicate. Even though it peaked at #61, Black Sabbath has become a huge influence on rock musicians through the years. This is also a song I can't ever listen to without feeling the need to crank up the volume to <i>loud</i>. Tommy Iommi's guitar blast (it shouldn't be called a riff) drives the song even more than the rhythm section, which is not an easy task, and Ozzy Osbourne's vocals are both immediate and nonsensical. According to the story behind the song, Iommi developed the buzzsaw-driven guitar line and the band recorded it as quickly as they could, with Ozzy making up the words on the spot. In any case, the song is two and a half minutes of pure adrenaline.<br />
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A couple of things I'd like to bring out here...it's worth mentioning that this song and "Iron Man" (Sabbath's only two pop hits in the 1970s) were culled from the same LP, <i>Paranoid</i>, but the second single wouldn't be released until 1972. It seemed Black Sabbath wanted to be primarily an album artist rather than a singles artist. Also, one of Ozzy's lines is officially "<i>I tell you to enjoy life, I wish I could but it's too late</i>" is frequently misheard as "I tell you to end your life." Listening to the song, it sure sounds like that's what he said, even though I've taken the effort to listen closely. But then again, I still hear "'scuse me while I kiss this guy" in "Purple Haze" even when I know better.<br />
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<b>The Supremes & The Four Tops - "River Deep, Mountain High"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Friver-deep-mountain-high%252Fid286901102%253Fi%253D286902128%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Supremes & The Four Tops - The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 10: 1970 - River Deep, Mountain High" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #51, Peaked #14, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"River Deep, Mountan High" has quite a history. It was written by "Wall of Sound" guru -- and current convicted murderer -- Phil Spector along with Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. Intended for Ike & Tina Turner (only without Ike), the song had great expectations but flopped phenomenally when it was deemed too pop for R&B and too R&B for pop, causing Spector to walk away from the record business for a couple of years. Its flop didn't stop other artists from covering it, though: Nilsson, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Deep Purple and Bob Seger were among the artists who added the song to their records, but the most successful version was recorded by the post-Diana Ross Supremes and The Four Tops as a "duet" even though there were seven people involved. As one of several singles pairing the two groups, the song would hit #14 behind their star power and the sound of Motown's superb house band.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001NZ7FTK" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Lynn Anderson - "Rose Garden"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Frose-garden-single-version%252Fid159833291%253Fi%253D159834288%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Lynn Anderson - 16 Biggest Hits - Rose Garden" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #3, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This song, written by Joe South, was a huge crossover hit. Reaching #3 on the Hot 100, it would go on to be the biggest country hit for the year 1970. With a great instrumental backing provided by Nashville session musicians, the song is propelled by a plucked guitar line that sounds almost like raindrops, surging strings and a solid bass line. "Rose Garden" was originally included on Joe South's <i>Introspect</i> LP and would be covered by Dobie Gray, Glen Campbell and Dottie West (and later by Martina McBride); however, Lynn Anderson's sunny take on the song is the best known.<br />
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Despite the upbeat sound behind the song, a quick reading of the lyrics paint a slightly different picture. In the words, there's an explanation that life is not always going to be sweet. There are definitely going to be some hard times, which will give plenty of reasons to enjoy the good times. It's a lyric that was written from a male perspective ("<i>I could promise you things like big diamond rings</i>"...) and seems to be directed at a young prospective bride, but oddly a female take gives the song a different twist. The topic is a frequent one in country music -- Charley Pride's "All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)" is a prime example -- which is solidly directed at working-class listeners.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00138DBCM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Michael Nesmith & the First National Band - "Silver Moon"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fsilver-moon%252Fid30241191%253Fi%253D30241077%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Michael Nesmith - Loose Salute - Silver Moon" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #92, Peaked #42, 9 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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After the Monkees broke up at the dawn of the 1970s, Mike Nesmith would be the most successful solo member of the group. Aside from the group's final hit "Oh My My" which spent two weeks on the Hot 100, only two of the group's members would return to the pop charts. Davy Jones would have one low-charting entry in 1971 ("Rainy Jane") and Michael Nesmith-- who was likely the most serious musician of the group -- would notch all three of his chart entries before his former bandmate.<br />
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What's even better, Nesmith did it on his own terms. Rather than simply making records reminding music listeners that he was once one of the Monkees, his work -- both solo and with The First (and later, the Second) National Band -- was a mixture of rock, country, folk, bluegrass and whatever other styles he wanted to use. Even during his days with the Prefab Four, his compositions for the group ("Papa Gene's Blues," "What Am I Doing Hangin' Round?" and "Tapioca Tundra," among others) often showcased his eclectic style. Other artists liked recording his songs; The Stone Poneys (with lead singer Linda Ronstadt) had a huge hit with "Different Drum" and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band scored with "Some of Shelly's Blues."<br />
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"Silver Moon" is another one of his cross-genre tunes. It has a steel guitar solo, rhythm guitars that almost sound like they were cribbed from a reggae record and bluegrass-inspired yodeling at the end of the word "moon." That rarely amounts to Top 40 success (the song stalled at #42) but it makes for a great-sounding record if everything gels together.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001ESSJ2S&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Free - "The Stealer"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fthe-stealer%252Fid43112%253Fi%253D43102%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Free - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Free - The Stealer" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #88, Peaked #49, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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When Free had a massive hit with "All Right Now" in the Summer of 1970 on both sides of the Atlantic and a Top 20 LP <i>Fire and Water</i>, the band was rushed into the studio to see if they could go to the well again and record a successful follow-up. Unfortunately, neither the LP <i>Highway</i> nor the single "The Stealer" managed to recapture the magic of their big hit. The album reached a disappointing #190 and the single -- a straightforward rock song with a guitar riff that propels the tune forward -- fizzled out at #49. As they struggled to maintain their momentum, the band fell apart from internal issues.<br />
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Free's members had little success with their projects at first and tried to reunite in 1972. However, the internal issues persisted while drug abuse took an additional toll and Free was gone for good in '73. Singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke would form Bad Company and reach the level they couldn't quite reach as members of Free. Sadly, guitarist Paul Kossoff would die in 1976 from a heart attack brought on by his drug use. He was 25.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NYTTT0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Robert John - "When the Party is Over"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #82, Peaked #71, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Brooklyn-born Robert John had been recording since he was a child; his first <i>Billboard</i> hit came in 1958 (when he was 12) under his real name Bobby Pedrick. He would spend much of the 1960s finding his voice, he recorded with several record labels and also part of the short-lived groups Bobby & the Consoles and The Carousel. In 1968, Robert John Pedrick would drop his given last name, probably to avoid any association with his earlier persona.<br />
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His best-known hits of the 1970s would be a 1972 remake of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" and the #1 "Sad Eyes," both of which spotlighted his high-pitched tenor (a full falsetto on the latter hit). For his first hit single of the decade, John uses his regular vocal range and delivers a basic song, accented by a horn section and sax solo. "When the Party is Over" would be a minor hit, stalling at #71.<br />
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<b>Elton John - "Your Song"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fyour-song%252Fid45304%253Fi%253D45275%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Elton John - Elton John - Your Song" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #8, 14 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Before he became a mega-star known for his flashy stage attire and comic glasses, Elton John was just a bloke from England named Reg Dwight who played piano and tried to make his name in the music business. That was where he was in 1970 when he released his <i>Elton John</i> LP. "Your Song" would be an early turning point for the burgeoning artist. It would be his first U.S. Top 10 and help begin the string of hits that made him one of the biggest stars of the 1970s. In effect, it helped open some of the doors he needed but his stage show would help open the rest.<br />
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Beginning with a nice piano melody, Elton sings Bernie Taupin's lyrics in a conversational style -- even half-chuckling when he changes his mind mid-sentence -- while an acoustic guitar and strings accompany him. Essentially, "Your Song" is a love song written as a gift and sung in a self-deprecating manner. Considering the way his lyrics often came off as grandiose once he became a superstar, hearing a song where the singer sounds a little nervous getting the words out is refreshing. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VWMUXM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-31646102187873845952012-11-21T13:26:00.078-05:002012-11-21T13:26:00.157-05:00Rewind -- November 20, 1976<i>Here's another post from this blog's first year, with videos added and refreshed.</i><br />
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Nine songs made their debut on <i>Billboard</i>'s Hot 100 this week. Five would make the Top 40 (and another would fall just short), three would be Top 10 singles and two would go all the way to #1. Among the hits are a country tune, a pop song that probably could have been a decent country hit, a rock classic that couldn't get played on radio when it first came out (and later to become a crossover rap hit), a return to the charts by the Beatles as well as one of that group's former members. Read on to find out what they are...<br />
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Missing the first time around was a mention of the large <i>Billboard</i> archive at Google Books. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=FSUEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">Here's the November 20, 1976 edition, free for you to read through</a>. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 80. On page 44, there is an announcement of a "disco movie" being planned by Robert Stigwood and starring John Travolta. At the time, it was tentatively called <i>Saturday Night</i> and Travolta's character was named Vincent. Shooting was scheduled to begin on February 14.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type3_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
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<b>Dickey Lee - "9,999,999 Tears"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #52, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Dickey Lee had some modest success in the early 1960s both as a singer and a songwriter. His best-known hit was likely 1962's "Patches," the tale of a boy and a girl from different sides of the tracks that ends with both having committed suicide. As a songwriter, he wrote one of George Jones's best-loved hits "She Thinks I Still Care." By the 1970s, Lee's pop hits had dried up so like many singer/songwriters over the years he began recording for a country audience and saw some success there.<br />
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"9,999,999 Tears" was a tune that recalled Lee's 1960s heyday even if it didn't sound much like his best-known hit. Written by future country star Razzy Bailey, the song was originally recorded by its writer in 1966 with The Uniques. It's a catchy tune about lost love: the tears in the song are the number the singer still has yet to cry before getting over her...and even then, he won't be sure if he'll be done. It's not hard to like the way Lee sings out "I've got nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine tears to go" like he was doing it on <i>Sesame Street </i>with The Count. Also notable in the song is a guitar hook that gets played after every line in each verse. While it was a #3 hit on the country chart, it would be his final pop hit after peaking at #52. <br />
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<b>Seals & Crofts - "Baby, I'll Give it to You"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/baby-ill-give-it-to-you/id296547491?i=296547601&uo=6"><img alt="Seals and Crofts - Sudan Village - Baby I'll Give It to You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84, Peaked #58, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This was a cut from Seals & Crofts' live LP <i>Sudan Village</i>, even though (to my ears, at least) it doesn't sound like a live tune. Perhaps the sound engineers were able to capture the song without the ambient audience noise or edit it out in postproduction. Featuring a female singer on the track who isn't named on any of the online sites I've checked out but sounds like "Get Closer" guest vocalist Carolyn Willis (a former member of The Honey Cone), the song sounds like an attempt to try and capitalize on that big hit from earlier in the year. It didn't work, as the song only reached #58.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001L5XRUI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "Blinded By the Light"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blinded-by-light/id276965221?i=276965282&uo=6"><img alt="Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Roaring Silence - Blinded By the Light" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #95, Peaked #1, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's a song I remember talking about during my teenage years with schoolmates, and everybody had a different idea of the lyrics. A short time later, I managed to buy a used copy of <i>The Roaring Silence</i> LP and discovered the song's lyrics inside the gatefold. Boy, was I ever wrong about many of the lines. According to the official version, what I thought was "wrapped up like a douche" was really "revved up like a deuce" and what my friend Thomas swore was "little early birdie kept my anus curly-wurly" was actually "little early Pearlie came by in his curly-whirly." So rather than a feminine hygiene product, the song mentioned a souped-up roadster; furthermore, there was a helicopter reference instead of a questionable homosexual encounter.<br />
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As many fans know, "Blinded By the Light" was written by Bruce Springsteen and originally appeared on his debut LP <i>Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J</i>. Springsteen said he wrote the song using various images from his youth in South Jersey: "Indians in the summer" referred to his baseball team, the "silicone sister" was a stripper who worked in one of Asbury Park's strip clubs, mentions are made of having the mumps and that chip ("boulder") on the shoulder a lot of teens have. Manfred Mann's version omitted some of the lyrics used from The Boss's original and arranged the song differently. After the instrumental break (heavily edited for the single release), singer Chris Thompson sings the chorus repeatedly as either Mann -- who usually didn't sing on his band's hits -- or drummer Chris Slade (there's some disagreement about that, even though a promotional video from the era shows Mann handling the extra vocals...but then again, he could merely be lip synching) recounted the verses. They also tossed in a piano rendition of "Chopsticks," something that wasn't on Springsteen's original at all. <br />
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Manfred Mann's Earth Band took the song to #1 in February '77. It would be the only #1 <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100 single written by Springsteen; "Fire" by The Pointer Sisters and his own "Dancing in the Dark" both stalled at #2. That may come as a surprise to many, given his stature and success (though he did have a guest vocal in the 1985 #1 "We Are the World," he had no part in writing the song).<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0016NYSW6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>The Beatles - "Ob-La Di, Ob-La Da"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #79, Peaked #49, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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The Beatles? In a discussion of music from 1976? <br />
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While "Ob-La Di, Ob-La Da" was originally featured on the 1968 LP <i>The Beatles</i> (more commonly known as "The White Album"), it wasn't released as a single then. At the time, none of that album's songs was slated for single release; the closest they came was "Revolution," the B-side of "Hey Jude" but the version on the LP was a slowed-down version titled "Revolution One." "Ob-La Di, Ob-La Da" would also appear on the 1973 #1 double greatest-hits LP <i>The Beatles: 1967-'70</i> but none of that album's songs were released as singles in the U.S. either.<br />
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In 1976, Capitol Records released another double LP called <i>Rock and Roll Music</i> which was a repackaging of many of the band's more rock-based tunes spread across their career. Essentially, it was a way to make some more money off the back catalog of a group that had split up in 1970, whose distribution deal through Apple Records had ended in 1975 with that label's demise and whose former members were going in their own directions (by 1976, only Paul McCartney was still on the company's artist roster). After"Got to Get You into My Life" was released as a single and hit #7, Capitol once again went to the well with "Ob-La Di, Ob-La Da" which wasn't on the LP. Stalling at #47, it became the first Beatles single on the Hot 100 since "Matchbox" b/w "Slow Down" in 1964 to miss the Top 10. <br />
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<b>George Harrison - "This Song"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-song/id265695218?i=265695964&uo=6"><img alt="George Harrison - Thirty Three & 1/3 (Bonus Track Version) [Remastered] - This Song" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #82, Peaked #25, 11 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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It's fitting that the same week a song by The Beatles appears on the chart, one of the group's members was also making his own entry.<br />
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"This Song" was something of an answer to George Harrison's legal troubles that arose when "My Sweet Lord" sounded a lot like the 1963 Chiffons hit "He's So Fine." With lines like "as far as I know, don't infringe on anyone's copyright," "my expert says it's okay" and "this song came to me quite unknowingly" it's apparent Harrison felt the sting from his time in the courtroom. His sense of humor is intact, however; Harrison featured Eric Idle in the song shouting in a voice familiar to Monty Python fans about whether the song sounds like "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" or "Rescue Me," and also filmed a music video for the song lampooning the legal proceedings that appeared on <i>Saturday Night Live</i> on the same date (November 20, '76) as the song's debut date on the <i>Billboard</i> chart. That said, for a humorous little ditty with a painful basis, Billy Preston (piano) and Tom Scott (saxophone) play their parts like they're entirely serious.<br />
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The song was the first single from the LP <i>Thirty-Three and 1/3</i>, which was both the speed of the LP on a turntable and Harrison's age when he released it. While the LP was hailed by critics as perhaps his finest since <i>All Things Must Pass</i>, it missed the Top 10 on the album charts ("This Song" only reached #25). For the rest of the 1970s, Harrison would focus more on his film projects and outside interests and less time in the studio. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WMWGPS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Earth, Wind & Fire - "Saturday Nite"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/saturday-nite/id162327421?i=162327838&uo=6"><img alt="Earth, Wind & Fire - Spirit - Saturday Nite" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #78, Peaked #21, 15 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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While Earth, Wind & Fire was recording its LP <i>Spirit</i>, the group's arranger and producer Charles Stepney died of a heart attack. Despite the obvious setback, EW&F frontman Maurice White stepped into the role and took control of his group's direction from that point forward. The finished LP had two chart hits: "Getaway" (which hit #12) and "Saturday Nite" -- probably spelled that way to avoid confusion with the earlier Bay City Rollers hit -- a fair pop hit (#24) that fared much better on the Billboard R&B chart (#4). With two songs that missed the Top 10, <i>Spirit</i> was a bit of a disappointment after <i>That's the Way of the World</i> and "Shining Star," but fortunately the group wasn't ready to wind down.<br />
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As a song, "Saturday Nite" was okay. As an exercise in showcasing the group's horns, vocal harmonies and funky R&B vibe, it did the job but the group would accomplish the task even better on their next LP with "Serpentine Fire."<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0013CUV26&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Mary MacGregor - "Torn Between Two Lovers"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #1, 22 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I have a confession. I had planned on just writing something generic for this song and avoiding actually listening to it as I wrote this week's review. Normally, I'll listen to a song at least three times before writing about it but this time I figured I've heard this one enough over time to have a preconceived opinion. Then, in discussion with a reader of this blog, I realized that part of the process of writing these reviews was to give every song a fresh listen...even if I was essentially holding my nose for a few minutes. Anything less would be unfair to my readers. So, I listened to the song.<br />
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I'm not ready to say that the tune has grown on me; it hasn't. However, the subject matter (woman agonizes over the fact she's in love with two people, knows she must decide but doesn't want to hurt either lover) should have made it an ideal country song. Not detracting from Mary MacGregor's voice or delivery, but handing the same song to Dolly Parton or Conway Twitty and using Nashville session players behind them may have made it better. However, the song was Mary MacGregor's alone and she took it to #1 pop and eventually #3 country.<br />
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Researching the song, I did learn some things I'd never known. The song was written by Phillip Jarrell and Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul & Mary) and was inspired by the novel <i>Dr. Zhivago</i>. It was originally intended to be sung from the male point of view, even though it was a woman would handle the successful hit version.<br />
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<b>Aerosmith - "Walk This Way"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #10, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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It might be hard to believe, but this song was a dud when it first came out. As a single off the <i>Toys in the Attic</i> LP, it was released to radio in September 1975 but didn't chart. The band would need to hit with its next album <i>Rocks</i> before "Walk This Way" could get a second chance. The re-release brought good luck to the band, as the song hit #10 and became a hard rock classic, a 1970s anthem and one of the band's best-loved tunes. It also helped serve as a springboard to Aerosmith's late 1980s resurgence; after fading in the late 1970s due to substance abuse and interpersonal conflict between band members and several disappointing "comeback" albums, a rap cover of "Walk This Way" by Run-DMC in 1986 (with Steven Tyler and Joe Perry contributing) would not only help return the newly resurgent Aerosmith to platinum success but would help rap's popularity -- for better or worse -- among the white audience where that genre's sales were needed.<br />
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Not bad for a tune that couldn't get much airplay when it was first sent to radio stations.<br />
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<b>Boz Scaggs - "What Can I Say"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-can-i-say/id216088166?i=216088167&uo=6"><img alt="BOZ SCAGGS - Silk Degrees - What Can I Say" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #42, 14 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Released just after the success of Scaggs' great song "Lowdown" (which was still charting high as "What Can I Say" made its entry), this was another "blue-eyed" soul tune in the same vein but didn't have the crossover appeal as its predecessor. It just missed the Top 40 -- peaking at #42 -- but certainly deserved more success.<br />
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"What Can I Say" was one of four singles from Scaggs' highest-charting LP <i>Silk Degrees</i>. All four songs (the two already mentioned, "Lido Shuffle" and "It's Over") were co-written by Scaggs with keyboardist David Paich. Also on the LP was the song "We're All Alone," which would become a huge hit for Rita Coolidge in 1977. Paich and three other musicians from the LP (David Hungate, Steve Porcaro and Jeff Porcaro) would go on to form four-fifths of the band Toto in 1978.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137XG14&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-91254812715846642292012-11-14T20:30:00.137-05:002012-11-14T20:30:01.066-05:00Rewind -- November 15, 1975<i>Here's another post from this blog's first year that has videos and additional information tossed onto it. This one was a really long list, but the list of songs was worth it.</i><br />
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An infusion of new tunes made the Hot 100 chart this week, with 15 singles listed as "new." Actually, three of those songs were re-entering from earlier chart runs and all would go on to higher positions in their second tries. Eleven of the new songs would eventually make the Top 40, six got into the Top 10 and three went all the way to #1. Additionally, four songs remained on the Hot 100 for 20 weeks or more. Statistically speaking, this was a good crop of new songs.<br />
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The first time around, I wasn't yet adding links to Google Books' archive of Billboard magazines. While many in the 1975-'76 timeframe are missing, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=exEEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">the November 15, 1975 edition is there.</a><br />
The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 78. Now that the political season is over and all the partisan bickering is over temporarily, here's an article that shows how little they've changed: on page 3, they're keeping tight-lipped about a possible price increase they're mandating. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=124192.10000516&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Classic Concerts" border="0" src="http://images.wolfgangsvault.com/images/content/affiliates/wolfgangsvault/classic-concerts-468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=124192.10000516&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b>Wing & a Prayer Fife & Drum Corps - "Baby Face"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #14, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5OAyOWa2LQM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Disco's rise in the mid-1970s brought about some interesting attempts to cash in on its popularity. As the flood of disco records brought more music to mass markets, some interesting trends emerged. Among these was the remaking of songs from several decades in the past to the new beat. By late 1975, there were disco versions of the <i>I Love Lucy</i> theme, Xavier Cugat's "Brazil" and "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." A group called Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band played 1940s-styled music for the disco audience and "Chattanooga Choo Choo" was a hit for Tuxedo Junction. Then there was "Baby Face."<br />
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"Baby Face" was a song that went back to the days when <i>Billboard</i> published charts ranking sheet music (they didn't start ranking songs until 1940). The song was written by Harry Akst (words) and Benny Davis (lyrics) in 1926. Jan Garber had the most successful version of several 78s featuring the tune. 49 years after it was written, the song was resurrected as a disco tune by a studio orchestra calling itself the Wing & a Prayer Fife & Drum Corps. With its typical disco arrangement and familiarity to the grandparents of many record buyers, the song hit #14 and stayed on the charts for 20 weeks. I remember liking the song as an elementary school student later in the 1970s and singing it in music class.<br />
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The Wing & a Prayer Fife & Drum Corps never managed to capitalize on that success, however. They never had another hit on the Hot 100 and their second LP (with a disco version of "Yes We Have No Bananas") didn't sell well either.<br />
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<b>David Crosby & Graham Nash - "Carry Me"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/carry-me/id206241651?i=206241658&uo=6"><img alt="Crosby & Nash - Wind On the Water - Carry Me" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #52, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OcdSDMNx5Y8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young are a well-known supergroup but weren't really a group in the sense of being a band. They recorded together and separately (true to the "love the one you're with" attitude Stephen Stills sang about -- solo -- in 1971) so their collaborations have come in various sizes. By 1975, Neil Young and Stills were enjoying success on their own, so Crosby and Nash made a couple LPs as a duo. This tune came from their album <i>Wind on the Water</i> and topped out at #52. It wasn't a bad showing but may have been considered a disappointment based on past success; however, the song featured the impeccable harmonizing both Crosby and Nash are known for but the sparse arrangement and low-key instrumentation make the song uninspiring.<br />
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Stephen Still returned to the fold in 1977 and they once again enjoyed some of the fortunes they expected with "Just a Song Before I Go."<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000QOG518&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>The Electric Light Orchestra - "Evil Woman"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/evil-woman/id157447780?i=157447958&uo=6"><img alt="Electric Light Orchestra - Strange Magic: The Best Of Electric Light Orchestra - Evil Woman" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #10, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I have always liked this song. While growing up during the 1980s, I picked up a copy of <i>ELO's Greatest Hits</i> on cassette and listened to it until my tape player chewed it up. While recently showing my daughter a videotape one my friends made of me and the gang I grew up with when we were about 15, the group's <i>Out of the Blue</i> LP is clearly in sight on top of a stack of albums sitting on a dresser. So it goes without saying that I'll probably have a favorable position regarding any ELO tune that I review here. <br />
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"Evil Woman" was a very hook-filled, catchy song. From the piano riff that follows Jeff Lynne's opening line to the string section that plays where other bands would have placed a guitar solo to the way the vocals rise and fall with the orchestrated music, along with female background singers that sound like they were borrowed from a church choir, there are many layers to the song. Lynne's lyrics include nods to some of his influences: the line "there's a hole in my head where the rain cones in" was a variation of one from The Beatles' "Fixing a Hole" and the phrasing was reminiscent of what Del Shannon used to deliver many hit songs in the 1960s. The song was ELO's first to hit big on both sides of the Atlantic; in the U.S. it peaked at #10. It still gets a lot of airplay on classic rock stations, which explains how a group of kids growing up in upstate New York in the late 1980s would be videotaped having one of their records sitting on a dresser.<br />
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<b>The Isley Brothers - "For the Love of You (Part 1 & 2)"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/for-love-you-part-1-2/id198017385?i=198018448&uo=6"><img alt="The Isley Brothers - The Essential Isley Brothers - For the Love of You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #58, Peaked #22, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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As the 1970s progressed, The Isley Brothers were mixing the soul/R&B sound they built throughout the 1960s with rock and funk in their hit singles. Their previous single "Fight the Power" was as straightforward and funky one could get this side of the P-Funk universe. "For the Love of You" was a change in sound and direction, a slow, romantic ballad that was more in line with the burgeoning "Quiet Storm" format and a portent for many slow grooves the Isleys would record through the 1980s (one very similar example would be 1984's "Between the Sheets"). Listening to the song, it's easy to get lost in the harmonies, the mellow keyboard work of Chris Jasper and the slow, steady rhythm setting the stage for some lovin.' <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001UQS064&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Sweet - "Fox on the Run"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fox-on-run/id492620?i=492597&uo=6"><img alt="Sweet - Desolation Boulevard - Fox on the Run" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #47, Peaked #5, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Sweet (or "The Sweet" as they were known in their native UK) were coming off their big #5 hit "Ballroom Blitz" and this poppier follow-up would match that peak position. Though Sweet is remembered for a handful of Top 40 singles in the U.S. they were a major act in their home country. With these back-to-back Top 5 hits, it appeared Sweet was about to taste the same success in America they had in Europe but it wasn't what fate had planned for them. One more gem ("Love is Like Oxygen") would follow in 1978 but the band was about to disintegrate under the trappings of its own success.<br />
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Sadly, lead singer Brian Connolly and drummer Mick Tucker have passed away. The two surviving members each front revival bans using the Sweet name.<br />
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<b>Firefly - "Hey There Little Firefly"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #100,Peaked #67, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Firefly was a studio band that included Kenny Nolan, who would later go on to success with the songs "I Like Dreamin'" and "Love's Grown Deep." This was the second entry for the song; it had dropped off the charts a couple of weeks before after stalling at #96 but the second run saw it reach #67. It soon disappeared and Firefly never charted again.<br />
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I had never listened to this song until researching this week's hits (but always remembered the title because it was silly). Finally getting hold of the song and listening to it, I was pleasantly surprised. The song sounds like it was a lot of fun when it was laid down in the studio. Featuring an easy vibe that should have made it an MOR hit, you can hear Nolan's voice (sounding very much like the soaring one he used in "Love's Grown Deep") over the flute notes. A piano, drum, bass, some horns and handclaps provide the accompaniment and it's hard to dislike such an upbeat tune, even if the lyrics aren't exactly deep. <br />
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<b>Barry Manilow - "I Write the Songs"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-write-songs/id177407454?i=177407823&uo=6"><img alt="Barry Manilow - Tryin' to Get the Feeling - I Write the Songs" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #48, Peaked #1, 21 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's some irony. While Barry Manilow is famous as a writer of songs and commercial jingles, he didn't "write the songs" that he took to the top of <i>Billboard</i>'s pop charts. Of the three #1 songs he sang (this one, "Mandy" and "Looks Like We Made it"), Manilow didn't write or co-write any of them. In the case of "I Write the Songs," Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys was the person who actually put the pen to paper. In fact, Manilow wasn't even the first to release it; David Cassidy and The Captain & Tennille both had the song on record before the more familiar version debuted on the chart. Regardless, the song is most often associated with Manilow.<br />
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Barry Manilow is one of those polarizing artists from the 1970s. He's loved by legions of fans, but there are a large number of critics as well. A person's opinion of this song is almost always dependent of which camp he (or she) has settled into. That said, "I Write the Songs" -- love it or hate it -- is one of the most recognizable tunes from the 1970s.<br />
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<b>The Road Apples - "Let's Live Together"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #35, 11 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's another tune I hadn't ever heard before the week I first wrote this review, which might be surprising considering it was a Top 40 hit. This was the second time on the chart for "Let's Live Together," which had fallen off the Hot 100 after peaking at #94. The second wind helped push the song to #35 in January '76. <br />
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Upon listening to "Let's Live Together" it comes across as a mellow tune. The easy-listening feel to the song likely helped get it into the Top 40 but the group didn't really stand out (the song sounds like Bill LaBounty fronting a band that plays bars and parties on the weekends). That's not saying the song is bad...in fact, the song is inoffensive in an AOR way, which helps detract from the fact that in 1975 there were still people who frowned on the concept of couples living together without being married.<br />
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<b>The Allman Brothers Band - "Nevertheless"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/nevertheless/id382556?i=382544&uo=6"><img alt="The Allman Brothers Band - Win, Lose or Draw - Nevertheless" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a> <b>b/w "Louisiana Lou and Three Card Monty John"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/louisiana-lou-and-three-card-monty/id382556?i=382548&uo=6"><img alt="The Allman Brothers Band - Win, Lose or Draw - Louisiana Lou and Three Card Monty John" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #78, Peaked #63, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This two-sided single was pulled from the LP <i>Win, Lose or Draw</i>, one that is considered perhaps the poorest Allman Brothers LP of the 1970s. Whatever issues the band was dealing with (drugs, booze, Gregg Allman's marriage and separation from Cher), the band was clearly struggling at the time. Both Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts had been doing solo projects, so much of the work on their new album was done in separate studios. Allman added his part from an L.A. studio while the rest of the band recorded in Georgia, some of the songs were missing band members and the result was an uneven, disappointing LP. While the LP went to #5 on the basis of the band's fan base, their two-sided single wasn't a hit. It peaked at #67 and dropped off the Hot 100 after only three weeks.<br />
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A year later, the Allman Brothers Band split up. It would take two reunions and some hard choices before the band reclaimed its past standing as one of the best live acts in the music business.<br />
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<b>The Ohio Players - "Love Rollercoaster"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-rollercoaster/id348502?i=348498&uo=6"><img alt="Ohio Players - Honey - Love Rollercoaster" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #51, Peaked #1, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This is one of those tunes that has never really gone away since it was a #1 smash on both the pop and soul charts. It has been a DJ favorite, a source of samples and a hit song for The Red Hot Chili Peppers twenty years later. The "rollercoaster" mentioned in the song was supposedly inspired by some heavy turbulence on an airplane flight (all the band members are listed as co-writers) but can also be an apt description of the funk coursing through the song. It's a great sonic workout.<br />
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Although the Ohio Players seemed to burst upon the scene in the early 1970s they had actually formed in 1959 and took more than a decade to make it big in the music business. Sadly, the band slipped back into obscurity by the late 1970s and hung on until the mid 1980s. In retrospect, the Ohio Players were more than a band that used risque album covers (which often featured nude or semi-nude women) to sell records; the best part of their albums were contained in the grooves once the cellophane was removed from the LP dust jacket.<br />
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<b>Head East - "Never Been Any Reason"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/never-been-any-reason/id108873?i=108846&uo=6"><img alt="Head East - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Head East - Never Been Any Reason" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #68, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's an example of a great rock song from the 1970s. Straight-ahead guitar-based rock, a driving beat and an easy-to-sing-along lyric combine to make this a song that could have defined arena rock if it were released ten years later. Synthesizer solos, alternating lead singers and harmonies by all four band members on the final lines in each verse and chorus add to the fun factor. In any case, it's a song that can be turned up while driving down a long stretch of highway and will help the trip seem so much shorter. <br />
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Considered the signature tune for Head East, it was the first track on their debut album <i>Flat as a Pancake</i>. This was the second visit to the Hot 100 for the song after it had fallen off a few weeks before; this time it hit #68. Interestingly, the band's follow-up single "Love Me Tonight" charted higher, even though "Never Been Any Reason" continues to be their best-known tune.<br />
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<b>Kiss - "Rock and Roll All Night"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rock-n-roll-all-nite-live/id128655?i=128651&uo=6"><img alt="KISS - Alive! - Rock 'n Roll All Nite" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #56, Peaked #12, 14 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This was a live recording of a song Kiss had released as a single earlier in 1975. Actually, the title was different: the original version had been called "Rock and Roll All Nite." The original studio version only reached #68 during its May-June chart run, but this version (from the LP <i>Alive!</i>) would become their first Top 40 entry -- reaching #12 -- and become one of the band's most popular songs. <br />
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I remember as a kid I had friends who had Kiss posters on their bedroom walls but I didn't get much of a chance to hear the group then because my mother thought they were "trash" and forbade it. Perhaps it was the makeup, the pyrotechnics, the fake blood and the loud music, perhaps Gene Simmons consistently showing off the size of his tongue, but I'm guessing that if she had heard "Beth" or "Hard Luck Woman" on the radio without knowing who was doing the song she'd have been fine with them.<br />
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Funny thing, though. Now, Mom likes Gene Simmons thanks to his reality show <i>Simmons Family Jewels.</i> If you listened to her talking about him, it's as if she has forgotten what she said about him 35 years before.<i> </i><br />
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<b>David Geddes - "The Last Game of the Season (The Blind Man in the Bleachers)"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #44, Peaked #18, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This was the second and last chart hit in David Geddes's short career. The first was "Run, Joey, Run" a #4 hit that played out like a melodrama. "Blind Man in the Bleachers" was another song that told a story...and like "Run, Joey, Run" somebody dies before the song is over. The song tells the story of a kid on his high school football team but doesn't see any playing time. His father (the blind man) still shows up to every game anyway. Well, when the final game is played the kid isn't there and neither is his father. Showing up around halftime, he begs the coach to put him in and ends up winning the game. At the end of the song, the boy explains that his father had passed away earlier that day...so that was the first time he could watch his son play. It could've been an <i>ABC Afterschool Special</i>.<br />
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David Geddes may have been like the musical equivalent of <i>Austin Powers'</i> Mr. Bigglesworth: when he had a hit...people die! Fortunately for those fictional characters, there would be no more hit singles by Geddes after this one.<br />
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<b>Rhythm Heritage - "Theme From <i>S.W.A.T</i>."</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #1, 24 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<i>S.W.A.T</i>. was a brand-new television show for 1975 and followed a squad of police specialists who were called to handle difficult situations. It was one of the many shows that starred Robert Urich and had a short life because it was deemed incredibly violent even by 1970s standards. Although the theme song went to #1 on the singles chart and stayed 24 weeks before dropping off, the show's final episode was being shown around the same time as the song finally left the Hot 100.<br />
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The "Theme From <i>S.W.A.T</i>." was an instrumental that had an incredibly catchy melody. It sounded almost like the perfect 70's cop show music. The song was composed by Barry DeVorzon -- the same guy who had a hit with "Nadia's Theme (<i>The Young & the Restless</i>)" in 1976 -- and was produced by Steve Barri and Michael Omartian. Rhythm Heritage was a studio group that wasn't intended to be a band in the true sense; instead, it recorded music for TV shows and movies. While "<i>S.W.A.T.</i>" was their biggest hit, they also scored with a theme from <i>Baretta</i> (though not the one used on the show) the next year.<br />
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<b>Paul Anka - "Times of Your Life"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/times-your-life/id275164798?i=275165085&uo=6"><img alt="Paul Anka - The Best of the United Artists Years (1973-1977) - Times of Your Life" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #57, Peaked #7, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"<i>Do you remember? Do you remember...the times of your life</i>." Close your eyes and you can hear the angelic female background vocals. Love it or hate it, Paul Anka knew how to craft a tune.<br />
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"Times of Your Life" was among the handful of hit songs from Paul Anka's mid-1970s comeback. It was also used in a commercial for Kodak cameras; the positive response from those ads encouraged Anka to let the song be issued as a single. Although his recent chart success had largely come from his duets with Odia Coates ("Having My Baby," "One Man Woman/One Woman Man," etc.), "Times of Your Life" would hit #7 in its 20-week run without her help but it would be his final Top 20 hit.<br />
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But don't feel bad for Anka's decline on the pop charts. The man who wrote "My Way" and <i>The Tonight Show Theme</i> (from Johnny Carson's era) and also once had the second-best-selling single of all time "Diana" (until the mid-1970s only Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" sold more copies) was enjoying his royalty checks for a long time after that.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00163Q7AC&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-14661268190962780882012-11-07T20:30:00.000-05:002012-11-07T20:30:00.349-05:00Rewind -- November 10, 1973<i>Once again, I rework one of this blog's entries from its first year, adding video, correcting typos and adding additional information. This yearlong process is winding down, and I'm considering something to do on Wednesdays after the new year rolls around. If you have a suggestion, drop me a line.</i><br />
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There were only eight new songs appearing on <i>Billboard</i>'s Hot 100 chart this week, and all but two went on to crack the Top 40. The two "misses" included a comeback of sorts by an American legend and a song that would re-enter the chart again in the form of two cover versions.<br />
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One thing that was missing the first time around was the link to the past edition of <i>Billboard</i> at Google Books. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=LAkEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false">Here's the November 10, 1973 issue</a>. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 84. Several articles discuss a then-looming petroleum shortage that was triggered by an oil embargo. At the time, there was a real concern that the record industry was going to be crippled by it.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=124192.10000515&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Canned Heat" border="0" src="http://images.wolfgangsvault.com/images/content/affiliates/wolfgangsvault/canned-heat-468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=124192.10000515&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b>Frank Sinatra - "Let Me Try Again (Laissez Moi le Temps)"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/id301400599?i=301400620&uo=6"><img alt="Frank Sinatra - Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back - Let Me Try Again [Laisse moi le temps]" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #63, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Frank Sinatra wasn't exactly a stranger to the pop charts, considering the very first <i>Billboard</i> singles survey in 1940 listed Tommy Dorsey's "I'll Never Smile Again" -- with Sinatra handling the vocals -- as its #1 hit. Despite being one of the largest stars in the pop music constellation before Elvis Presley came along and helped change the dominant "sound," Sinatra was still charting hit singles into the 1960s in addition to acting and running his Reprise record label. In 1971, he retired from singing but never really went away.<br />
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In 1973, Sinatra ended his retirement and released the album <i>Ol' Blue Eyes is Back</i>. Though his talents suffer at the hands of producer Don Costa, the return of an icon of such tremendous stature unleashed a mountain of pre-release publicity...and the LP made #13 at a time where Sinatra's music was considered to be <i>passe</i>. Lady Luck wasn't with The Chairman of the Board on the Hot 100, though: "Let Me Try Again" stalled at #63 during its 10-week chart run and was one of only six chart singles he'd enjoy during the 1970s.<br />
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As for the song, it's not exactly on the same level as "I've Got You Under My Skin" or "Fly Me to the Moon" or "Witchcraft" or even "My Way," but I like it. It's not grating at all, even if the orchestra that accompanies him tries to drown him out at times (again, I fault Don Costa's production there). An older, less vital Sinatra is still worth listening to, even if only in the background.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001UEXU7A&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Stevie Wonder - "Living for the City"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/living-for-city/id102065?i=102051&uo=6"><img alt="Stevie Wonder - Innervisions - Living for the City" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #77, Peaked #8, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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In a way, it's fitting to have Stevie Wonder follow Frank Sinatra in this week's review. For all of his talents (singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist), he is another bright star in the pop music constellation. His 1970s output is legendary, with each LP in a five-year span being an improvement upon the last.<br />
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In 1973, he recorded <i>Innervisions</i>, which was likely inspired by Motown labelmate Marvin Gaye's <i>What's Going On</i>. Like Gaye, he was beginning to write songs about more "serious" issues that seemed to be overlooked in the Motown Sound of the 1960s even if they provided an undercurrent to the music. The LP had lyrics about drugs, racial injustice and Richard Nixon even as it also had a spiritual side that aspired to rising above it all. Among the songs was "Living for the City," a seven-and-a-half minute opus that was edited down to 3:40 for the single. It recounted a family that had left Alabama for a better life in the North but found themselves struggling to keep their heads above water (perhaps it was an influence on the TV show <i>Good Times</i>, whose theme song had a similar but more hopeful vibe). The most noticeable missing piece of the 45 was the audio montage following a man who gets off the bus only to be set up by a con man and sent to jail, a part that leads into an extraordinary and emotional vocal performance by Stevie. The full version (in the video above) is definitely worth listening to if you've never had the pleasure.<br />
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The best part about <i>Innervisions</i>? At 23, Wonder still had music to share with the world and more LPs to craft. He was just getting started.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000V61AYS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>War - "Me and Baby Brother"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/me-and-baby-brother-lp-version/id275036035?i=275036040&uo=6"><img alt="War - Deliver the Word - Me and Baby Brother (LP Version)" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #15, 15 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Despite being largely remembered for their period backing Eric Burdon early in the 1970s after he left The Animals, War would go on to become a very successful group on its own merit. As a group that used elements of funk, jazz, and Latin rhythms that was largely influenced by their Los Angeles roots, they developed a sound that was both unique and inclusive. For example, one large part of their sound was a harmonica played by a white Danish guy named Lee Oskar.<br />
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"Me and Baby Brother" appeared on the band's <i>Deliver the Word</i> LP but had been a jam simply called "Baby Brother" in their concerts for a few years before that. Even though it lacked the urban reality that marked much of the band's material of the era, it wasn't out of character for a group that had previously hit with "All Day Music" and "Summer." Most of all, "Me and Baby Brother" had an infectious beat. Later in the decade, the song would be one of the War tunes featured in the film <i>Youngblood</i>.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0014VWWLE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>John Lennon - "Mind Games"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mind-games/id261172916?i=261173009&uo=6"><img alt="JOHN LENNON - Mind Games (Remastered) - Mind Games" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #76, Peaked #18, 13 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Among the ex-Beatles, John Lennon was the least successful (as far as chart fortunes went) by late 1973. At the time, all three of his former mates had scored #1 singles but the best Lennon had done was a pair of #3 titles ("Instant Karma" and "Imagine"). However, sometimes chart success is hard to gauge individual accomplishments; in Lennon's case, he tended to follow his own interests rather than what would sell records. He followed his heart and wrote songs about politics, revolution and other topics that often alienated listeners and radio programmers, so his chart success didn't usually match the level of his influence.<br />
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"Mind Games" was an interesting tune in that it would be the only hit single Lennon would have in the two-and-a-half year period between May 1972 and September 1974. As he was recording the <i>Mind Games</i> LP, he split from his wife Yoko Ono and began a period he called his "lost weekend." The album cover (shown below) helps explain how Lennon felt at the time. He was all alone in an empty field with little idea which way to go, while Yoko loomed in the background like a mountain. I'm not going to try and figure out why there are two suns in the picture, though.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VIGVKE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Kevin Johnson - "Rock 'n Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" (Not available on MP3)</b><br />
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(Debuted #91, Peaked #73, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This song was both a narrative about life as a rock & roll singer and a way to pay homage to Johnson's influences and experiences. As Johnson recounts the events, growing up in the 1950s and picking up Chuck Berry records ("78s and all") to living in San Francisco in '66 to settling down to eventually realizing that he wasn't going to make it because he was always "one step behind."<br />
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The song died a quick death on the charts, peaking at #73 and only lasting four weeks. However, a year later, both Mac Davis and Terry Jacks debuted with their cover versions of the song and Davis took it to #15.<br />
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<b>David Essex - "Rock On"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rock-on/id209946105?i=209946533&uo=6"><img alt="David Essex - Rock On - Rock On" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #5, 25 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I'll probably get some grief for saying this, but...here's a song that is considered a classic by many, yet I've always considered slow and boring. There, I've said it.<br />
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There's no doubt it was popular: it hit #5 and spent 25 weeks on the U.S. charts at a time where that was an eternal run, but even though I get the fact that it references "Blue Suede Shoes," "Summertime Blues" and James Dean and other 1950s memories I don't get the immense popularity. That said, it's worth mentioning that in my own youth I was still in high school in 1989, when a soap opera actor named Michael Damien released his own take on the tune and had a #1 hit with it. I suffered a lot of bad music that year that had been spoon-fed through our local Top 40 radio (New Kids on the Block, Michael Bolton, Martika's "Toy Soldiers"), so that may have poisoned my outlook on Essex's version.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001386SW2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Jim Stafford - "Spiders & Snakes"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/spiders-and-snakes/id6245620?i=6245601&uo=6"><img alt="Jim Stafford - The Best of Jim Stafford - Spiders and Snakes" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #3, 23 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Unlike "Rock On," here's a song I didn't like the first time I heard it, yet grew to like it. Around the time I was 12, I was looking through my parents' record collection and found the 45 for "Spiders & Snakes." I really didn't like the swamp guitar opening or the half-spoken, half-singing lyrics but I doubt many 12-year olds would. Several years later -- after I was on the other side of adolescence -- I understood that the song was about growing up and told from the perspective of a grown man looking back. It was a perspective I didn't have at 12 and the same reason I eventually came around to liking Bob Seger's "Night Moves" after I grew up as well.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001O3WMNA&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b>Tony Orlando & Dawn - "Who's in the Strawberry Patch With Sally"</b> <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/whos-in-strawberry-patch-with-sally/id304763232?i=304763290&uo=6"><img alt="Tony Orlando & Dawn - Tony Orlando & Dawn: The Definitive Collection - Who's In the Strawberry Patch With Sally" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #81, Peaked #27, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This song came off an LP called <i>Dawn's New Ragtime Follies</i>, which explains why "Strawberry Patch" has a 1920s Dixieland feel to it even if it does sound exactly like a Tony Orlando & Dawn tune. As a followup to both "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree" and "Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose" it may have been a little sweet for even 1970s radio. Although the song reached #27 on the charts, it was a far cry from the Top 3 positions both those tunes reached. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0017UZQN8&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-34691499908144486112012-10-31T20:30:00.078-04:002012-10-31T20:30:02.095-04:00Rewind -- November 5, 1977<i>Here's another entry from this blog's first year, which has been rebooted to match the current format.</i><br />
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Seven songs debuted on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100 this week. However, although only five made the Top 40, the other two weren't exactly duds; one was a multi-week #1 on the country charts and the other was a song that had already gone to #1 three years earlier. <br />
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The first time around, I wasn't yet featuring any of the past issues of Billboard. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=sEUEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">So here's the November 5, 1977 edition.</a> The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 108. An article on page 10 tells that the Electric Light Orchestra's LP <i>Out of the Blue</i> was "leaked" (the magazine's quotes, not mine) to radio a week early. On page 16, Paul Grein delves into the upsurge of songs by female soloists. And page 54 combines my two passions...Linda Ronstadt is shown singing the National Anthem before Game 3 of the World Series.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type2_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#AndyGibb" target="_blank">Andy Gibb</a> - "(Love is) Thicker Than Water"</b> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #1, 29 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Coming on the heels of his debut chart single -- and #1 smash hit -- "I Just Want to Be Your Everything," Andy Gibb was poised to ride this song to #1 as well. In Andy Gibb's case, having The Bee Gees as his brothers, his writers and his producers didn't hurt him at all. Neither did his record company, RSO, which held a hammerlock on <i>Billboard</i>'s #1 position between December 24, 1977 and May 13, 1978. In that time, six consecutive songs from RSO held the #1 spot: Gibb's single, four tracks from the <i>Saturday Night Fever</i> soundtrack and Player's "Baby Come Back." <br />
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(Adding this part here and then moving on...there have been rumors that the manager involved in ranking the hits on <i>Billboard</i> during this era had a close relationship with RSO and may have "helped" the label's success. Whether it's truth or fiction doesn't change the official record, so I'll bring it up here for the sake of completeness and go back to the song).<br />
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All three of Andy Gibbs' first charted singles hit #1, and "Thicker" was probably the weakest of the three. Though it has great support from his brothers and sounds great, it lacks that rhythm that propelled his earlier hit "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" and the catchy bridge or orchestration that made "Shadow Dancing" one of the biggest hits of 1978. That said, it's a shame that much of his material isn't more available. His CDs are out of print (and expensive to pick up -- even used -- on Amazon). <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#StevieWonder" target="_blank">Stevie Wonder</a> - "As"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D102138%2526id%253D102150%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life - As" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #81, Peaked #36, 14 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"As" preceded "Another Star" on Side 4 of Wonder's <i>Songs in the Key of Life</i> LP but followed it as a single. Like "Another Star," it only barely made the Top 40 (peaking at #36). Sometimes called "Always" by listeners because the word "As" really isn't prominent in the song (it appears at the beginning of two lines, but "always" punctuates many lines and "until" begins many more lines), the song featured a keyboard solo by Herbie Hancock.<br />
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This was the fourth and final single from <i>Songs in the Key of Life</i>, perhaps Wonder's most ambitious LP. One song from the album ("Isn't She Lovely") gained a lot of airplay but never was released as a single. After "As" was dropped from radio playlists fans would have to wait two more years for the next Stevie Wonder LP. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VH4MAG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/p.html#TomPetty" target="_blank">Tom Petty & the Hearbreakers</a> - "Breakdown"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D296207312%2526id%253D296207306%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Breakdown" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #40, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Tom Petty is now a very well-known figure in music, but he was a new face in 1977 and this was his debut chart single. Even though it only topped out at #40, the song was a solid entry and still gets play on classic rock stations today. As a song, it featured a stripped-down sound: the lyrics were simple ("<i>it's all right in you love me, it's all right if you don't...</i>") and Mike Campbell's guitar really stands out. While Petty has pointed to The Byrds, Bob Dylan and psychedelic music as his influences, "Breakdown" is more in line with roots rock (even if it was amped up). Though Petty's fame was still a couple years away -- the 1979 LP <i>Damn the Torpedoes</i> would be considered a breakthrough -- "Breakdown" was a way of announcing that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers had arrived.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001L26TGK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Esmeralda" target="_blank">Santa Esmeralda</a> - "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D251451908%2526id%253D251451905%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Santa Esmeralda - Santa Esmeralda - Hits Anthology - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #91, Peaked #15, 19 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I miss XM Radio's Channel 83 ("Chrome"). It disappeared right after the provider merged with Sirius and combined the two companies' lineups in November 2008. Though the channel sometimes was something of an acquired taste, sometimes there would be some great stuff streaming there. Once, I had to drive an hour away from home for a job interview. While I was on the long stretch of interstate that went through a National Forest (and had no exits for many miles), they played the extended version of Santa Esmeralda's "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and I found myself literally out of the woods before I knew it.<br />
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For those who remember "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" as a 1965 Animals song might have found Santa Esmeralda's Latin twist to be odd, but the song had originally been written for Nina Simone to be played in a Latin style. By mixing the song's Latin roots with The Animals' urgency and setting it to a disco beat, the song was perfect for the dance floor. It would peak at the same #15 position that The Animals reached in 1965; however, a follow-up single remaking "House of the Rising Sun" (another classic best remembered from The Animals) wasn't as good or as successful.<br />
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Like many disco "acts," Santa Esmeralda was essentially a studio group fronted by Leroy Gomez (an American who was living in Europe). Despite sounding like they could be from New York or Miami, Santa Esmeralda called Paris home. The fact that their biggest hit doesn't sound a lot like standard Eurodisco has a lot to do with its continued popularity. Unfortunately, the available MP3s on Amazon are for re-recorded versions. A 10-minute version of the original is available as part of the <i>Kill Bill, Vol. 1</i> soundtrack; however, the entire MP3 album must be purchased in order to get it. The video above features an extended version.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#MissRoss" target="_blank">Diana Ross</a> - "Gettin' Ready for Love"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D248395%2526id%253D248441%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Diana Ross - Diana Ross: The Motown Anthology - Gettin' Ready for Love" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #82, Peaked #27, 13 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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The 1970s were hit-or-miss for Diana Ross when it came to chart fortunes. After reaching the Top 10 consistently with The Supremes during the 1960s (and hitting #1 12 times), Ross's solo career was more uneven once she left the trio. Beginning in 1970, she would go through a decade-long stretch where her pop singles either hit #1 or missed the Top 10 altogether. The fourth and final 1970s #1 hit would be "Love Hangover," a song that gave Ross an entry into the burgeoning disco scene. When Motown released Ross's <i>Baby It's Me</i> LP in 1977, the first song on the record was "Gettin' Ready for Love," another chance to return to the goldmine exploited by "Love Hangover."<br />
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While the song isn't terrible, it is another way of pointing out how Diana Ross was becoming less of an important part of Motown's universe. While she still possessed a great voice, her material wasn't the more edgy stuff her labelmates Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder were putting out. And the results were evident: Gaye and Wonder enjoyed #1 hits in 1977 and this song peaked at #27. For Diana Ross, the next important part of her career came after she left Motown in 1980, paired up with producers Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards and recorded the material her fans knew she was capable of all along.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WSUVO0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/k.html#Kendalls" target="_blank">The Kendalls</a> - "Heaven's Just a Sin Away"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D201106191%2526id%253D201106187%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Kendalls - The Kendalls: 20 Greatest Hits - Heaven's Just a Sin Away" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #69, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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The Kendalls were a father-and-daughter duo who enjoyed a handful of Top 10 hits on the country charts during the 1970s and '80s. Three of those hits reached #1 and this one was the biggest, spending 4 weeks on top in an era where multi-week country #1s were becoming rare. The massive country success didn't cross over to the pop side, as "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" peaked at #69 and was the group's only chart entry.<br />
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Without focusing on the "creepiness" factor of hearing a father and daughter sing "cheatin' songs" together, this song is absolutely catchy. Daughter Jeannie has a great voice, father Royce handles the harmony well and a funky-sounding clavinet drives the song from the speakers into the deepest recesses of the listener's brain. Even for people who don't care much for country music, this song offers a lot.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000ZN3AAE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/n.html#ONJ" target="_blank">Olivia Newton-John</a> - "I Honestly Love You"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D68096136%2526id%253D68095946%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Olivia Newton-John - Gold: Olivia Newton-John - I Honestly Love You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #48, 9 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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The last song to debut this week was familiar to listeners, since it had already been a #1 hit back in 1974. When Olivia Newton-John's American label MCA released her <i>Greatest Hits</i> LP, they re-released what had been her most successful single to that point. This time around, the single stalled at #48. Fortunately for "Livvy," her fans would get more chances to hear her sing. The movies <i>Grease</i> and <i>Xanadu</i> and a monster hit called "Physical" would ensure that for the next five years.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001O3WI5C&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-90422019431177558372012-10-24T20:30:00.103-04:002012-10-24T20:30:03.044-04:00Rewind -- October 23, 1971<i>Here's another entry from this blog's first year that has been revisited and reworked. In fact, an egregious error the first time around has been fixed...it's part of what made me go back and revisit some of these older entries.</i><br />
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Remember the old <i>Schoolhouse Rock</i> song "Three is a Magic Number"? It applies here; Of the ten new songs that first appeared on <i>Billboard</i>'s Hot 100 this week, only three made it into the Top 40. All three were Top 10 hits, and all peaked at...Number 3! <br />
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The first time around, I wasn't yet featuring links to the archive of Billboard magazines over at Google Books. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=0ggEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">Here's the October 23, 1971 edition</a> The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 66. A couple of front page articles laud new legislation aimed at curbing piracy. I am sure glad to see how well <i>that</i> worked...<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=214935.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="MP3's at CDUniverse.com" border="0" src="http://www.cduniverse.com/banners/live/cdu/468x60_mp3/468x60_mp304.gif" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=214935.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Bread" target="_blank">Bread</a> - "Baby, I'm-a Want You"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D281707592%2526id%253D281707579%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Bread - Baby I'm a Want You - Baby I'm-a Want You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #77, Peaked #3, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Bread is one of those those 1970s acts that fans either enjoy or loathe. Despite their well-crafted studio work, their top-notch musicianship and solid pop- and country-influenced writing, there are a lot of people who see the group as a product of the huge "middle of the road" sound truck (with Chicago, The Carpenters and others taking turns driving) that rolled over a lot of late 1960s groups that were experimental and progressive. Their penchant for soft, heart-felt love tunes didn't really endear the band to music fans who were more enamored of blues-based rockers.<br />
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This tune, which reached #3, is familiar as one of Bread's best-known hits. While many make fun of the title and its poor grammar, it's managed to find a niche on oldies radio, adult contemporary and also as a staple of "elevator music." It's inoffensive and blends well into the background, which is probably the way it was intended to be. That's probably why it's called "middle of the road."<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001MCOVU0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#Hendrix" target="_blank">Jimi Hendrix</a> - "Dolly Dagger"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D38997%2526id%253D39021%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Jimi Hendrix - First Rays of the New Rising Sun - Dolly Dagger" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #74, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Jimi Hendrix was considered to be a musical genius. His death on September 18, 1970 may have stopped him from creating any new songs but it didn't end his career. Though he only issued a few LPs during his lifetime, he had recorded a lot of stuff that hadn't made it onto those albums and much of it was placed onto a series of posthumous records. The second, called <i>Rainbow Bridge</i>, appeared in 1971. Among the standout tunes was "Dolly Dagger," which was released as a single but only reached #74. That said, many fans don't place a great deal of importance on peak hits of chart singles and in Hendrix's case they're right: despite all his influence and his legend, he only charted one Top 40 hit ("All Along the Watchtower" in 1968).<br />
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"Dolly Dagger" is a lot more accessible than much of Hendrix's late-period (that is, after the breakup of The Jimi Hendrix Experience). It has a great guitar line and less of the bluesy groove and experimentation that is found in much of Hendrix's later work.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VZLNBO&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BeeGees" target="_blank">The Bee Gees</a> - "Don't Want to Live Inside Myself"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D270901839%2526id%253D270901825%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Bee Gees - Trafalgar - Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #53, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Today, fans know that The Bee Gees were the most successful act of the 1970s. With nine #1 singles, multiplatinum success and their picture on the top-selling LP of the 1970s, it's easy to forget that most of that success began with 1975's <i>Main Course</i> LP and the single "Jive Talkin'." From 1970-'74, the brothers Gibb were still trying to repeat the success of the late 1960s.<br />
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When their <i>Trafalgar</i> LP came out in 1971, they were still trying to find a sound that would lead to better sales. The first single was "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" and became the group's first #1 hit. However, beginning with the Robin Gibb-sung "Don't Want to Live Inside Myself," they would wait another four years and a move to Miami before their next Top 10 record and the burgeoning disco movement, which helped propel their phenomenal success for the rest of the 1970s. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00124SFYQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/t.html#Traffic" target="_blank">Traffic</a> - "Gimme Some Lovin' Part 1"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D416378%2526id%253D416382%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Traffic - Welcome to the Canteen (Live) - Gimme Some Lovin'" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #68, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Traffic was between contracts. After success with <i>John Barleycorn Must Die</i>, they had recorded <i>The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys</i> and were convinced it was a hit. However, their old contract (which paid them less) was still in effect for one more LP. Rather than letting their new LP be burdened by an old arrangement, the group toured and recorded songs for a live LP to fill out their contractual obligation. That LP was <i>Welcome to the Canteen</i>, which is considered a Traffic album even though the cover lists the individual band members instead.<br />
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The LP closed with a 9-minute rendition of "Gimme Some Lovin'," a song Traffic vocalist Steve Winwood had popularized during the 1960s as a member of The Spencer Davis Group. For the 45, the song was cut into two parts. Considering the fact that Traffic was making their "live" record to get out of a contract, the sound quality is lacking -- the vocals are nearly drowned out by instruments -- but the music is exceptional. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VZYYOC&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#ChiLites" target="_blank">The Chi-Lites</a> - "Have You Seen Her"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D200815110%2526id%253D200814689%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Chi-Lites - Brunswick Top 40 R&B Singles 1966-1975 - Have You Seen Her" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted # 60, Peaked #3, 13 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Though "Oh Girl" was the group's only #1 pop hit, "Have You Seen Her" may have been their best tune. Both songs are excellent, but in my mind, "Have You Seen Her" gets an edge because of its story. With doo-wop vocals behind him, the song's narrator tells about how he spends days sitting around and keeping himself occupied after his love walked out on him. Painting a picture of sitting on a park bench telling jokes to neighborhood kids, he's really convincing himself that his lady is coming back to him and he simply needs to wait for her return. Rather than resorting to the gut-wrenching, big-throated vocals often employed by R&B singers who are dealing with lost love and broken hearts, singer Eugene Record employs a matter-of fact, low-key delivery but the sadness is still there. It's one of those songs that doesn't grow old even after 40 years.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001A7FF3O&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#GCampbell" target="_blank">Glen Campbell</a> & <a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#AMurray" target="_blank">Anne Murray</a> - "I Say a Little Prayer/By the Time I Get to Phoenix"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D268415587%2526id%253D268415570%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Anne Murray & Glen Campbell - Anne Murray-Glen Campbell - Medley: I Say a Little Prayer / By the Time I Get to Phoenix" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #88, Peaked #81, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JQFZtdB5dNw" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Glen Campbell and Anne Murray were both artists who successfully crossed over between country and pop. Doing an LP together, they recorded a duet medley of the Bacharach-David tune "I Say a Little Prayer" (made popular by Dionne Warwick) and Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" (which Campbell himself enjoyed as a smash hit). However, the medley was blended: Murray sang "I Say a Little Prayer" while Campbell's handled his lines from "Phoenix" at the same time. Not a big hit (#81, though it did reach #40 on the country chart) but an interesting concept.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00130HQH6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#RoseColor" target="_blank">Rose-Colored Glass</a> - "If it's Alright With You"</b> (Not Available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #95, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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When I first wrote this entry, I committed two errors. First, I explained that I hadn't yet hear this song, and corrected that rather quickly. Second, I said this: <br />
<blockquote><i>Rose-Colored Glass was a group produced by the man who popularized the comic "break-in" record, Dickie Goodman.</i></blockquote><br />
This is wrong...I confused Rose-Colored Glass with The Glass Bottle. I never got around to correcting that, so I'm doing that now. The group was a short-lived group led by Bob Caldwell, who enjoyed two hits on the Hot 100 before breaking up. This was the second and has a real 1970s sound to it that should have been a bigger hit than it was. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/l.html#BeatleJohn" target="_blank">John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band</a> - "Imagine"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D261180163%2526id%253D261180148%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="John Lennon - Imagine (Remastered) - Imagine" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #20, Peaked #3, 9 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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A lot has been written about "Imagine." I can't say anything here that can add to what's already out there, and to call it a classic tune would be an understatement. It was certainly Lennon's best-known solo record, one that was equal to anything he wrote for The Beatles. Despite lyrics that are often considered simplistic and utopian, the song (accented by its simple piano line) is optimistic and forward-looking. Coming at a time where the Vietnam War was winding down and the dissent and violence that marked the late 1960s was running its course, the suggestion to imagine a better place for the future was refreshing. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VIM09U&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#JamesBrown" target="_blank">James Brown</a> - "My Part/Make it Funky (Part 3)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D311097794%2526id%253D311097653%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="James Brown - The Singles, Vol. 7: 1970-1972 - My Part/Make It Funky, Pt. 3" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #68, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HRkhmJbr2XM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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James Brown was the most prolific singles artist of the 1970s. With 38 songs making the Hot 100, he had more than any other act (Chicago, the act in second place, had only 27). What's even more amazing is that the vast majority of those songs hit during the first half of the decade. Had Brown's career on the pop charts not declined after 1975, there's no telling how many hits the man could have had. Despite the large number of Hot 100 hits, Brown's name isn't often mentioned among the top hitmakers of the 1970s because only 19 of those songs made the Top 40 and none reached the Top 10. However, as an influence, his legend is undisputed.<br />
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"My Part/Make it Funky (Part 3)" was one of nine Hot 100 singles the Godfather of Soul charted in 1971. It's undeniably James Brown, with the signature sound, Brown's vocal interaction with the music, Fred Wesley's horns and Bobby Byrd interjecting. There's even a tip of Brown's hat to B.B. King, which is a great compliment indeed. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00262I8T0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#RFlack" target="_blank">Roberta Flack</a> & <a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#DHathaway" target="_blank">Donny Hathaway</a> - "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D120156345%2526id%253D120156856%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - You've Lost That Loving Feeling" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #96, Peaked #71, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZRDYYFyAYVg" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"You've Lost That Loving Feeling" was no stranger to the charts (it had been a #1 hit for The Righteous Brothers in 1965). For Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, however, fans were just getting to know them. As "Loving Feeling" was spending its short six-week stay on the Hot 100, Flack was a relative unknown and Hathaway was best known for an earlier hit called "The Ghetto." As a low-key version of a well-known song, the duo didn't pick up a lot of fans with this single, but that was about to change.<br />
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The duo's follow-up "Where is the Love" was a major hit in 1972 and Flack ran off a series of successful singles after that. Hathaway's chart fortunes were different; he wasn't racking up the hits on his own and was fighting a personal battle with depression. After scoring again with another big duet in 1978 called "The Closer I Get to You" Hathaway lost his battle in 1979 when he hell from his hotel apartment in New York City. The death was ruled a suicide and silenced the voice of a young artist who had been poised to become a bright star.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001230BS0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-51150631233276176942012-10-17T20:30:00.059-04:002012-10-17T20:30:01.824-04:00Rewind -- October 14, 1978<i>Once again, here's an entry from this blog's first year, polished off and given a newer shine. And a few things have been added, as I've learned some more over the past few years.</i><br />
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Eight songs debuted on Billboard's Hot 100 this week, including one that was returning to the chart after falling off a few weeks before. Although only two were Top 10 hits and a couple dropped from sight quickly, all have stories and several had a more lasting influence than chart success (or lack of it) would indicate.<br />
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There is a larger archive of <i>Billboard</i> magazines over at Google Books. However, the October 14, 1978 edition is not among the issues there.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type2_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#AndyGibb" target="_blank">Andy Gibb</a> - "(Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away"</b> (Not Available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #70, Peaked #9, 18 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7SpkAWIUKTU" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Andy Gibb was on quite a roll. Beginning in 1977 and continuing into the next year, his first three U.S. chart singles made it all the way to #1. All five of his 1970s chart hits made the Top 10, including this one. Being the younger brother of The Bee Gees certainly didn't hurt his career, especially considering that his famous siblings made up one of the hottest acts in the business during that time. Aside from their own music, the Brothers Gibb were prolific writes and producers for other acts as well.<br />
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"(Our Love) Don't Throw it All Away" was co-written by Barry Gibb and recorded as a Bee Gees track before being given to Andy for his <i>Shadow Dancing</i> LP. After his version peaked at #9 and was eventually dropped from radio stations' recurrent rotations, the Bee Gees' version would eventually show up late in '79 on their <i>Greatest</i> LP. Listening to Andy Gibb's version followed by that of his brothers, it almost sounds like they used the same track to provide music and backing vocals and merely replaced Barry Gibb's lead with Andy's rendition. However, it's merely a guess on my part since they sound very similar.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/e.html#WaltEgan" target="_blank">Walter Egan</a> - "Hot Summer Nights</b>" <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D270546265%2526id%253D270546052%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Walter Egan - Fundamental Roll / Not Shy - Hot Summer Nights" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84, Peaked #55, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RhDWyquuVUA" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Hot Summer Nights" was Egan's follow-up to "Magnet & Steel," a song that was all over the radio during the Summer of 1978. Like much of the material on his LP <i>Not Shy</i>, Egan received help from Lindsay Buckingham (his guitar solo on the song is instantly recognizable) and Stevie Nicks. The 45 was a disappointment, only reaching #55, but the song was remade by the group Night in 1979 and was a Top 20 hit. Despite its untimely exit from the chart, "Hot Summer Nights" is worth a listen.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001AHV272&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#DHartman" target="_blank">Dan Hartman</a> - "Instant Replay"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D190251377%2526id%253D190250962%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Dan Hartman - Club Epic, Vol. 3 - Instant Replay" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #88, Peaked #29, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AffPbGnH1qE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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The records show this as Dan Hartman's first chart single, but Hartman had been no stranger to the music business. As a member of The Edgar Winter Group, he played on the #1 hit "Frankenstein" and wrote the Top 10 hit "Free Ride." Going solo in 1976, he released a couple of LPs that didn't have any hit singles. In 1978, Hartman decided to jump on the burgeoning disco bandwagon and recorded the <i>Instant Replay</i> album. <br />
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"Instant Replay" was a cross-genre smash. Besides reaching the Pop Top 40, it was also a #1 disco hit, a moderate R&B hit and a Top 10 in the UK. After a few more hits in the 1980s, Hartman went on to write and produce, making records until his death in 1994.<br />
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I should also point out that the video above features both future Kiss member Vinnie Vincent and soon-to-be Hall & Oates sideman G.E. Smith on the guitars. This is a little different than what the 1980s would hold in store for them, but when you're a musician you take whatever gigs you can. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137VOIG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/j.html#Journey" target="_blank">Journey</a> - "Lights"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D170108942%2526id%253D170108857%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Journey - Infinity - Lights" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #77, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iHwIq8bq5wQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
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A re-entry, one that appeared in the write-up I did on August 16, 2009. The second trip up the charts wasn't as successful as the first; it only reached #77 and dropped off after four weeks. Here's what I wrote the first time it charted:<br />
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Before Journey made their mark as 1980s arena rock deities, they were a San Francisco-based band started up by a couple of guys who left Santana. Like Santana, the early incarnation of Journey was a progressive band that experimented with different genres and tended toward extended instrumental breaks. Also like Santana, the group had a revolving door of members with the guitarist (Neal Schon) being the only real mainstay. By the end of the 1970s, the group began putting the pieces together that would lead to multi-platinum success in the next decade: lead singer Steve Perry was brought on board in 1977 and immediately lent his skills to the group by co-writing this song with Schon.<br />
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"Lights" is something of a love letter to Journey's home city, with its mention of their beloved "City by the bay." At the time, Journey hadn't yet hit the Top 40 and this wouldn't be the tune to get them there (it peaked at #68). However, it indicated that the jazz-fusion days of the band were over and they were aspiring to make their way via the corporate rock that was beginning to burgeon at the time. They were a couple of LPs, another band member (Jonathan Cain in '81) and an MTV launch away from the Big Time.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137KRWK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#Frehley" target="_blank">Ace Frehley</a> - "New York Groove"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D128880%2526id%253D128888%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Ace Frehley - Kiss: Ace Frehley - New York Groove" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #13, 21 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gyq0Sk-I0Ck" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Hey, while I was mentioning a future Kiss guitarist a couple of songs back...here's the guy he replaced.<br />
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How's this for excess? Take an immensely popular group...have all four members record their own "solo" albums...issue all four LPs on the same day (with similarly-themed covers) knowing that fans will buy them. Then, watch only one of the roughly 40 new songs make the Top 40. That's right, only "New York Groove" made the cut; Gene Simmons' "Radioactive" and Paul Stanley's "Hold Me Touch Me" didn't break the Top 40, while Peter Criss's two singles didn't chart at all. <br />
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"New York Groove" is a great song and had a respectable chart run, reaching #13 and sticking around for 21 weeks. While it was obviously written as a salute to Frehley's home city (<i>note</i>: it was written by Englishman Russ Ballard and originally recorded by the U.K. band Hello), its guitar riff accents a driving beat provided by the bass and drums. It was an "almost" disco song but had enough guitar to keep Kiss fans from dismissing it as such. Sadly, Kiss's next LP <i>Dynasty</i> didn't do as good a job of hiding the disco beats, especially with "I Was Made For Lovin' You." Fans still shake their heads about Kiss' "disco album."<br />
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Frehley would leave Kiss in 1982, but never had any of the solo success that his LP <i>Ace Frehley</i> seemed to suggest.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VRSUJ0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Clapton" target="_blank">Eric Clapton</a> - "Promises"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D128392%2526id%253D128398%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Eric Clapton - Backless (Remastered) - Promises" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #9, 18 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IuZkUftTwKo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Promises" was the first single off Clapton's forthcoming LP <i>Backless</i>. The LP followed Clapton's highly successful '77 offering <i>Slowhand</i> (and the hits "Lay Down Sally" and "Wonderful Tonight") with a similar style and tone but the material of the new record was considered to be slightly inferior. That wasn't necessarily a problem for "Promises," though. It reached #9 early in 1979.<br />
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"Promises" is one of Clapton's less-regarded singles for some odd reason. Perhaps the laid-back shuffle doesn't translate as well with classic rock fans as much as "Layla" or "I Shot the Sheriff," nor does it fit in with adult contemporary types as "Wonderful Tonight." It's a shame, since the song is well-done and the slide guitar hook that matches the chorus is rather catchy.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VWGYXE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#MHenderson" target="_blank">Michael Henderson</a> - "Take Me I'm Yours"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D206727602%2526id%253D206727586%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Michael Henderson - The Essential Michael Henderson Vol. 1 - Take Me, I'm Yours" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #88, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vM6yUlQUurE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Take Me I'm Yours" is the only single Michael Henderson took into the Hot 100. It didn't stay long either, reaching #88 in its three-week run. Regardless, Henderson was no stranger to music fans. As a bass player, he played with many of Motown's road shows of the 1960s and spent much of the 1970s in Miles Davis's band. Both of Norman Connors' chart singles in 1976 featured Henderson on vocals. One of those tunes, "I Am Your Starship," made the Top 40.<br />
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"Take Me I'm Yours" was an effort to lead Henderson (singing here with Rena Scott) into a smooth R&B singer in the burgeoning "Quiet Storm" radio format. As the song starts up, it sounds much like a George Benson tune until Henderson's vocals take over. While he was moderately successful on the R&B charts through his retirement from performing in 1986, success on the pop charts eluded him. However, his bass work has shown up in numerous samples over the years. Henderson's stature as a bassist in the R&B, funk and jazz fusion genres are solid, even if many casual fans aren't aware of his work.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002E58QOG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#Fogelberg" target="_blank">Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg</a> - "The Power of Gold"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D198228077%2526id%253D198226184%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Dan Fogelberg - Twin Sons of Different Mothers - Power of Gold" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted # 82, Peaked #24, 14 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8bxiI47Q12s" width="420"></iframe><br />
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As a contradiction to Michael Henderson, Dan Fogelberg is an artist many 1970s music fans are familiar with. His 70s chart success was just as sporadic as Henderson's; Fogelberg had several hit LPs through the decade but only charted two 45s (<i>note</i>: "Longer" was making its way up the charts at the end of 1979, but peaked in 1980). For Fogelberg, the bulk of his success on the Hot 100 came in the early 1980s but he's considered a 1970s artist as well.<br />
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After a series of albums in a folk- and country-influenced vein, Fogelberg became interested in learning more about jazz. Rather than simply hiring a jazz band for the studio sessions of his next LP, he collaborated with jazz flautist Tim Weisberg, who co-produced the record. The resulting LP was <i>Twin Sons of Different Mothers</i>, which solidified Fogelberg's musical clout. Even though "The Power of Gold" was the only hit single from the album, it set up the string of hits Fogelberg had with his next releases.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137TTSS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-27438705694506839302012-10-10T20:30:00.093-04:002012-10-10T20:30:02.764-04:00Rewind -- October 14, 1972<i>Once again, I'm taking an entry from this blog's first year and setting up in a more familiar format. When I first wrote this out, there was no chart information, nor YouTube videos, so I fixed that. I also fixed a few typos I made, too.</i><br />
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Eight songs debuted on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100 this week. While two died quick deaths on the chart, four made the Top 40 (and two came close), two made the Top 10 and one was a #1. <br />
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Another thing missing the first time around was a link to the <i>Billboard</i> archive over at Google Books. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=PygEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false">Here's the October 14, 1972 issue for you to read.</a> The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 74. Page 12 has part of an interview with radio icons Don Imus and Robert W. Morgan. It's the middle of a three-part series spread out over several issues, but gives the idea that radio has changed a lot over 40 years, but the personalities really haven't. Especially if you've been part of the industry. <br />
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<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type3_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#BWright" target="_blank">Betty Wright</a> - "Baby Sitter"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D298683305%2526id%253D298683301%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Betty Wright - The Essentials: Betty Wright - Baby Sitter" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #46, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/baga1JRLY50" width="420"></iframe><br />
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This was the follow-up to Wright's big hit "Clean Up Woman," with a similar topic about the "other woman" who was ready to slide in and pounce when her back was turned. Beginning with a lullaby tune played with a guitar (repeated with a harmonica later in the song), the song told about a hot-to-trot 16-year old...which just goes to show that even in 1972, there were songs about promiscuity among teens. <br />
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The song has a great soul feel to it, much like a female version of songs Wilson Pickett was doing at the time. It was fun to listen to and better song than a fan would expect from the #46 peak it eventually earned.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00124AV6G&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/n.html#NatlLamp" target="_blank">National Lampoon</a> - "Deteriorata"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D207138131%2526id%253D207138119%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Norman Rose - Greatest Hits of the National Lampoon - Deteriorata" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted # 96, Peaked #91, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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You may have remembered the Top 10 hit from 1971 by Les Crane called "Desiderata." It was essentially a spoken-word recording, with Crane reciting a Max Ehrmann poem from 1927 over "inspirational" music while a gospel choir took over the choruses. Some found the song to be a product of a positive-thinking optimism brought about after some scary years in the late 1960s, while others found it to be pretentious garbage that would be a poor excuse for New Age material if it were released today. The people from National Lampoon thought it deserved a send-up.<br />
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Their parody version was called "Deteriorata" and was written by comedian Christopher Guest (of <i>Spinal Tap</i> fame, among other achievements). The "song" begins with Melissa Manchester singing the off-kilter take from the original: <i>You are a fluke of the universe, you have no right to be here</i>... The "spoken word part" not only lampoons the original but also tosses offbeat humor into the lyrics: "Know what to kiss...and when"..."For a good time, call 606-4311, ask for Ken"...and finally, "And reflect that whatever misfortune may be your lot, it could only be worse in Milwaukee."<br />
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Since hit radio is not always a humorous place despite AM jocks trying to convince us otherwise, the song was only listed for four weeks and never got higher than #91. According to Wikipedia, Les Crane preferred the National Lampoon version over his own hit recording.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000QMOC06&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Stylistics" target="_blank">The Stylistics</a> - "I'm Stone in Love With You"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D283238780%2526id%253D283238777%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Stylistics - Round 2 - I'm Stone In Love With You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #92, Peaked #10, 13 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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If you're a 1970s music fan, you pretty much know what you're going to get with a Stylistics record. Part of the Thom Bell-produced "Philadelphia Sound," all of their hits were ballads featuring the smooth voice of Russell Thompkins, Jr. and were sugar-coated pop confections (made specifically as ear candy to the record-buying public). There was a formula involved: a soaring falsetto over studio musicians, with lyrics that extolled a blissful relationship. Thom Bell's production technique allowed the music to accent Thompkins' vocals without either overpowering the other. Interestingly, once the band split from Bell after 1974, the balance between music and vocals was offset and their U.S. hits suddenly stopped.<br />
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There really isn't much to add to the last paragraph that will explain anything additional about "I'm Stone in Love With You." It fit the Bell/Stylistics formula and was a #10 hit. I like it, but I definitely see where others might find it to be way too "syrupy sweet" for their tastes.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000QMG3SK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Bulldog" target="_blank">Bulldog</a> - "No"</b> (Not available as an MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #91, Peaked #44, 15 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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From the hopeful lyrics of the Stylistics, Bulldog's "No" is an entirely different kind of song about male/female relationships. For all the nostalgia about the "anything goes" aura that was prevalent during the Sexual Revolution, "No" is a song that told the other side of the story: the song's narrator is rejected after a long night of trying to score. It spent 15 weeks on the <i>Billboard</i> chart -- an eternity in '72 unless the song was a huge hit -- but barely missed the Top 40. It really deserved to be a bigger hit than it was. Sadly, Bulldog (founded by two former members of The Rascals) never managed to get another 45 on the national charts again. By 1978 the band's two main members returned as part of the powerpop group Fotomaker and notched a couple more low-charting hits.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Croce" target="_blank">Jim Croce</a> - "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D292469314%2526id%253D292469040%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim - Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #78, Peaked #17, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Last week, I mentioned how Jim Croce's music affected me when I was a kid. A few tears back, as I was playing "Operator" while writing down the rough notes I use when I type out these reviews, my then-11-year old daughter asked me about something she didn't quite understand. She asked why somebody was talking to an operator when he could've just dialed 411. And then she asked about what the line "you can keep the dime" meant. There are few things that make somebody feel older than trying to explain something to somebody who doesn't have the same frame of reference...like the UHF/VHF dials on a TV set, or a TV that didn't come with a remote control, or the spindle adapter that allowed a 45 RPM record to play on an LP player, or even a rotary dial on a telephone. At least she understood that he was at a pay phone.<br />
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The thing I love about this song is the story it tells. A man is hoping to contact his former lover after she left him for a friend of his and moved to L.A. Despite asserting he's overcome his pain and moved on with his life, it's obvious he still hasn't come to grips with what happened. At the end of the song, he hangs up the phone without having the courage to make the call. It's a bit of reality that didn't always find its way into Top 40 radio in 1972 (even if it did appear around the same time as Dr. Hook's "Sylvia's Mother," another song that played out over a telephone conversation). As I mentioned last week, it's another case where fans might feel cheated that Croce was taken so young because he had the potential to do so much more.<br />
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Considering that "Operator" has been a radio fixture for much longer than Croce's own lifespan, it might surprise fans to know the song wasn't a Top 10 hit. His second chart single, it only reached #17. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001IAQURI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/t.html#Temptations" target="_blank">The Temptations</a> - "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D90687%2526id%253D90712%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Temptations - My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations - Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #1, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Of all the songs I've reviewed here since beginning this weekly excursion, a few have made me pull out a personal story. Yes, I just finished relating something about Jim Croce (as I did last week); however, "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" has another significance to me. I was born on December 2, 1972, which was a Saturday. Since Saturdays are the "week ending" dates of <i>Billboard</i> charts, that was a day that appears on their charts. And the very day that I was born, the #1 song was "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone."<br />
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The song is memorable for its lengthy instrumental opening. Starting with the rhythm section (bass and hi-hat percussion) and soon followed by drums and then a great guitar break, the music builds and sets the song's tone for two minutes until Dennis Edwards is ready to begin singing. Motown's house band, The Funk Brothers, were laying down some grooves that were inspired by both Curtis Mayfield and Miles Davis. The lyrics about an absentee father who was also a fraud and a womanizer didn't sit well with Edwards (whose own father had passed away of "the Third of September," even though the song wasn't written for him originally). The friction between Edwards and writer/producer Norman Whitfield over the song likely helped set up the gruff, almost spiteful vocals. The LP version of the song was twelve minutes long; the single edit was just under seven minutes and still long for many pop stations at that time.<br />
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It's a classic, despite the timing. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001BW6EGK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#GuessWho" target="_blank">The Guess Who</a> - "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D304792106%2526id%253D304791508%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Guess Who - Live At the Paramount - Runnin' Back to Saskatoon" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #96, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This was one of the few live records to make the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100. Taken from their LP <i>Live at the Paramount</i>, it was the group's lowest-charting single of the 1970s. Only reaching #96, it was gone from the survey after only three weeks.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00138GEEE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#AustinR" target="_blank">Austin Roberts</a> - "Something's Wrong With Me"</b> (Not available as an MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #98, Peaked #12, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Upon first listen, this tune sounds very much like a product of its times. It has that melodramatic "sound" that was a hallmark of '70s pop, complete with the requisite "wah-wah" guitar and brass-and-strings orchestration behind him. If the voice sounds familiar, that may be because Roberts had an association with Hanna-Barbera and was heard in Saturday-morning staples <i>Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?</i> and <i>Josie and the Pussycats</i> when they used generic music to accompany the animated chase scenes.<br />
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The song was a respectable hit, reaching #12. Although this single was the first one to chart under Roberts' name, he was a member of the studio group Arkade, who had two minor hits in 1970-'71.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-22152430163721824042012-10-03T20:30:00.105-04:002012-10-03T20:30:00.637-04:00Rewind -- October 6, 1973<i>Throughout 2012, I'll be bringing back the entries from this blog's first year and formatting them properly. As I do that, I'm getting back to listening to songs that I missed the first time around.</i><br />
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There were ten new singles debuting on <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span>'s Hot 100 this week. Half would reach the Top 40, four made Top 10 and two were #1 singles. Among the stories: a sad epitaph for a man who'd just died in a plane crash, two songs that had been remade by their performers a hit by an ex-Beatle and a duet by two Motown superstars.<br />
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When I originally wrote this, I wasn't yet featuring the issues of <i>Billboard</i> over at Google Books. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=AgkEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">Here's the October 6, 1973 edition</a>, with the full Hot 100 list on page 92. There are a pair of articles on the first page that describe a potential problem the current gas shortage might present to the music business, with problems seen with the supply of materials to make LPs. Fortunately, those fears never became reality, but it was a real concern at the time. There are even suggestions for what to do when the crisis arises. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type3_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#Rundgren" target="_blank">Todd Rundgren</a> - "Hello it's Me"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D100982882%2526id%253D100982890%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Todd Rundgren - Something/Anything? - Hello It's Me" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #5, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Todd Rundgren had already recorded "Hello it's Me" when it appeared on the first LP of his former group The Nazz in 1968. The original was a slower ballad, but when Rundgren worked on his 1972 <span style="font-style: italic;">Something/Anything?</span> LP he decided to rework the piece. Using the production chops he developed in the studio for his post-Nazz projects (both as part of the "group" Runt and his solo work), he turned the song into a radio-friendly piece that is considered to be his best song by many.<br />
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Even though "Hello it's Me" has been a radio staple for more than 35 years, it has found its way into other pop culture. For instance, the pilot episode of <span style="font-style: italic;">That 70s Show</span> had the gang sneaking out to attend a Rundgren concert and "Hello it's Me" was the song played at the end of the show. The song eventually peaked at a respectable #5. Not bad for a song that took over a year to be a hit (or 5, if you consider its Nazz version).<br />
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Trivia: in "Hello it's Me" you'll hear female voices in the background. One of those voices belonged to Vickie Sue Robinson, who would hit the charts herself later in the 1970s with "Turn the Beat Around."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0012F6LTQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#FosterS" target="_blank">Foster Sylvers</a> - "Hey, Little Girl"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #95, Peaked #92, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's a song I hadn't heard yet when I first wrote this review. I've been able to alleviate that in the years since...and the song is a Calypso-flavored slab of Bubblegum pop that if you thought it was Michael Jackson in his pre-teen years, you probably wouldn't be too far off. It sound like the record company was targeting his fans when they released it.<br />
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"Hey, Little Girl" was a remake of Dee Clark's 1959 hit and sung by one of the members of the 9-person group of brothers and sisters called The Sylvers. Foster Sylvers was enjoying the follow-up to his hit "Misdemeanor" but after peaking at #92, Foster never again reached the Top 100 chart as a solo act.<br />
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By the way...when recording the LP that contained both of his Hot 100 singles, Foster Sylvers was 11 years old.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Croce" target="_blank">Jim Croce</a> - "I Got a Name"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D292469265%2526id%253D292468943%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Jim Croce - I Got a Name - I Got a Name" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #76, Peaked #10, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I was 17 years old. I had just graduated from high school and was waiting for the day I was supposed to report for Army basic training. That summer, I picked up some LPs at a yard sale cheaply and one was Jim Croce's <span style="font-style: italic;">I Got a Name</span>. I had been familiar with the title song but at that point in my life -- just as I was about to set off on my own -- the lyrics definitely resonated with me. In a way, Jim Croce was explaining with words and an acoustic guitar exactly how I was feeling.<br />
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For Jim Croce, the song was a reminder of just how short life can be. As his song was appearing on the <span style="font-style: italic;"></span>charts, his fans were learning the sad news of his death in a plane crash on September 27th. He was 30 years old. As a title, "I Got a Name" was striking considering the fact he had passed. The song would reach #10, the LP would top out at #2 and another prophetic tune ("Time in a Bottle," from the earlier LP <span style="font-style: italic;">You Don't Mess Around With Jim</span>) would become the third posthumous #1 single in <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span>'s rock era.<br />
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While it will never be known how many more hits Jim Croce had in him, the body of work he left in his few LPs displayed a versatility and understanding that still sounds real even after many years have gone by. It's something that hit me as a 17-year old who was hoping the road I was about to travel would lead me toward a better place. "I Got a Name" is timeless in that regard.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001IAQVVI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#BWright" target="_blank">Betty Wright</a> - "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D298683306%2526id%253D298683301%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Betty Wright - The Essentials: Betty Wright - Let Me Be Your Lovemaker" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #98, Peaked #55, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Betty Wright is best known for "Clean Up Woman," a song she recorded at the age of 18 but was memorable because of a guitar lick played by another young prodigy, Ray Parker, Jr. With "Let Me Be Your Lovemaker," she was still looking for the next hit that would return her to the Top 40. This wouldn't be the one; it peaked at #55 and only managed five weeks on the survey. It was more subdued than her earlier hit, with more muted instrumentation in the background.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00124AV98&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#DonnaF" target="_blank">Donna Fargo</a> - "Little Girl Gone"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D1967877%2526id%253D1967885%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Donna Fargo - The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. - Little Girl Gone" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #57, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Another artist trying to find her way back to earlier heights was Donna Fargo. After two big pop hits in '72-'73 ("The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." and "Funny Face"), she hadn't been able to break the pop Top 40. While she never did make it, she was still successful on the country chart throughout the 1970s, with 6 #1 hits. "Little Girl Gone" stalled at #57 on the pop side but reached #2 country. In fact, Donna Fargo was one of the few female country artists to sustain crossover success on the pop side as well as one of even fewer to write her own material.<br />
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Upon listening,"Little Girl Gone" definitely sounds like a Donna Fargo song. It has all the conventions: the instruments, the phrasing and -- most of all -- the vocals. Told from the perspective of a woman who's returned to the home where she grew up after several years away, it recalls the old adage that you really can't go back once you leave.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000V63960&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#Dells" target="_blank">The Dells</a> - "My Pretending Days Are Over"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D5584427%2526id%253D5584441%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Dells - The Dells: Ultimate Collection - My Pretending Days Are Over" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #51, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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The Dells were a well-established R&B/soul group who'd been charting fairly regularly since the 1950s. "My Pretending Days Are Over" is a decent song from that genre despite a falsetto vocal at the beginning; however, by 1973 the sound was being done better by groups like The Stylistics, The Spinners and even Gladys Knight & the Pips. The song -- a gentle ballad -- didn't get any higher than #51 before it disappeared. Considering they never managed to get any higher on the pop chart again, it appeared The Dells' hitmaking days were over as well.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001O3R3LQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Ringo" target="_blank">Ringo Starr</a> - "Photograph"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D261459241%2526id%253D261459057%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Ringo Starr - Ringo - Photograph" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #74, Peaked #1, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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With "Photograph," Ringo Starr became the third ex-Beatle to notch a #1 single. Surprisingly, the only member of the Fab Four left who hadn't scored a #1 single was John Lennon (who'd get there in '74 but not before Ringo and George had two each and Paul three). In fact, from 1970-'73 it could be argued that Ringo Starr and George Harrison were enjoying better solo careers than their more famous Beatle cohorts. However, Lennon's music was often experimental and political (which meant it was less radio-friendly) and McCartney was just beginning to gel with his new band Wings (which would propel him to a long series of hit throughout the 1970s).<br />
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"Photograph" was from the LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Ringo</span>, which contained both his #1 singles ("You're Sixteen" was the other) and is often considered to be his finest solo LP. Additionally, it was the closest Beatle fans would get to a reunion of the group: all the ex-members contributed even though no track has all four together. George Harrison assisted with "Photograph" by co-writing the song with Starr and contributing guitar and vocals to the track.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VIM4YG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#LeonRussell" target="_blank">Hank Wilson</a> - "Rolling in My Sweet Baby's Arms"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D78049382%2526id%253D78049412%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Leon Russell - Hank Wilson's Back! - Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">b/w "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D78049386%2526id%253D78049412%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Leon Russell - Hank Wilson's Back! - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #78, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's a video of the B-Side as well:<br />
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Despite the name printed on 45 copies of this single and an LP titled <span style="font-style: italic;">Hank Wilson's Back</span>, there was no singer named Hank Wilson. The alter ego of singer Leon Russell (pictured on his LP with his back turned), Wilson was a country singer whose name was meant to evoke Hank Williams. The entire LP consisted of covers of 1950s and early '60s country music that Russell listened to while growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Williams was the writer of one of the songs on this two-sided single.<br />
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While the songs were solidly in the country vernacular, Russell did them in his own style. The result was a reverent, respectful take on the music of his youth. Between the songs of Hank Williams, bluegrass, honk-tonk, trucker songs and Americana, Russell's LP was one of the few instances where popular music helped bridge the generation gap and helped introduce country music to an audience that may not have ever considered listening to it.<br />
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Even though the Wilson project exposed Leon Russell's country roots, the singer would sometimes return to country music afterwards. He recorded three more albums as Hank Wilson over the decades and hit #1 on the country charts in 1979 with Willie Nelson when they remade "Heartbreak Hotel."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000TE39CI" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B000TEB4UC" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Carpenters" target="_blank">The Carpenters</a> - "Top of the World"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D261318898%2526id%253D261318883%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Carpenters - The Singles, 1969 - 1973 - Top of the World" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #80, Peaked #1, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"Top of the World" had been originally recorded for The Carpenters' LP <span style="font-style: italic;">A Song for You</span> in 1972. Despite its popularity as an album track, a cover version sung by Lynn Anderson reached #1 on the country charts and the song never was considered for single release. In 1973, A&M Records issued a greatest hits compilation called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Singles 1969-1973</span> and Richard Carpenter decided "Top of the World" could be a single from the new project. Remixing the instrumental track and re-recording Karen Carpenter's vocal, the "new" version was issued to radio.<br />
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The song was a huge hit. It would become The Carpenters' second #1 single, after a string of near-misses that included five songs that reached #2 and two more that stalled at #3 since their first #1" (They Long to Be) Close to You." The greatest hits compilation would also reach #1 on the LP chart -- the only LP they'd ride to the top of that chart -- and became one of the biggest selling albums of the 1970s.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W25CMW&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#MissRoss" target="_blank">Diana Ross</a> & <a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#BrotherMarvin" target="_blank">Marvin Gaye</a> - "You're a Special Part of Me"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D101847%2526id%253D101880%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye - Diana & Marvin - You're a Special Part of Me" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #66, Peaked #12, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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(I simply cannot believe there is no Youtube video for this song. A shame, really.)<br />
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In 1973, Motown Records was a much different place than it was 5 years before. They had left Detroit for Los Angeles, their hitmaking machine no longer resembled a highly efficient assembly line, some of their stars had left the label and others had stopped hitting. Two of their biggest stars at the time were Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye and even those two were moving in different career directions: Ross had settled into her post-Supremes era as a megastar and actress, while Gaye was pushing new boundaries and broaching subjects like social issues and sexuality that weren't often found in Motown music before the 1970s.<br />
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However, the two artists had a great deal of affection for one another and recorded a duet LP called <span style="font-style: italic;">Diana & Marvin</span>. They sounded great together, and "You're a Special Part of Me" was the first of their three singles from that album. Even though both artists would leave Motown by the early 1980s, they still had a tremendous respect for each other; after Gaye was senselessly shot to death in 1984, Ross would sing a tribute song for him called "Missing You" that was among her last big hits.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-13883806872634365772012-09-29T08:30:00.332-04:002012-09-29T08:30:00.584-04:00This Week's Review -- September 26, 1970There were ten debuts in this week's Billboard Hot 100. Of these hits, three graced the Top 40 and one went into the Top 10. The hits include two stalwart radio hits, as well as one song that has been undeservedly forgotten. Digging a little deeper in the chart, several acts that are known for other hits appear, and Roger Cook/Roger Greenaway wrote two of the songs that appear here. <br />
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Several issues of <i>Billboard</i> are available at Google Books, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=nSkEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">including the September 26, 1970 edition.</a> The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 76. On page 10, there's a neat little recap of Ted Wallerstein's 50 years in the recording business. Sadly, the artice was also an epitaph for him. Tha large "pull-out" section tells about the advent of the Cartridge TV that was expected to be all the rage in the 1970s (but wasn't) and all the differing formats being offered. <br />
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<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="All Music. No Ads. Get Rdio Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/rdio_generic_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div>
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#TheWho" target="_blank">The Who</a> - "See Me, Feel Me"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flistening-to-you-see-me-feel-me%252Fid286534813%253Fi%253D286534927%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Listening to You / See Me, Feel Me - Tommy (Deluxe Edition)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> <br />
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(Debuted #75, Peaked #12, 13 Weeks on chart)<br />
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Though "See Me, Fee Me" was part of the rock opera <i>Tommy</i>, it was never a separate track on the soundtrack LP. Instead, it was part of the larger song "We're No Gonna Take It." Enough has been written about Tommy so I'll focus on a memory from my youth.<br />
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My friend Reuben usually came up with inappropriate lyrics for songs, and most of them were the same type you'd expect from a 14-year old. Today, I can still "hear" some of those even when I know better. The same summer I played some tracks from the Woodstock soundtrack LP (which also included "See Me, Feel Me" in a medley with "Listening To You"), Reuben cut loose with the words "eat me." Yes, that broke up a group of teens...and I still hear his voice on that song to this day. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001DAFZ2E&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /></div>
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Bread" target="_blank">Bread</a> - "It Don't Matter To Me"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fit-dont-matter-to-me%252Fid335598635%253Fi%253D335598799%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="It Don't Matter to Me - Bread" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #78, Peaked #10, 11 Weeks on chart)<br />
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I was once told by a friend that sometimes, if you want to get the girl, you can play the game of "he who cares the least." The idea...if she wants to go, let her go and avoid killing yourself to let her know you're distraught about it. She'll see that she isn't able to control you and will return to you in time. Personally, I don't know how effective that is, but it seems to be a prevailing mood for "It Don't Matter to Me."<br />
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However, in the single version of the song, the musical accompaniment is really laid back. It's the musical equivalent of saying, "Whatever, Baby. I'll leave the light on if you ever decide to come back around." Which is really walking a fine line between hopefulness and just giving up without a fight. The original LP track took a harder stance and was much faster, but the success of "Make It With You" led the band to re-record it in the same style and see whether Lightning struck twice.<br />
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"It Don't Matter to Me" was definitely a hit, but it also led the group's record company to avoid some of their rougher material when it came time to issue singles. So while that gave a boost to member David Gates -- who wrote nearly everything deemed "single worthy" -- it eventually led to the rift that broke up the band.<br />
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/p.html#Wicked" target="_blank">Wilson Pickett</a> - "Engine Number 9"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fengine-number-9-single-version%252Fid302112009%253Fi%253D302112292%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Engine Number 9 (Single Version) - The Very Best of Wilson Pickett" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #14, 13 Weeks on chart)<br />
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After recording most of his hits in the South (Memphis and Muscle Shoals), Wilson Pickett went to Philadelphia to record an LP in 1970. While that might sound like an odd pairing, it pointed the passing of the baton from the Southern Soul that flavored the 1960s to a city where many of the new hits would appear in the 1970s.<br />
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While <i>Wilson Pickett in Philadelphia</i> was undoubtedly done in Pickett's inimitable style, the song was written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. A song using the imagery of the train that would take him back home, it helped revitalize him enough to return to Muscle Shoals for one last hurrah. <br />
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#WhitePlains" target="_blank">White Plains</a> - "Lovin' You Baby"</b> (Not available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #82, 2 Weeks on chart)<br />
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White Plains is the first of two groups in this week's review where the folowup hit was totally forgotten by almost everybody but the performers and maybe their families. It's also the first of two songs written by Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. However, it's a great slice of bubblegum that really deserves a listen. Yes, it might be disposable pop, but that doesn't mean it's irredeemable.<br />
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White Plains was known as one of Tony Burrows' many projects, but this was no one-off rendition. Though Burrows was never really a member of the group (he only lent his voice in the band's first recording session), the group is remembered simply because of him. Burrows wasn't the lead singer of "Lovin' You Baby," but it's well worth a listen anyway.<br />
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BlueMink" target="_blank">Blue Mink</a> - "Our World" </b><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Four-world%252Fid362879690%253Fi%253D362879713%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Our World - Good Morning Freedom: The Anthology" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #64, 6 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_XwmKUXnrmI" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Blue Mink was a British group that boasted Roger Cook (the famed songwriter and the composer of the song I just reviewed) and New Jersey native Madeline Bell, a highly respected singer. The mulitracial group predictably used that worldview in its lyrics, and "Our World" is no exception; the song is filled with optimism that the new decade will bring about harmony among the people living in it. Even if it does sound like it could have been a beer commercial on TV.<br />
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Though "Our World" was Blue Mink's only U.S. hit, the group had 4 Top 10s in their native U.K. (interestingly, "Our World" wasn't one of them...it went to #17.)<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000S4V7LE&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /></div>
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BluesImage" target="_blank">Blues Image</a> - "Gas Lamps And Clay"</b> (Not Available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #95, Peaked #81, 4 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/86l3TN_E7Ko" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Gas Lamps and Clay" was Blues Image's followup to the hit "Ride Captain Ride" but lacked the quality that marked that hit. Instead of the story about the sailors on a ship on brotherhood, it was a meandering mess. It started out with a bluesy riff, but segued into a poppy "<i>la la la</i>" refrain. I'm not sure which the group was aspiring to...and neither did the record-buying public. It was the last hit the Tampa group who relcated to New York City ever had.<br />
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The members of the band would go on to other projects, including Mike Pinera who went to Iron Butterfly and Kurt Henry (his replacement) would join Steppenwolf. You'd think that with those kind of hard rock credits, "Gas Lamps and Clay" would be harder-edged than it is, but you'd be wrong.<br />
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#AliveKicking" target="_blank">Alive and Kicking</a> - "Just Let It Come"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fjust-let-it-come%252Fid68074638%253Fi%253D68074562%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Just Let It Come - Alive 'N Kickin'" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #96, Peaked #69, 5 Weeks on chart)<br />
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The Brooklyn band Alive & Kicking's story is fairly well known by 1970s die-hards because of their Tommy James connection and the fact that future Brooklyn Dreams member (and Donna Summer's husband) Bruce Sudano was a member. However, anything the band released besides "Tighter, Tighter" has largely been forgotten.<br />
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"Just Let it Come" was the group's second hit single. However, it wasn't written or produced by Tommy James and the buying public largely ignored it. Instead of sounding it could have been another single with the Shondells on backup, it sounded like a harder version of The Righteous Brothers (complete with the dueling voices) with some light fuzz guitar.<br />
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Subsequent releases failed to garner any attention, and the group split in 1971. When they reunited later in the decade -- without Sudano -- they named themselves Alive N Kickin', perhaps to avoid any entanglements with former boss Morris Levy. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0012424UC&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /></div>
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/k.html#KoolGang" target="_blank">Kool and the Gang</a> - "Funky Man"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ffunky-man-single-version%252Fid47140975%253Fi%253D47141013%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Funky Man (Single Version) - Gold" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #87, 4 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yZZCwDW2Tqc" width="420"></iframe><br />
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In 1970, Kool & the Gang weren't yet the phenomena they would become. At the time, they were still a bunch of guys from New Jersey who were getting their sound together. The smoother material was well into the future, what band did during the early 1970s was explore the depth that they could groove.<br />
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"Funky Man" was a song that first appeared as a single, and was a song that worked its way into the band's concert repertoire. Originally a jazz/funk jam, in concert the tune was given new life. Through it and other songs, Kool and the Gang were able to evolve into the group that were hitting their stride as the 1970s progressed. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WR1J1K&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /></div>
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#FHC" target="_blank">Faith, Hope and Charity</a> - "Baby, Don't Take Your Love"</b> (Not Available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #98, Peaked #96, 2 Weeks on chart)<br />
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Faith, Hope and Charity was a Tampa-based group whose biggest success came later in the 1970s after Disco became a force in the music business. An earlier incarnation of the group included later members Al Bailey and Brenda Hillard, but also included Zulema Cusseaux, who left the band in 1971 and went on to some solo success. The band's fortune changed in 1970, when producer Van McCoy took them under his wing.<br />
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"Don't Take Your Love" was co-written and produced by McCoy and Joe Cobb, who gave it a great-sounding R&B groove. However, their sound was pretty generic for the time and the bouncy tune was off the pop chart after two weeks. It was a minor R&B hit, though, reaching #36 on that chart. If you're not familiar with it, click the video above and check it out. It has a classic groove that may have been "generic" in its time but is great today. <br />
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<b><a href="http://hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#Engelbert" target="_blank">Engelbert Humperdinck</a> - "Sweetheart"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fsweetheart%252Fid301982727%253Fi%253D301982837%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Sweetheart - Gold: Engelbert Humperdinck" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #99, Peaked #47, 11 Weeks on chart)<br />
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By the time "Sweetheart" became a hit, Engelbert Humperdinck was at a crossroads in his career. He wasn't conflicted about his singing; rather, he was being told by his management to de-emphasize his recordings and instead focus on performing and touring. His concerts were so profitable and his smooth delivery of his material was certain to draw legions of women who had the money to spend.<br />
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As a result, the song "Sweetheart" was pretty much what you'd expect from a Humperdinck tune: an adult contemporary confection, with the right lines and a show of his wide-throated vocal range. On top of that, an angelic-sounding female chorus backs him up, and a Hawaiian guitar makes an appearance in the middle.<br />
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The result: a truly middle of the road song, a lackluster showing on the pop chart but a huge AC hit. It went to #2 on that chart, and was the tenth straight Top Ten hit there. But, that was the target audience that was bringing him to the dance.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001PJ3U98&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br /></div>
Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-15946744979116956142012-09-26T20:30:00.059-04:002012-09-26T20:30:02.874-04:00Rewind -- September 25, 1976<i>As I'm doing every Wednesday in 2012, I'm taking the posts from this blog's first year and adding the stuff I use now: videos, chart info, and in some cases, a vintage magazine.</i><br />
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There were eight new songs debuting on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100 this week. Among the new singles are a pretty fair variety of styles representative of the era, even while one of those tunes was influenced by nostalgia for a bygone era.<br />
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There weren't yet any links to that week's edition of <i>Billboard</i> magazine when I originally wrote this entry. Since the September 24, 1976 edition is missing from the archives over at Google Books, I won't have one here, either.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=214935.10&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="MP3's at CDUniverse.com" border="0" src="http://www.cduniverse.com/banners/live/cdu/468x60_mp3/468x60_mp301.gif" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=214935.10&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#Tyrone" target="_blank">Tyrone Davis</a> - Give it Up (Turn it Loose)</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D159335973%2526id%253D159335790%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Tyrone Davis - Give it Up (Turn It Loose): The Very Best of the Columbia Years - Give it Up (Turn It Loose)" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #78, Peaked #38, 11 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B1__oyHVLQc" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Chicago native Tyrone Davis is best known for his 1970 hit "Turn Back the Hands of Time." In 1976, he had one last song reach the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> pop chart with the disco-influenced "Give it Up (Turn it Loose)." Although Davis still charted afterward on the R&B survey, this would be his last hurrah on the Hot 100. The song just scratched the Top 40, reaching #38.<br />
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For fans remembering the 1970 hit, the female backing singers on "Give it Up" sound familiar. However, the backing music is more muted and detracts from the sound; where "Turn Back the Hands of Time" is propelled by its rhythm section, in "Give it Up" it's simply along for the ride.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001380OR2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="font-style: italic; height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#Aerosmith" target="_blank">Aerosmith</a> - Home Tonight</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #71, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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As part of Aerosmith's first flush of major success in the mid-1970s, fans often point to their LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Rocks</span> as one of their best. Even though <span style="font-style: italic;">Toys in the Attic</span> (their previous effort) included two huge hits that are still radio staples today ("Walk This Way" and "Sweet Emotion"), <span style="font-style: italic;">Rocks</span> is a great example of the group's sound. With two great Aerosmith rockers that are often overlooked ("Last Child" and "Back in the Saddle"), the album is a great starting point for anybody who wants an introduction to the group's music beyond the stuff heard on the radio.<br />
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"Home Tonight" is the ballad that closes the album, a way for the band to say "goodbye" to fans listening to the LP. As a single release, it only peaked at a disappointing #71, lasting only four weeks on the survey.<br />
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(The link below does not lead to an MP3. Instead, it lets you take a listen to the song, but the MP3 is only available as part of the digital download of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Rocks</span> album. I'm not sure why most of the 1970s Aerosmith catalog isn't yet available through iTunes yet.)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B00137X1XW" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#AliceCooper" target="_blank">Alice Cooper</a> - I Never Cry</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D79574435%2526id%253D79574454%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Alice Cooper - Goes to Hell - I Never Cry" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #12, 21 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SbGM3zGb918" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Alice Cooper (the alter ego of Vincent Furnier) spent the first half of the 1970s shocking the public and somehow seemingly subverting American youth culture. So after five years of being held up by critics as an example of American moral turpitude and called everything but a child of God, Alice Cooper comes out with an LP titled <span style="font-style: italic;">Alice Cooper Goes to Hell</span>...and then followed that up by issuing a single that laid bare his vulnerable side?!<br />
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The song was allegedly written about Furnier beginning to come to grips with his drinking problem. He would spend part of the next year in rehab, but before seeking professional help, he wrote a song to help deal with the problem. Like many cases of catharsis via songwriting, the song comes across as honest, direct, straightforward and vulnerable. For a performer whose stage act featured a lot of theatrical diversions, recording a song like that was a sign of maturity.<br />
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In short, it may be one of his best songs, even if it takes fans a while to realize it.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00122HL7K&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#DrBuzzard" target="_blank">Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band</a> - I'll Play the Fool</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D304744443%2526id%253D304744442%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - I'll Play the Fool" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #80, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IxPqsk20duo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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This was the debut song for a band that was devised to hearken back to the 1930s era "big band" sound but updated for disco. The vocals were retro and the instruments recalled Cab Calloway at his peak even if the beats were calling dancers onto the floor of a disco instead of a dinner club or roadhouse. Onstage, the band wore zoot suits and other relics while using vintage microphones and props to achieve the "look" to match the sound.<br />
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"I'll Play the Fool" was gone from the charts after only three weeks but its followup was the medley of "Whispering/Cherchez Le Femme/Se Si Bon" which lasted longer. By 1980, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was history and two of its members were taking the retro idea to a different audience with Kid Creole & the Coconuts.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00138HLHS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Tennille" target="_blank">Captain & Tennille</a> - Muskrat Love</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D3453134%2526id%253D3453175%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Captain & Tennille - Ultimate Collection: Captain & Tennille - Muskrat Love" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #68, Paeked #4, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KgCk3bnvO5Y" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Muskrat Love" may be one of the most maligned songs of the 1970s, one of those tunes that gets brought up in conversations about whether different decades were better or worse music-wise. Once, I was asked about how the music business went from a peak in the 1960s (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Cream, CCR, Hendrix, The Who) to Carly Simon, Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond and "Muskrat Love"? I immediately pointed out that even songs like Bobby Goldsboro's"Honey" and Richard Harris's "MacArthur Park" scored big in the 1960s but that point was quickly discredited.<br />
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The shame is that people have forgotten just how big Captain & Tennille were in the mid 70s. With "Muskrat Love" the husband-and-wife team scored their fifth Top 5 smash in just over a year. Of course, the hits dropped off after "Muskrat Love" for a couple of years but it's not known if that was the result of their TV show or burnout from all the touring rather than a public brushback after sending a song about two rats in love (complete with a synthesizer rendition of rats getting freaky) to the Top 40.<br />
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A lot of people don't realize that Captain & Tennille weren't the first act to chart with "Muskrat Love." The group America placed it on the chart in 1973, hitting #67. On second look, the group's next two singles failed to chart on the Hot 100 at all. So maybe there is something to the argument that the song is toxic...<br />
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However, even if Captain & Tennille are often held out as an example of how vanilla and pedestrian popular music could get in the 1970s, it still should be remembered that Toni Tennille was a gifted with a beautiful voice and Daryl Dragon (that's the real name of The Captain) was a highly competent bandleader. Tennille could be sweet or sassy ("Shop Around") or sexy ("You Never Done it Like That"), even if they were dismissed by more serious music fans for being part of the time they happened to occupy.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZXIW8&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#TheDan" target="_blank">Steely Dan</a> - The Fez</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D64864%2526id%253D64874%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Steely Dan - The Royal Scam - The Fez" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #59, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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By 1976, Steely Dan was still evolving. After a short string of catchy radio-friendly singles like "Do it Again," Reeling in the Years" and "Rikki, Don't Lose That Number" the group's core members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen were turning their energies toward LP-length statements. Their '76 LP <span style="font-style: italic;">The Royal Scam</span> -- considered to be perhaps the weakest of the group's offerings -- was a collection of stories about miscreants and malcontents; it was dark and moody, with lyrics that often bordered on snide and sarcastic. There were two singles culled from the album, but as songs that weren't directed towards radio airplay neither managed to make the Top 40.<br />
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"The Fez" is more of a musical composition than a song. There are long instrumental bits between the few lines of lyrics. With keyboard work by Paul Griffin that was so integral to the song he earned a songwriter credit, the jazz-influenced song points toward the studio precision that was a hallmark of the band's next LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Aja</span>.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000V68YVA&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Sun" target="_blank">Sun</a> - Wanna Make Love (Come Flick My Bic)</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D74127235%2526id%253D74127576%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Sun - The Greatest Hits - Wanna Make Love (Come Flick My Bic)" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #76, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Stepping away from music for a moment...by the 1970s, manufacturers had improved plastic to the point where many consumers began using products that were disposable. Among those items were cigarette lighters: the old-fashioned metal Zippo lighters that required replacement flints and fluid refills gave way to cheaper plastic models that could be tossed out once they ran out of fluid. Among the companies offering these lighters was Bic. One well-remembered advertisement of the 1970s was "Flick My Bic," which closely followed one of the best rules of marketing...sexual <span style="font-style: italic;">double entendres</span> sell. It didn't take much to realize another meaning of "flick my bic" that didn't involve a lighter.<br />
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The sexual connotation certainly applied to the song "Wanna Make Love (Come Flick My Bic)." The only Hot 100 hit Sun ever had, it was short-lived on the chart. Despite the fact that "Flick My Bic" had a lusty component in its lyric, it was a great funk tune with a robotic-sounding "voice" that would often appear in R&B (and later on, Hip-hop) songs well into the next decade. In that sense, the song could have played well even in the early 1980s along with tunes like Skyy's "Call Me" and The Dazz Band's "Let it Whip."<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000TRTFJG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Sedaka" target="_blank">Neil Sedaka</a> - You Gotta Make Your Own Sunshine </span>(Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #77, Peaked #53, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"You Gotta Make Your Own Sunshine" was the first single of Sedaka's mid-70s comeback to miss the Top 40. A bouncy, upbeat tune it doesn't get old even if it does sound like a lot of his other material ("That's Where the Music Takes Me," for example). It's a shame that more Sedaka material isn't available in a digital format.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-66884808293344690752012-09-22T20:30:00.339-04:002012-09-22T20:30:00.520-04:00This Week's Review -- September 23, 1978There were ten new singles on the <em>Billboard</em> pop chart this week, with three reaching into the Top 40 and one making the Top 10. That Top 10 is still heard on rock stations today, but the other two have unfairly slipped into the radio ether. However, the song that missed the Top 40 have some relatively well-known names -- Peter Brown, Tom Petty, The O'Jays, The Alan Parsons Project -- and at least one song that is fairly well-known even if you don't know that name Don Ray. Then there's two one-hit wonders that should have been bigger -- Snail and Bob McGilpin, who literally performs a backflip on live TV while performing his song.<br />
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Over at Google Books, there is a large archive of past <em>Billboard</em> magazines, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=MSQEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">including the September 23, 1978 edition</a>. The full Hot 100 list can be found, appropriately enough, on page 100. An article on page 6 tries to explain that the picture disc LP isn't a fad, according to A&M Records. Because we should always pay more attention to record companies trying to sell their own products over common sense. I didn't sound too sarcastic there, was I? I really wish there was a sarcasm font...it would be helpful for me at times.<br />
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</div><div align="center"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="All Music. No Ads. Get Rdio Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/rdio_generic_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#Foreigner" target="_blank">Foreigner</a> - "Double Vision"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fdouble-vision%252Fid285143155%253Fi%253D285143174%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Double Vision - Double Vision (Expanded Version)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #67, Peaked #2, 20 Weeks on chart)<br />
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"Double Vision" was the biggest hit that Foreigner would have in the 1970s, reaching #2 and giving the band their fourth Top 10 hit in the U.S. However, despite the words and the belief that it's a song about getting drunk or high, it actually had an innocuous beginning. The song was "born" at a New York Rangers hockey game when one of the players was taken out after suffering from double vision. Upon hearing that phrase from the announcer, singer Lou Gramm wrote a song around those words.<br />
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In any case, it's a shot of pure guitar-driven adrenaline and a hook-laden pop confection. Still played quite often on classic rock stations, it's among one of the group's best-known hits. Interestingly, depite having Mick Jones laying his guitar lines on the record, the song has no guitar solo at all. That makes it unusual among Arena Rock singles of that era.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#Heart">Heart</a> - "Straight On"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fstraight-on%252Fid193770194%253Fi%253D193770566%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Straight On - Dog & Butterfly" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #79, Peaked #15, 18 Weeks on chart)<br />
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The LP <em>Dog and Butterfly</em> was intended to be Heart's followup to <em>Little Queen</em> (despite the fact that Mushroom records put out <em>Magazine</em> without the band's consent in the meantime) and "Straight On" was the first single from that album. It was a rocking song, the kind the band's fans expected them to do. As expected, Ann Wilson provided a solid vocal, with her sister Nancy backing her up with both vocals and guitar.<br />
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In a way, "Straight On" was a very apt title. It's a straight rock song from the late 1970s.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137R1DS&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Commodores">The Commodores</a> - "Flying High"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fflying-high-long-version%252Fid414499%253Fi%253D414485%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Flying High (Long Version) - The Commodores: Anthology" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #38, 10 Weeks on chart)<br />
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As The Commodores were charting with more ballad-style material than the funk-styled music that initially brought the group to prominence, they still showed they could funk it up a little, as "Flying High" attests. While the song has elements of disco and pop, it's actually a good R&B side for the band from Tuskegee, Alabama. While the song is more sleek than the rawer funk they did in the past, it's still a song that should have gathered more attention than the scraping of the pop Top 40 it got.<br />
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But that was the rub...at a time where Disco was king, the songs that were getting attention by listeners were the ballads like "Three Times a Lady" and that's the direction they took for later hits like "Still," "Sail On" and "Oh No." Yes, there was the occasional upbeat song like "Lady," but that was the exception rather than the rule.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZN1PW&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#PeteBrown">Peter Brown with Betty Wright</a> - "You Should Do It"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fyou-should-do-it%252Fid315232164%253Fi%253D315232262%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="You Should Do It - A Fantasy Love Affair" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #54, 8 Weeks on chart)<br />
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"You Should Do it" was a bridge to both Peter Brown's past and future successes. It was a hit with Betty Wright, who also sang on his huge hit "Dance With Me," and was co-written with Robert Rains, who also collabrated with Brown on 1984's Madonna hit "Material Girl."<br />
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It wasn't as big a hit as "Dance With Me" or even "Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me," topping out well short of the pop Top 40, but it was earnest dance music rather than a generic disco song. It was laden with a joyous harmonica that recalled (but didn't necessarily duplicate) the work that Stevie Wonder was doing at the time, and pointed the way to the more electronic sound that permeated dance music in the new decade.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#DonRay">Don Ray</a> - "Got To Have Loving"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fgot-to-have-loving%252Fid68093402%253Fi%253D68093425%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Got to Have Loving - Disco Gold" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #44, 8 Weeks on chart)<br />
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There's a lot of stuff out there about "Don Ray" but it doesn't all refer to the artist who recorded "Got To Have Loving." There is a Texas-based artist also called Donray, and there's even an unrelated band called The Don Ray Band. This Don Ray was the stage name of Raymond Donnez, who played keyboards for Cerrone and produced the Santa Esmiralda track "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." <br />
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Those elements can be heard in the song "Got To Have Lovin'." The layered keyboards are something that sounds like they came from a Cerrone song, and the orchestral production mimicked that of the Santa Esmiralda track. This was the classic disco track's first of two appearances on the Hot 100. Neither would make the Top 40, but the song has lived on through the years thanks to samples and it use as a period piece in movies.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001O3SL30&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hitsofthe1970s.com/p.html#TomPetty">Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers</a> - "Listen To Her Heart"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flisten-to-her-heart%252Fid296207417%253Fi%253D296207429%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Listen to Her Heart - You're Gonna Get It" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #88, Peaked #59, 6 Weeks on chart)<br />
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You can definitely pick up the influence of The Byrds' 12-string right from the into of "Listen To Her Heart." The scathing words were written after Petty discovered that Ike Turner was making advances at his then-wife, placing 1970s lyrics into the context of a song that sounds like it came out of the 1960s. Not only was Roger McGuinn's jangly 12-string present in the song's sound, but the phrasing is quite similar to the vocals that Gene Clark made on those records. <br />
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In order to conform to the radio, the single version of "Listen To Her Heart" was altered. The word "cocaine" in the video above was changed to "champagne" to get airplay in 1978. Hey, sometimes you gotta do what it takes to get heard...and Tom Petty wasn't yet the "name" he would later become.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hitsofthe1970s.com/p.html#AlanParsons">The Alan Parsons Project</a> - "What Goes Up"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fwhat-goes-up%252Fid281644070%253Fi%253D281644072%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="What Goes Up - Pyramid" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #87, 3 Weeks on chart)<br />
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In its <i>Pyramid</i> LP, The Alan Parsons Project explored the concept of the last remaining Great Wonder, and "What Goes Up" definitely fits the theme, even mentioning the Pyramid in its lyrics. As the first song on the album with vocals, it features the voice of David Paton, one of six singers used on the album. <br />
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Featuring progressive guitar lines, classically-inspired horn flourishes and layered vocals, "What Goes Up" was a relative disappointment on the charts. It peaked at #87 and disappeared after only three weeks, a really short stay on the charts at the time.<br />
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</div><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hitsofthe1970s.com/o.html#OJays">The O'Jays</a> - "Brandy"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fbrandy%252Fid266079553%253Fi%253D266079575%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Brandy - So Full of Love" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #79, 3 Weeks on chart)<br />
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The O'Jays were known for their R&B soul and light disco, but they were able to produce tender ballads at will, too. "Brandy" is much more in the tradition of the R&B weeper, a song about missing somebody who's long gone and doesn't seem to be coming back. While the song may sound like it's for a woman, it was reportedly about a dog who's gone off to the Great Meadow in the Sky (the lyrics refer to her as his "best friend"). That certainly gives it a different vibe when you hear that.<br />
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This time, Walter Williams sings lead, with his two compatriots simply contributing background vocals. Brandy" was also a rare O'Jays single written outside the Kenny Gamble/Leon Huff partnership. It was written by Joseph Jefferson and Charles Simmons, who had previously penned some hits for The Spinners.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Snail">Snail</a> - "The Joker"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fthe-joker%252Fid419317977%253Fi%253D419318063%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="The Joker - Snail" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #93, 2 Weeks on chart)<br />
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With a quick look at the label, you might think this was a reworking of the Steve Miller song, but you'd be wrong. This time around, "The Joker" was a rocking tune written by members of the Santa Cruz, California-based Snail. It was the group's only national hit, even though they were a legendary live band in their home region from 1968 until the 1980s.<br />
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It's a shame this song topped out at #93. Perhaps the band preferred to remain local; maybe some sad twist of fate intervened to keep them from breaking out. However, "The Joker" sounds like it was about 10 years ahead of its time.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#BobMcG">Bob McGilpin</a> - "When You Feel Love"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fwhen-you-feel-love%252Fid299029939%253Fi%253D299029944%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="When You Feel Love - Superstar" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #94, Peaked #91, 5 Weeks on chart)<br />
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The video above features a lip-synched "live" version of "When You Feel Love" on <i>The Dinah Shore Show</i> that is pretty obvious due to the multi-tracking of his voice in the song, but the backflip he performs during the instrumental bridge and the interview afterwards were too rich for me to pass up.<br />
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"When You Feel Love" was the only Hot 100 hit that Bob McGilpin manged to get, despite success on the disco floor. As a military brat, he grew up in a wide array of locations, which helped him to pick up a wider range of styles than he may have gotten in just one place. Unfortunately, the Disco backlash limited further recordings from him after 1979. Today, he's a producer and sound engineer based in Nashville.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-68724470575330667162012-09-19T23:42:00.090-04:002012-09-19T23:42:00.243-04:00Rewind -- September 21, 1974<i>Once again, I'm taking a post from the first year of this blog and give it a reboot.</i><br />
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This was a very good week for new singles. Out of 11 new listings, all but two made the Top 40. Furthermore, four were Top 10-bound and one (also the only two-sided hit) went all the way to the #1 position. Two of the songs were the same tune, featuring versions by its songwriter and a more famous singer handling the cover. Lastly, one song was the only Top 40 hit to be sung partially in Polish.<br />
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When this post was first published a few years ago, I hadn't started featuring the past issues of <i>Billboard</i> magazine, so <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=uAcEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">here's the September 21, 1974 edition</a>. The full Hot 100 can be found on page 56. An article on page 20 tells readers that a film version of <i>Tommy</i> has wrapped and was quickly being readied in post-production. An interesting situation on page 29: while the Easy Listening list shows that Olivia Newton-John had a song called "I Love You, I Honestly Do" at #1, a list of hot songs reported by jukebox operators has it listed correctly as "I Honestly Love You." <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type2_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#JDenver" target="_blank">John Denver</a> - "Back Home Again"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D299733116%2526id%253D299733047%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="John Denver - Back Home Again - Back Home Again" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #70, Peaked #5, 16 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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It really doesn't have to be explained to those who lived through the era...but John Denver was <span style="font-weight: bold;">huge</span> in 1974. He was an artist who not only had vast legions of fans who bought enough records to give him two #1 singles on <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span>'s Hot 100, a country #1 and a #1 LP that year, he also had a large number of detractors who were cynical of Denver's country/folk-influenced music and "clean living" public persona. Not a lot of artists can be so loved and hated at the same time, but for some reason the 1970s had its fair share of them.<br />
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Denver's LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Back Home Again</span> hit #1 on the album charts, featured Denver's #1 single "Annie's Song" and the title track, which stalled at #5 on the Hot 100 but topped Billboard's country and adult contemporary surveys. The song "Back Home Again" would win the Song of the Year award from the Country Music Association, where Charlie Rich famously burned the envelope when he read that Denver had also won the night's top award (Entertainer of the Year) as well.<br />
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As a song, "Back Home Again" is a folksy celebration of coming back from a tour and being able to enjoy being home at last. There's even a nod to Denver's earlier #1 single from '74 with the line <span style="font-style: italic;">Your mother called last Friday, "Sunshine" made her cry...</span> I've found that I've grown to appreciate the sentiment behind the song a lot more as I've matured.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0022RQNBO&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#CarlCarl" target="_blank">Carl Carlton</a> - "Everlasting Love"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D321588918%2526id%253D321588583%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Carl Carlton - Everlasting: The Best of Carl Carlton - Everlasting Love" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #6, 15 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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There aren't many songs good enough to be done in different styles and still sound fresh. In last week's list, I mentioned that "MacArthur Park" was recorded at least four times in hit versions and nearly all were heavily panned. In the case of "Everlasting Love," it was done four times -- in four different decades -- and each version hit the Top 40. In 1967, soul singer Robert Knight did the first hit version, taking it to #13. Carl Carlton's disco-flavored remake followed in 1974 and it peaked at #6. A duet by Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet just scratched the Top 40 in 1981. Finally, Gloria Estefan took the song to #27 in 1994. Additionally, a cover of the song by the group Love Affair topped the UK charts in 1968 and a minor country hit by Narvel Felts charted in 1979.<br />
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Of all these versions, it it Carlton's that is the best-known. The only bad thing that can be said about the song is that it's really short; at just under three minutes, the song sounded great on the radio but was little more than a warm-up on the dance floor. However, considering the way later disco hits could be remixed and reworked into longer "dance" versions (some of which were far too long)...perhaps the "leave the audience wanting more" idea was part of what made this hit work.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002EYKKDC&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/e.html#Eagles" target="_blank">The Eagles</a> - "James Dean"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D192840263%2526id%253D192840043%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Eagles - On the Border - James Dean" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #92, Peaked #77, 5 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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For all the Eagles songs that still get airplay, there are a few that aren't immediately recognized by casual fans. "James Dean" is one of the handful of charting hits by the group that doesn't seem to have found its way into heavy rotation on classic rock stations. Taken from the LP <span style="font-style: italic;">On the Border</span>, the group was still making the transition from a country-rock basis to more of that rock and pop synthesis that established them with record buyers.<br />
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"James Dean" was a song about the 1950s icon and was written by Eagles Don Henley and Glenn Frey with their buddies Jackson Browne and J.D. Souther. Musically, it sounds a lot like Loggins & Messina's "Your Mama Don't Dance." The song only made it as high as #77 and dropped off the chart after three weeks; however, The Eagles' next single "Best of My Love" took them to #1 for the first time and they never again missed the Top 40 with any of their singles through the rest of the 1970s. Not even their Christmas song.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0011ZR31M&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Spinners" target="_blank">The Spinners</a> - "Love Don't Love Nobody (Part 1)"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D720066%2526id%253D720076%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Spinners - The Very Best of Spinners - Love Don't Love Nobody, Pt. 1" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84, Peaked #15, 12 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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Ironically, one of the acts that most exemplified the Philly Sound in the 1970s was from Detroit (the name "spinners" is an <span style="font-style: italic;">homage</span> to the car-making city they called home). Despite some hits for Motown, they weren't given a lot of attention by the label. Signing with Atlantic, they came under the direction of producer Thom Bell, who helped them become one of the best vocal groups of the 1970s. They finally hit the coveted #1 position with "Then Came You," a collaboration with Dionne Warwick. "Love Don't Love Nobody" was the follow-up.<br />
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Done in The Spinners' trademark harmonic style, the song seems different from other hits like "Could it Be I'm Falling in Love" or "I'll Be Around." It was slower, with a spoken part and a string section that didn't "soar" like they did behind other hits. That's not to say it isn't a good song; in fact, it's worth a few listens. It's just a different sound, especially when it appears with a song like "Mighty Love" that certainly matches the tempo of the group's best-known hits.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001PJ1SDS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/v.html#BVinton" target="_blank">Bobby Vinton</a> - "My Melody of Love"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D80050322%2526id%253D80050358%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Bobby Vinton - Bobby Vinton's Greatest Hits - My Melody of Love" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #88, Peaked #3, 17 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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In 1974, the man who enjoyed a great deal of success before The Beatles changed the face of popular music was poised to make a comeback. Although Bobby Vinton never really went away, the hits had tailed off since the days of "Roses are Red" and "Blue Velvet." By 1972, his longtime label Epic had dropped him as an artist. According to legend, Vinton recorded "My Melody of Love" with $50,000 of his own money and had several labels reject the song as "corny" before ABC released it. It went to #3.<br />
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Perhaps the most interesting thing about "My Melody of Love" is the fact that there are lyrics sung in Polish (which happens to be Vinton's heritage). However, for the benefit of those who don't understand Polish, he also translates the words: <span style="font-style: italic;">moja droga, ya cie kocham, means that I love you so</span> (although according to Wikipedia, it actually means "my dear, I love you" but that may have been harder to rhyme).<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001C37GKQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/v.html#GinoV" target="_blank">Gino Vannelli</a> - "People Gotta Move"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D353263%2526id%253D353267%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Gino Vannelli - Gino Vannelli: The Best - People Gotta Move" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #22,13 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Is7nLdsORCM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Before later singles "I Just Gotta Stop" and "Living Inside Myself" focused listeners' attention to his strong vocal abilities, this was a decent debut chart single for the Montreal native. When it was released, "People Gotta Move" featured a synthesizer at a time where few singles used one. Although the music was not anywhere near the work that would appear later in the decade by musicians such as Giorgio Moroder (whose instrumentation on Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" is still seen as innovative), the sound was visionary even if it wasn't groundbreaking.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NTJSYG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#Garfunkel" target="_blank">Garfunkel</a> - "Second Avenue"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D198468777%2526id%253D198468040%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Art Garfunkel - Garfunkel - Second Avenue" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #77, Peaked #34, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"Second Avenue" was an interesting tune if only because it wasn't as readily available as other hits. Although most music fans knew his name, Art Garfunkel (or his record company) decided to list only his last name on this single. Then, his record company didn't bother putting the song on any of the singer's American LPs until 1990. Done in Garfunkel's distinctive style, the tune made its way into the lower reaches of the Top 40 before peaking at #34. It might have gotten a little higher; read the info for the next single for more about that.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00136M2CY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#TimMoore" target="_blank">Tim Moore</a> - "Second Avenue"</span> (Not available as an MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #58, 5 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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Yes, this is the same song as Art Garfunkel's. Tim Moore was the writer and had recorded the song first; however, the distributor of his LP went bankrupt and the resulting activity saw the two records released at the same time. Charting together, the competing versions killed any chance of either becoming a decent hit. While Garfunkel saw his take on "Second Avenue" just make its way into the Top 40, Moore's version stalled at #58.<br />
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Playing both versions together, it's interesting to hear the subtle differences between them. Moore's version comes off as more heartfelt and Garfunkel's has a better vocal.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#HudsonBros" target="_blank">The Hudson Brothers</a> - "So You Are a Star" </span>(Not available as an MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #21, 14 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's a song that sounds like solo material from both Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The opening verse could easily be mistaken for a Wings tune, and the voice heard in the chorus sounds a lot like Lennon's. Such was the effect The Beatles had on the music acts that followed them.<br />
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However, The Hudson Brothers were a group out of Oregon who had a replacement TV series -- a variety show -- during the Summer of '74 and followed it up with a Saturday-morning show about the same time as "So You Are a Star" was being released as a single. Perhaps helped by their TV exposure, "So You Are a Star" reached #21. Although the song isn't available in a digital format, it can be picked up cheap as part of Rhino Record's <span style="font-style: italic;">Have a Nice Day</span> series (it's on volume 14).<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BTO" target="_blank">Bachman-Turner Overdrive</a> - "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D81135%2526id%253D81147%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Not Fragile - You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">b/w "Free Wheelin'"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D81137%2526id%253D81147%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Not Fragile - Free Wheelin'" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #65, Peaked #1, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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There's a legend stating that when Randy Bachman recorded "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" he stuttered in the chorus during an early take as a way of poking fun at his brother. However, the "straight" way of singing it didn't work and the stutter was left in. That was one of the hooks that caught on with radio listeners, and the song became BTO's only #1 hit. It's also one of the band's most-played songs even today on classic rock and oldies formats.<br />
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The stuttering was reminiscent of The Who's "My Generation," even if it wasn't intended to be. However, the guitar riffs that punctuate the chorus are very similar (but not exact) to the ones Pete Townsend used in the "teenage wasteland" bit of "Baba O'Reilly."<br />
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The B-side was "Free Wheelin'," which was an instrumental jam session. For some reason, I'm not able to find a video on YouTube.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NYO2KQ&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZL5SM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/n.html#SamNeely" target="_blank">Sam Neely</a> - "You Can Have Her"</span> (Not Available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #34, 11 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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Sam Neely only enjoyed a few hits. In fact, one of those (his last) was mentioned in the list a few weeks ago. This was his second and last Top 40 hit, peaking at #34. Neely starts off "You Can Have Her" as a country-ish tune but the chorus sounds like a church chorus. The premise of the song is that his woman is getting ready to leave him...and he tells her prospective new suitor he can take her. If you like a song with a good sense of humor, this one is worth seeking out.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-57532196574397944732012-09-15T20:30:00.446-04:002012-09-15T23:56:15.291-04:00This Week's Review -- September 15, 1973There were ten singles debuting on this week's <em>Billboard</em> Hot 100, with only two of those reaching into the Top 40. Both of those hits made the Top 10 as well, but many of the "misses" represent some real forgotten gems. Both of the big hits are debuts by artists who were already known by their names, but there are some really nice songs here that weren't Top 40 hits. In fact, there is a diverse mix here that isn't reflective of what many think of music in 1973; I'm sure that few radio stations would have played them all.<br />
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There is a large archive at Google Books of <em>Billboard</em> magazines, including <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=CQkEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">the September 15, 1973 edition</a>. The full Hot 100 can be found on page 56. A front-page article explains that the availability of Super 8 was showing a market for prerecorded material, but the high price point was an issue. Page 23 has more about the argument about using color-coded jukebox labels. The large pull-out section is of interest to those of us who are historically-minded: it celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Deutsche Grammophon company. <br />
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</div><div align="center"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=124192.10000555&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Concert Video" border="0" src="http://images.wolfgangsvault.com/images/content/affiliates/video-300x250.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=124192.10000555&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#Garfunkel" target="_blank"><span id="goog_1297217770"></span>Garfunkel<span id="goog_1297217771"></span></a> - "All I Know"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fall-i-know%252Fid198468040%253Fi%253D198468385%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="All I Know - Garfunkel" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #79, Peaked #9, 14 Weeks on chart)<br />
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On the label he's listed simply as Garfunkel, but "All I Know" was the solo debut of Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon's former duet partner. It was written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by several artists, but Garfunkel's version was the best-performing, reaching the Top 10 pop chart and hitting #1 on the adult contemporary survey. It featured the high vocal register that Garfunkel contributed to his well-known duets and showed that he was able to craft a hit without Simon by his side.<br />
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At the time of the song's release, it had been three years since the split between Art Garfunkel and his boyhood chum. That was an eternity in the music business then, but he had kept himself in the public spotlight as an actor in the films <i>Catch-22</i> and <i>Carnal Knowledge</i> while his former partner kick-started his own solo career. While it wasn't necessary because their performing styles are different, his passions outside of the music business helped to keep the questions at bay about whether one member of the duo was competing with the other the way that certain ex-Beatles were.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00136M29M&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/e.html#Eagles" target="_blank">The Eagles</a> - "Outlaw Man"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Foutlaw-man%252Fid192841566%253Fi%253D192844234%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Outlaw Man - Desperado" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #81, Peaked #59, 8 Weeks on chart)<br />
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While the members of The Eagles are well-regarded as songwriters on their own, it's worth mentioning that "Outlaw Man" is the only song on the <i>Desperado</i> LP that wasn't at least co-written by one of the group's members. Instead, it was written by David Blue, who originally recorded it for his own album <i>Nice Baby and the Angel</i>.<br />
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It's also one of the least-known songs of the group's singles. In fact, the album's songs "Tequila Sunrise" (which charted lower) and "Desperado" (not released as a single at all) are better-known today. In a way, it's a relic of the time where they were still trying to find their sound; it's definitely rooted in the Southwest, but the synthesis that brought multiplatinum success was still an album or two away. The vocal harmonies are there, but the instrumentation is still all over the place stylistically. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0011Z1B74&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Bloodstone" target="_blank">Bloodstone</a> - "Never Let You Go"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fnever-let-you-go-single-version%252Fid300197301%253Fi%253D300197380%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Never Let You Go (Single Version) - The Essentials: Bloodstone" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84, Peaked #43, 14 Weeks on chart)<br />
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The followup single the "Natual High" was a much more standard R&B track than the hit was. As a result, it fell just short of the pop Top 40 even as it was a Top 10 hit on the R&B survey. Showcasing the high register of singer Henry Williams, he starts out in his normal voice and breaks out into a higher-pitched assertion in the chorus as he pleads his devotion. All the while, the rest of the band show their Doo-Wop influences as they lend their support to him.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">Part of the <em>Natural High</em> LP, "Never Let You Go" was the second overall hit for the Kansas City-bred, Los Angeles-based band. They weren't yet finished, though: they had more hits to come.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001OAVVBM&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#DrJohn" target="_blank">Dr. John</a> - "Such A Night"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fsuch-a-night%252Fid145077581%253Fi%253D145076965%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Such a Night - In the Right Place" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #42, 9 Weeks on chart)<br />
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If "Such a Night" sounds a little out of place as a 1973 single, there's a reason: Mac Rebennack (the New Orleans-based musician who created Dr. John as his alter ego) wrote it a decade earlier, which gave it an old-time quality. Some call it "timeless," but the times really didn't give Dr. John style points for his effort. The song feel barely short of the Top 40 but is worth a listen if you're not familiar with it.<br />
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"Such a Night" definitely had a timeless quality, with its rolling piano, its striding beat and its smooth female chorus. Even though it just missed the pop Top 40 during its chart run, the song appeared in the movie <em>The Last Waltz</em> and has gained some fame that eluded it initially.<br />
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</div><div align="center"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0012EENSS&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/o.html#MarieO" target="_blank">Marie Osmond</a> - "Paper Roses"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fpaper-roses%252Fid250138%253Fi%253D250114%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Paper Roses - Osmondmania! Osmond Family Greatest Hits" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #5, 16 Weeks on chart)<br />
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With "Paper Roses," Marie Osmond became the newest member of the Osmond family to hit the pop charts. Her brothers had already charted at the time with their act, her brother Donny had a successful solo career apart from the act, and even her youngest brother Jimmy hit the chart with a novelty hit. So it might have been inevitable that another member of the Osmond family was standing by with a microphone in her hand.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">"Paper Roses" -- a song where the roses are a metaphor for a false love -- was a #5 hit in 1960 for Anita Bryant. While Osmond matched that peak pop position, she also took it to #1 on the country chart. At the time, she became the youngest artist to top that chart and the first female artist to take her debut to #1. It was her way of adding credence to the "little bit country" when she and Donny had their TV show later in the decade.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZZJB6&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#LeonRussell" target="_blank">Leon Russell</a> - "Queen Of The Roller Derby"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fqueen-of-the-roller-derby-live%252Fid378151156%253Fi%253D378151206%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Queen of the Roller Derby (Live) - Leon Live (Remastered)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #89, 2 Weeks on chart)<br />
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Leon Russell may have seemed like he was everywhere in the early 1970s. After Joe Cocker's <i>Mad Dogs and Englishmen</i> showcased him and his band, and <i>The Concert for Bangladesh</i> featured him as well, he came along with his own set <i>Leon Live</i> in 1973. The version of the song above features the song as it appeared on the 1972 LP <i>Carny</i>, but the single was a shortened version recorded live.<br />
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Live, the song was performed at a slightly faster pace, mimicking the performance that Little Richard might have given in in the 1950s. In fact, the song appears to be a "callback" to that era, with its pounding piano as well as the call-and-response by the female backing chorus. It failed to get any higher than #89 on the pop chart, but it was a great listen and deserved a better chance than the one it received.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000SZERRE&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/t.html#TofP" target="_blank">Tower of Power</a> - "This Time It's Real"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fthis-time-its-real%252Fid287826674%253Fi%253D287826748%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="This Time It's Real - Tower of Power" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #91, Peaked #65, 6 Weeks on chart)<br />
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The video clip is a little out of register and tinny, and looks like it was recorded directly off a mono TV set. However, it captures Tower of Power doing their thing live on <i>Soul Train</i>, with Lenny Williams out in front and the band's famed horn section making themselves known. It's a great period piece, so I decided to go with that, rather than a performance of the song from later and sung by a different vocalist.<br />
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"This Time it's Real" was one of three songs that charted off of the band's self-titled second LP. It missed the Top 40, but the beat was timeless, with the feel that it could have been a hit during the Big Band era. The horn section was at the peak of its form, and it's aged a lot better that many of the songs that played around it at the time...at least, the places that actually played it, given it's #65 peak.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001OGRM1Y&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/t.html#10cc" target="_blank">10cc</a> - "Rubber Bullets"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Frubber-bullets%252Fid259482496%253Fi%253D259482560%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Rubber Bullets - 10cc" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #96, Peaked #73, 8 Weeks on chart)<br />
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10cc established their twisted sense of humor even before they were a group, when they recorded "Neanderthal Man" as Hotlegs in 1971. While the song "Rubber Bullets" takes place at a "<i>local county jail</i>" when a dance there goes awry, the fact that the British Army was using rubber bullets against activists in Northern Ireland almost sunk the song. BBC radio programmers banned it because of the possibility that fans might think the wrong thing. However, the gatekeepers over at BBC-TV may have actually heard the catchy tune and allowed it to play. It was the group's first #1 hit in the U.K. and was their first hit in the U.S. after taking the new name. <br />
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Written by group members Kevin Godley, Lol Creme and Graham Gouldman, "Rubber Bullets" was often the song the group used to finish its concert sets. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002LVSAD0&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#JeanShepard" target="_blank">Jean Shepard</a> - "Slippin' Away"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fslippin-away%252Fid283873372%253Fi%253D283873436%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Slippin' Away - Slippin' Away" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #81, 6 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qo_wuBhC4ZE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Jean Shepard was a long-time country singer whose insistence on staying with the honky-tonk style limited her chart success when country shifted toward the Nashville Sound in the 1950s. With "Slippn' Away," it was the fist time Shepard had been on the pop chart since 1953, when she had a pair of hits based on the "Dear John" letters that military men have come to dread.<br />
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"Slippin' Away" was written by Bill Anderson, a Nashville legend in his own right. That said, it was composed in the harder Bakersfield style and used the double meaning of the title to describe the erosion of love and hinted at the well-known suggestion of infidelity that was a staple of country music. It was Shepard's only Hot 100 hit, her last Top 10 country hit and her biggest hit in nearly a decade.<br />
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</div><div align="center"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B005I88704&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#JDenver" target="_blank">John Denver</a> - "Farewell Andromeda (Welcome To My Morning)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ffarewell-andromeda-welcome%252Fid286789678%253Fi%253D286789752%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Farewell Andromeda (Welcome to My Morning) - Farewell Andromeda" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #100, Peaked #89, 5 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6aBnRKda4K8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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When the album <i>Farewell Andromeda</i> hit the shelves, it was moderately successful, hitting the Top 20 on Billboard's album chart. However, its three singles all failed to reach the Top 40 pop chart. While Denver had scored two Top 10 singles by then ("Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Rocky Mountain High") and written a #1 hit for another act ("Leaving On a Jet Plane"), the album may have seemed like an indication that his career was slowing down. However, the next year his career kicked into a higher gear, one that would define him for the rest of his life.<br />
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The song ""Farewell Andromeda (Welcome To My Morning)" ended the LP, and was a pleasant enough acoustic guitar-backed song with a sing-along chorus. In a way, it perfectly fit his early 1970s "sound" but wasn't an indication of what his appeal would be. Blame it on the silly title, or you can blame the way his simple vocal/guitar intro has more and more elements added to it as the song goes on. By the end, I think he was trying to sound atmospheric but there is a certain point where enough is enough. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001DP6MNK&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
</div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-72839108943920863372012-09-12T20:30:00.121-04:002012-09-13T18:28:36.193-04:00Rewind -- September 11, 1971<i>Once again, I'm taking one of the entries from this blog's first year and giving it a glossier spit-shine. This was the first week I took on a longer list of debut singles, but I also didn't worry about videos, chart info...or in one case, whether I'd actually heard the song. This allows me to fix those little issues.</i><br />
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There were 16 debuts on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> Hot 100 (although one was a re-entry) this week. With such an infusion of new blood into a countdown, one would expect a lot of high-charting singles, but it wasn't the case here; only four of the singles made the Top 40 and only one reached the Top 10. In fact, nearly half of these songs never made it out of the 80s or 90s before they fell off the survey. Two of the new songs were unusual because their singers had died before the records charted.<br />
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I also never linked to back issues of <i>Billboard </i>magazine when I did this the first time around...<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=yggEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">here's the September 11, 1971 issue</a>. The full Hot 100 chart can be found on page 60. An interesting headline on page 3 jumped out at me: "<i>Shelter Sued By Superman</i>." A picture of bare breasts also jumped out at me on page 12...if you read this from the office of around those who get offended, you might want to wait before you read it.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=214935.32&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="CDUniverse.com" border="0" src="http://www.cduniverse.com/banners/live/cdu/592x65_music/592x65_music01.gif" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=214935.32&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#Revere" target="_blank">The Raiders</a> - "Birds of a Feather"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D200029506%2526id%253D200018188%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Paul Revere & The Raiders - The Legend of Paul Revere - Birds of a Feather" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #81, Peaked #23, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This was the follow-up single to "Indian Reservation," one of the biggest hits of Summer '71. While Paul Revere & the Raiders had been a radio presence (some say they were incredibly underrated as a band) during the 1960s, by 1970 they seemed a little out of place with the long name and Revolutionary War uniforms. Additionally, a band that comically tore up an old piano onstage during their finale and crafted radio-friendly pop tunes was being overshadowed by other groups who expressed their ideas in more serious territory and over the two sides of an LP. Therefore, the group's name was shortened to The Raiders.<br />
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At the same time, lead singer Mark Lindsay had been enjoying some success as a solo artist. In a sense, "Birds of a Feather" sounds more like Lindsay's solo stuff (including another "bird" song, "Silver Bird") than any of the group's better-known 1960s hits. The song would peak at #23, and the Raiders never made the Top 40 again.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137XNFI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#MainIngr" target="_blank">The Main Ingredient</a> - "Black Seeds Keep On Growing"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D304819441%2526id%253D304819235%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Main Ingredient - Everybody Plays the Fool: The Best of the Main Ingredient - Black Seeds Keep On Growing" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #100, Peaked #97, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This song, a "Black Pride" anthem, was bittersweet for The Main Ingredient. Not only did it peak at #97 and fall off the charts after only three weeks, its singer Don McPherson had died of leukemia just two months earlier. He was 29. His replacement was Cuba Gooding (yes, the actor's father), who enjoyed a great deal of success with the band beginning with "Everybody Plays the Fool" the next year.<br />
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Although "Black Seeds" has been largely forgotten, it deserves a fresh listen despite the fact that the topic may seem dated. The lyrics and music both evoke the socially-aware songs being released in the same era by The Temptations.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001BHG05A&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#Funkadelic" target="_blank">Funkadelic</a> - "Can You Get to That"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D108231781%2526id%253D108231902%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Funkadelic - Maggot Brain - Can You Get to That" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #96, Peaked #93, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Funkadelic is well-known for its part as one of the cogs in George Clinton's "P-Funk" machine. Clinton was so talented and funk was so fertile in the 1970s, he was able to run two successful acts in the genre and both would be groundbreaking. Yet for all the accolades given to the group for its funk prowess, "Can You Get to That" is an interesting choice for a single. It wasn't able to make a big dent on the charts, though; it peaked at #93 and was gone after three weeks.<br />
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The song was one of the standout tracks on Funkadelic's third LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Maggot Brain</span>. It begins with an acoustic guitar (not something one would expect to hear on a funk song) and sounds a lot like a gospel song with its call-and-response chorus and lyrics that ask about striving to a higher purpose. A bass vocal similar to the one Larry Graham was contributing to Sly & the Family Stone at that time also stands out on the track. Although it isn't all that similar to the harder funk that casual fans expect from the group, "Can You Get to That" is still a treat.<br />
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By the way...if you've never hear it, check out the track "Maggot Brian." It's an instrumental that begins the LP (and is the track just before "Can You Get to That") and has one of the greatest electric guitar solos -- by Eddie Hazel -- ever grooved on vinyl. Again, it's not entirely "funk" in the sense that funk has evolved a lot since 1971 but it's something that might just make you a fan of the group and its sound if you've never considered listening to it before.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000SHEISK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/j.html#Janis" target="_blank">Janis Joplin</a> - "Get it While You Can"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D185604405%2526id%253D185603449%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Janis Joplin - Pearl - Get It While You Can" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #80, Peaked #78, 2 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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A lot of ink has been used to explain the impact and importance of Janis Joplin's LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Pearl</span>. She died before it was finished (the song "Buried Alive in the Blues" is an instrumental because she died before she could lay down her vocals) and the LP is one of those cases where listeners are left to wonder what she could have accomplished had she lived to record at least another record.<br />
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"Get it While You Can" was the final song from that posthumous LP (though a CD re-issue nearly 30 years later added four live tracks at the end). Like much of <span style="font-style: italic;">Pearl</span>, it featured Joplin's vocal rasp without the heavy music that sometimes tried to overwhelm her during her days with Big Brother & the Holding Company. A remake of a 1966 Howard Tate song, it was the third and final single from the album but didn't fare well on the charts. Although it peaked at #78, it was only listed for two weeks.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137SZ9C&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/k.html#BBKing" target="_blank">B.B. King</a> - "Ghetto Woman"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D6205744%2526id%253D6205786%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="B.B. King - In London - Ghetto Woman" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #79, Peaked #68, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This is about what can be expected from a B.B. King song. The intro features a solo from King's beloved guitar Lucille that is similar to the great bridge of "The Thrill is Gone," the lyrics tell the familiar blues story about the long-suffering woman waiting on her no-good man to get home from cattin' around.<br />
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The song was taken from <span style="font-style: italic;">B.B. King in London</span>, one of two live LPs he charted that year.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Chase" target="_blank">Chase</a> - "Handbags and Gladrags"</span><br />
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(Debuted #95, Peaked #84, 5 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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This song was the follow-up to the effusive hit "Get it On." Although it also features horns that recall the earlier hit, "Handbags and Gladrags" didn't have the same success. It only reached #84 and was all but forgotten a few months later when Rod Stewart -- who had recorded it in 1970 -- hit with his own version of the song.<br />
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Sadly, group leader Bill Chase and three other members of the band died in a plane crash on August 9, 1974. That was the end of the group.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#CheeChee" target="_blank">Chee Chee & Peppy</a> - "I Know I'm in Love" </span>(Not Available on iTunes)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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(Debuted #91, Peaked #85, 6 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Although this single was listed as a new entry, it was making its second run on the charts after peaking at #49 during the summer. Unfortunately, its second wind wasn't as good as the first: the song only made it to #85 this time around and no other singles from Chee Chee & Peppy ever charted.<br />
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The song sounds like an imitation of The Jackson 5. One line of the song ("just as long as one and one is two") can't help but point out an influence from the song "ABC." There isn't a lot of info on Chee Chee & Peppy to be found, but it's obvious by listening that they were very young in 1971.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#4Tops" target="_blank">The Four Tops</a> - "MacArthur Park (Part 2)"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D305100738%2526id%253D305100039%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Four Tops - The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 11B: 1971 - MacArthur Park, Pt. 2" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #78, Peaked #38, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"MacArthur Park" is a much-maligned song. From its original incarnation by actor Richard Harris to its disco-era Donna Summer remake, critics have panned it frequently. It was also covered by country artist Waylon Jennings and Motown legends The Four Tops. As Jimmy Guterman & Owen O'Donnell wrote in their 1991 book <span style="font-style: italic;">The Worst Rock & Roll Records of All Time</span>: "one suspects a rap version is imminent."<br />
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The Four Tops' version of the song isn't a sonic marvel but it really isn't all that bad. The video above has the entire version, but it was broken up into two sides for the 45 release, Part 2 was the hit. The unintentionally comical bits about the cake being left in the rain and how the recipe is lost for all time aren't there, but the later part of Harris's song which is often cut from Summer's version for radio play is included.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001TXSGJ4&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/l.html#Lighthouse" target="_blank">Lighthouse</a> - "One Fine Morning"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D295112137%2526id%253D295112112%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Lighthouse - The Best of Lighthouse: Sunny Days Again - One Fine Morning" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #75, Peaked #24, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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In 1971, the group Blood, Sweat & Tears' chart fortunes were heading into a downward spiral and singer David Clayton-Thomas left the band. At the same time, Lighthouse sounds like it could have been Clayton-Thomas's next project. It was a band with a big brass sound like BS&T and hailed from Clayton-Thomas's native Canada, but the big voice behind Lighthouse belonged to Bob McBride.<br />
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Helped by a great deal of radio airplay, "One Fine Morning" managed to reach #24 on the charts. It can still occasionally be heard on radio stations playing an oldies format.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001BVRAH8&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/n.html#Newcomers" target="_blank">The Newcomers</a> - "Pin the Tail on the Donkey"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D40286414%2526id%253D40286377%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Newcomers - The Astors Meet the Newcomers: Sweet Soul from Memphis - Pin the Tail On the Donkey" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #74, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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This was the only song The Newcomers placed on the Hot 100 during the 1970s. Although they were signed to the innovative Stax label, they sound like a lot of other early 1970s soul artists on this song.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001229ZG0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#BillieSans" target="_blank">Billie Sans</a> - "Solo" </span>(Not Available on iTunes)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
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(Debuted #98, Peaked #91, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I had yet to hear this song the first time I wrote this review. I've fixed that little problem since then, and "Solo" is a song that is a nice 1970s-type pop song that sounds like it could have been played behind a <i>Scooby-Doo</i> chase scene. I can almost see Fred evading the ghostly hand as he turns away without realizing it. An acoustic guitar riff that sounds like it was cribbed from The Who's "Pinball Wizard" kicks off the song, and horns brighten the chorus.<br />
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There isn't a whole lot of info out there on who Billie Sans is, either. If anybody can point me to something, drop me an email.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/n.html#DirtBand" target="_blank">The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band</a> - "Some of Shelley's Blues"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D74137325%2526id%253D74137445%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Uncle Charlie & His Dog Teddy - Some of Shelly's Blues" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #64, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">It's a shame that The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's 1970s repertoire will be boiled down to "Mr. Bojangles" because the band deserved to have a lot more of their songs remembered. In an era where many artists were willing to explore their country, folk or bluegrass roots (The Byrds, Bob Dylan, Poco, The Eagles, etc.), NDGB was offering their own fusion of the genres. The LP that featured "Mr. Bojangles" -- <span style="font-style: italic;">Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy</span> -- was released in 1970 but wouldn't get any hits until 1971. After the success of "Mr. Bojangles," other singles would be released.<br />
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"Some of Shelley's Blues" was the third single from <span style="font-style: italic;">Uncle Charlie</span> but the first song on the LP. Written by ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith, it was a breakup song delivered as a conversation. A banjo and guitar provide the counterpoint to the lyrics. The song is worth a few listens, but listeners need to be warned that repeated listening will lead to having the song embedded in the brain for a while.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000THFWE8&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/l.html#Lightfoot" target="_blank">Gordon Lightfoot</a> - "Summer Side of Life"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D608712%2526id%253D608750%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Gordon Lightfoot - Summer Side of Life - Summer Side of Life" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #99, Peaked #98, 2 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I was born in 1972, so I wasn't around to hear this song during its chartmaking days. Growing up, this song was one of the tunes included in <span style="font-style: italic;">Gord's Gold</span> -- an LP that has long resided in my collection -- so it became as familiar to me as Lightfoot's other hits "If You Can Read My Mind," "Sundown" or "Carefree Highway." However, it was a #98 hit and spent all of two weeks on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> chart. That was a surprise because I've heard the song more often through the years than a lot of others that charted much higher.<br />
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And yes, it does sound a lot like his other 1970s hits. But that's not an indictment of the song; it's a great song even if it doesn't rise to the level of the songs I listed above.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#AMurray" target="_blank">Anne Murray</a> - "Talk it Over in the Morning"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D267771506%2526id%253D267771504%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Anne Murray - Talk It Over In the Morning - Talk It Over In the Morning" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #76, Peaked #57, 7 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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It's interesting to see this Anne Murray song following Gordon Lightfoot: They're both from Canada, both songs were the title tracks from their newest LPs and both LPs featured "Cotton Jenny" as one of the songs. Sadly, neither song debuting on the Hot 100 this week would make the Top 40.<br />
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Anne Murray was an interesting act of the 1970s. She was marketed to both pop and country audiences even though much of her music didn't fit the country genre. She also had a sound similar to singer/songwriters like Judy Collins or Carole King even though most of her songs were written by others. Though she'd have a great deal of success later in the decade, in 1971 she was still mainly remembered by music fans for the surprise million-selling crossover hit "Snowbird." As for "Talk it Over in the Morning," it comes across as a song that Dionne Warwick could've sung during her David/Bacharach rays. Which is another head-scratcher for anybody who is told that Murray was a "country" singer.<br />
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(<i>Full disclosure...I'm a big fan of Anne Murray. "Could I Have This Dance" was my wedding song. For what it's worth, she could sing the names from a phone book and make it sound excellent.</i>)<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#Messengers" target="_blank">The Messengers</a> - "That's the Way a Woman is"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D305100054%2526id%253D305100039%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Messengers - The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 11B: 1971 - That's the Way a Woman Is" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #93, Peaked #62, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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The Messengers were one of the first white acts signed to Motown (for their Rare Earth imprint), which explains why this song really doesn't have the distinctive Motown "sound." It's passable early 1970s pop; however, once the song reached #62 and fell off the chart the band split up.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/o.html#Osmonds" target="_blank">The Osmonds</a> - "Yo-Yo"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D5241323%2526id%253D5241343%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Osmonds - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Osmonds - Yo-Yo" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #3, 13 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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The only song in this week's slate of newcomers to push into the Top 10 wouldn't be a surprise for anybody who remembers how popular the Osmonds were in 1971. In fact, the #1 song for the week "Yo-Yo" debuted was "Go Away Little Girl," sung by group member Donny Osmond. Before long, even siblings who weren't among the five brothers in The Osmonds (Marie and Little Jimmy) were getting hit singles.<br />
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"Yo-Yo" may have been a better song than "One Bad Apple" (a #1 hit from earlier in 1971) but the "yo yo" effect made by a slide whistle comes across as gimmicky. Seen through the prism of almost 40 years, The Osmonds' bigger hits are much more easily digested than a lot of other 1970s hits. That is, once the listener gets past things like the slide whistle on "Yo-Yo" and the guitar bit in "Crazy Horses."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W29868&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-11617615068354479832012-09-08T20:30:00.364-04:002012-09-08T20:30:00.842-04:00This Week's Review -- September 7, 1974There were nine new singles on this week's Hot 100, with a very solid six reaching into the Top 40 and two Top 10 hits. Those two Top 10 singles are still played today; one has been embraced by its artist (also its inspiration) as a theme song of sorts, while the other is largely seen as a novelty. The Top 40 hits were a diverse group, with a change of direction for The Ohio Players that signified a new stlye for them, another "comeback" hit for The Righteous Brothers, a funk-laden hit for Kool and the Gang, and Steppenwolf's last chart hit. The songs that missed the Top 40 included a country #1 by Waylon Jennings, a song that showed that The Blackbyrds were stretching out, and a hit that was essentially a reworking of William DeVaughan's earlier hit. <br />
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Over at Google Books there is a large archive of past Billboard magazines, including <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=RAkEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">the September 7, 1974 edition</a>. The full Hot 100 list is on page 56. A focus on family acts and their history in the R&B field begins on page 28. The large pull-out section features a spotlight on the music of Texas, which was a big part of the magazine featured a couple of weeks back. That one was from 1979 and included Oklahoma, but it's worth noting that the state is large enough to be quite diverse, and this proves that Texas is home to more than just country. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=254721.13&subid=0&type=4" target="new"><img alt="SMS Audio LLC" border="0" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=254721.13&subid=0&type=4&gridnum=1" /></a></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/o.html#OhioPlayers" target="_blank">The Ohio Players</a> - "Skin Tight"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fskin-tight-12-version%252Fid85395%253Fi%253D85380%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img -="-" alt="Skin Tight (12" skin="skin" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" tight="tight" version="version" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #45, Peaked #13, 11 Weeks on chart)<br />
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At the time they released the LP <i>Skin Tight</i>, The Ohio Players had been a regular presence on R&B radio but really hadn't broken through in a huge way. They had just switched record labels and had to be convinced that they needed to lay off the extended jam sessions in the studio and narrow their focus into just making great pop music. Hindsight shows they did quite well for the next few years following that advice. <br />
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Kicking off the LP, the song "Skin Tight" provided a taste of what was to come. The title was appropriate for the band -- tight -- as they were one of the dominant pop/funk bands for the next several years. Featuring a notable trumpet flourish throughout the song, it was a celebration of the women's jeans that were then in vogue. It also served notice that the band had arrived.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/j.html#EltonJohn" target="_blank">Elton John</a> - "The Bitch is Back"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fthe-bitch-is-back%252Fid379843%253Fi%253D379841%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="The Bitch Is Back - Caribou" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #63, Peaked #4, 14 Weeks on chart)<br />
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Even though Elton John was the "music" side of the John/Taupin partnership, he was figured in the lyrics for this song. Evidently, he was in a foul mood one day and caused Bernie Taupin's wife Maxine to sigh, "the bitch is back." Taupin loved the phrase and soon wrote a song around it. To his credit, John embraced it pretty quickly and adopted it as a personal theme song, showing that there's no hard feelings arising from a term that might be considered offensive. <br />
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Of course, being able to sing those words with one of the top bands in the world behind him as well as The Tower of Power horn section, and inside one of the premiere studios in the world (the Caribou in Colorado, James Guercio's studio that gave the LP its title) didn't hurt at all. Nor was being Elton John in 1974...he was on the top of the music world, enough of a star that he could get away with using a word that would have caused most record executives to step in and take action.<br />
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Now that didn't stop the record company from trying.When some middle America stations refused to play the song, MCA offered a version that blanked out the word "bitch." Which was probably odd, considering the number of times it's used in the lyrics (42). That's a lot of dead air for a station to have. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#Righteous" target="_blank">The Righteous Brothers</a> - "Give It To The People"</b> (Not Available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #77, Peaked #20, 9 Weeks on chart)<br />
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"Give it to the People" was the second of three hits after Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield reunited as The Righteous Brothers after a six-year break to go solo. While all three songs made the pop Top 40, neither it nor its followup "Dream On" were remembered in quite the same way as their first comeback hit "Rock and Roll Heaven," a #3 hit in 1974. The fact that the video above is the third one I've had to find underscores that, and I really don't expect this one to stay for long, either. I hope I'm wrong, but the fact that a couple of Top 40 songs can be forgotten even among fans of the decade kinda proves the point I'm about to make.<br />
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"Give it to the People" is a generic Righteous Brothers song, featuring the two voices doing their thing the same way they did on their earlier hits. However, while their earlier material often featured some interplay between them, this time around they just seem to be going through the motions. Earlier, their work with producer Phil Spector made for some very compelling radio singles; with Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter here, they seem to just be singing over a music bed from the action scene of a generic movie. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#Steppenwolf" target="_blank">Steppenwolf</a> - "Straight Shootin' Woman"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fstraight-shootin-woman%252Fid307006%253Fi%253D509155220%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Straight Shootin' Woman - Born to Be Wild - A Retrospective (1966-1990)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #81, Peaked #29, 9 Weeks on chart)<br />
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Steppenwolf's final hit is pretty much what you'd expect from the band: a high-adrenaline rush with a guitar-based attack behind John Kay's vocals. It was pretty automatic for the band's material.<br />
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That said, the original group had been broken up in 1972 as Kay devoted time to his solo career. They reunited with a couple of new members in 1974 and produced three records for the short-lived CBS subsidiary Mums after Kay stated that Dunhill's support for his solo record was lukewarm. <i>Slow Flux</i> was the first of the three albums but "Straight Shootin' Woman" was the only single to chart. They once again broke up after 1976, but would reappear many times in the future.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/k.html#KoolGang" target="_blank">Kool and the Gang</a> - "Higher Plane"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fhigher-plane%252Fid128522%253Fi%253D128513%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Higher Plane - Light of Worlds" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84, Peaked #37, 8 Weeks on chart)<br />
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Recorded just after the group's first brush with wide success, the <i>Light of Worlds</i> LP followed a theme. Sine it was the band's ninth album (counting two compilations), nine songs were recorded and represented the planets of the solar system. The concept was itself a novelty, but the music was a serene jazz/funk fusion that represented spirituality and sophistication. <br />
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Part of that sonic landscape was "Higher Plane," a funk-injected workout that represented the band's work pretty well. Like much of the group's material, the music wasn't as much about the lyrics as the overall groove. And "Higher Plane" cuts a fairly solid groove through its five minutes.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#DeVaughan" target="_blank">William DeVaughn</a> - "Blood Is Thicker Than Water"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fblood-is-thicker-than-water%252Fid447511693%253Fi%253D447511721%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Blood Is Thicker Than Water - Soul Legend" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #43, 9 Weeks on chart)<br />
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At first listen, it might be easy to confuse "Blood is Thicker Than Water" with William DeVaughn's hit "Be Thankful For What You've Got" due to a similar beat. Since both songs came from the same album, it's likely that the two songs were written and recorded at the same time. <br />
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DeVaughn was working for the federal government at the time, and used $900 of his own money to get his music recorded for a vanity label called Omega. The words had a religious feel to them to fit his beliefs as a Jehovah's witness. DeVaughn was solidly behind his own lyrics, even preaching to the audience at his live shows. He soon grew tired of the industry (and perhaps its "evils") and would leave until 1980. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#Reunion" target="_blank">Reunion</a> - "Life Is A Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flife-is-rock-but-radio-rolled%252Fid215790999%253Fi%253D215791598%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me) - Radio Hits of the '70s" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #8, 15 Weeks on chart)<br />
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"Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" isn't as much a song as it is a list of influences that reached into the 1950s. The collection of musical acts, phrases and radio DJs was part of the overall nostalgic feel that was beginning to take hold of the population as they reflected on the fact that life <i>seemed</i> much simpler in the olden days. We all know it really wasn't, but things <i>seem</i> better when you're younger because the parents seemed to be the ones that worried. Once those kids grew up and realized that life was full of trouble, it's easy to think back on a time that didn't present the same troubles.<br />
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This is a nostalgic blog. Believe me, I understand the sentiment.<br />
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The vocals by in the song were provided by Joey Levine, the same guy who voiced dozens of bubblegum records by The Ohio Express and the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Chorus. Levine was also a producer and a big architect of the "bubblegum sound." However, what "Life is a Rock" did was showcase his rapid-fire delivery of a bunch of lines that may not make a lot of sense to the kids who didn't grow up with 1960s rock & roll.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/j.html#Waylon" target="_blank">Waylon Jennings</a> - "I'm A Ramblin' Man"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fim-a-ramblin-man%252Fid254483495%253Fi%253D254483505%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="I'm a Ramblin' Man - Ramblin' Man" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #91, Peaked #75, 7 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/--XdhfJKjEk" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Before country's Outlaw movement took the genre by storm, Waylon Jennings was espousing its lifestyle well ahead of when it became "cool" to do so. At the time it was released, Nashville was still enamored of its Nudie suit-wearing, rhinestone-covered smooth singers. Little did the establishment know that the sound would soon get a shakeup in the form of long-haired, tough-living scoundrels.<br />
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"I'm a Ramblin' Man" seemed to come as a warning from Jennings that he was heading that way. While he doesn't apologize for his ways, he's also letting you know that it's not safe to get mixed up with him. In fact, his song is flat-out saying that he can't be held responsible for what happens if somebody gets "<i>too close to the flame</i>." Because he's going to keep on rambling his way on out of there.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137Y2C6&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Blackbyrds" target="_blank">The Blackbyrds</a> - "Do It, Fluid"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fdo-it-fluid%252Fid219282132%253Fi%253D219282134%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Do It, Fluid - The Blackbyrds" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #94, Peaked #69, 6 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cJDmAlRx8gk" width="560"></iframe><br />
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The Blackbyrds were the result of six full-time students from Howard University taking the lead of Donald Byrd, a working jazz musician who served as the department chair at the time. Beginning as a Donald Byrd project, The Blackbyrds took flight on their own self-titled debut LP and "Do it Fluid" was both the first track on the album and the debut single under the group's new name.<br />
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A solid jazz/funk workout, "Do it Fluid" represents the band getting acquainted in the studio and their way of getting to know each other as they prepared to make more music. It was a way of loosening up the crowd before the better stuff came down.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000UBJUSC&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
</div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-11187483838375186352012-09-05T20:30:00.109-04:002012-09-05T21:34:58.793-04:00Rewind -- September 6, 1975<i>This is part of a series where I revisit the posts from this blog's first year and fix some of the issues -- the "growing pains" -- that plagued me.</i><br />
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There were 14 singles debuting in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> Hot 100 this week-- okay, 13 new singles and one that was returning after falling off a few weeks before. Additionally, three of those new singles were two-sided. That may seem like a lot of chart action; however, every week of 1975 between June 14 and this week had at least 10 new debut records and two of the weeks in June also saw 14 new singles. So infusion of new music into the countdown was normal.In all, the entire slate of new records was a decent cross section of 1970s popular music. The genres included disco, country, R&B, funk, Southern Rock, AOR, rock and even a novelty number.<br />
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Over at Google Books <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=SCgEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">is the September 6, 1975 edition of <i>Billboard</i> magazine</a>. The full Hot 100 list is on page 68. A neat little interview with Ed McMahon about his early radio career starts on page 12.<br />
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</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type3_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></i></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Chicago" target="_blank">Chicago</a> - "Brand New Love Affair (Part I & II)"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D189563%2526id%253D189565%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Chicago - Chicago VIII - Brand New Love Affair, Pts. 1 & 2" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #82, Peaked #61, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/pbVroHqyJNw" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Chicago was a monster act of the 1970s. As the decade progressed, they charted on the Hot 100 28 times. That was more often than acts like The Bee Gees, Neil Diamond, John Denver, Elton John, Elvis Presley or Paul McCartney. As a performing act, only James Brown placed more singles on the chart from 1970-'79-- 37 of them -- than the group that named itself after the Windy City. Of those 28 chart records, 21 of them made it to the Top 40 (behind only Elton John and Sir Paul, who each made 24 trips into the 40). From 1970-'75, all 16 of Chicago's chart entries made the Top 40. Until "Brand New Love Affair," that is. It didn't get higher than #61.<br />
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This was one of many singles of the 1970s that was broken up into two parts. The success of long-running songs on FM radio formats and also hits like "American Pie" had created a need for record companies to fit longer pieces onto 7-inch discs. This was often accomplished by strategically "splitting" the song but eventually, some artists made longer jams that were essentially two songs spliced together so they'd be easily dissected on record. "Brand New Love Affair" was one of those songs. The first part is much slower than Chicago's major hits to that point, with no sign of the horns that made them famous behind Terry Kath's vocal. As the second part of the song kicks in, it sounds more like what fans expected in a Chicago song: the brass section shows up, Peter Cetera takes over the singing duties and the pace picks up. Despite the limitations of the 3-minute "made-for-radio" single, the composition as an LP track was flat.<br />
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The album that included the song, <span style="font-style: italic;">Chicago VIII</span> (remember the way they used to number all their albums?) was #1 on <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span>'s Top 200 Albums chart but was panned as a weaker imitation of Chicago VII. Of the three singles released from the LP, "Brand New Love Affair" was the only one that missed the Top 40: its followup "Harry Truman" was a moderate success and "Old Days" returned the group to the Top 10. Interestingly, many of Chicago's LPs are available on Amazon for digital download; however, <span style="font-style: italic;">Chicago VIII</span> is not one of them.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#RustyW" target="_blank">Rusty Wier</a> - "Don't it Make You Wanna Dance"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #98, Peaked #82, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yyMyJJyKc3o" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Rusty Wier wasn't a bad pun; he was a Texas troubadour who was among the acts that came out of Austin (along with Jerry Jeff Walker and Michael Murphey) during the 1970s. This song was his only appearance on the Hot 100 and didn't make much of an impression there; however, it has been covered many times, most notably by Bonnie Raitt (who sang it live during a scene in the 1980 film <span style="font-style: italic;">Urban Cowboy</span>). Although his records have become hard to find and his music isn't available in digital form, Wier is still touring today.<br />
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The performance in the video above was a 1990 live show. At the time of writing this, It was the only YouTube video of the song. <br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#SlyStone" target="_blank">Sly Stone</a> - "I Get High on You"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D193128082%2526id%253D193125445%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Sly & The Family Stone - The Essential Sly & the Family Stone - I Get High on You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #52, 9 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Xql52v-fGAM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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This song is significant for two reasons: first, it was Sly Stone's first chart appearance without his backup group The Family Stone. Second, it would be the last time he'd show up in <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span>'s Hot 100. Despite a long period of groundbreaking music, years of excess and the toll of the road had left their mark and fractured the band.<br />
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Since 1968, Sly & the Family Stone were among the groups that defined funk. It's been written that Stone and James Brown originated most of the grooves that have propelled funk and hip-hop ever since. As a song, "I Get High on You" is a great funky tune which holds its own against other 1975 funk jams like "Up For the Down Stroke," "Skin Tight" or "Machine Gun." It's also worth noting that by 1975, Larry Graham -- Stone's old bass player from The Family -- was fronting Graham Central Station and pushing the limits of funk on his own. Although Sly Stone was leaving funk's center stage, his disciples would carry the flag for years to come.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137KK7M&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#LHaywood" target="_blank">Leon Haywood</a> - "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D3451949%2526id%253D3451964%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Leon Haywood - The Best of Funk Essentials: Funky Stuff - I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #15, 17 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BoeStB36dic" width="420"></iframe><br />
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While Sly Stone may have helped lay the foundation for funk, this song had lasting power. The instrumental intro would surface again nearly 20 years later as part of the Dr. Dre/Snoop Dogg composition "Nothin' But a G Thang." I'll call it a "composition" since I'm not a huge fan of rap or the lifestyle it espouses, but there's no denying the fact that the instrumental bit lifted from "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" was damned catchy.<br />
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The song "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" appeared on the radio in the same era as other suggestive hits like "Jungle Fever," "Pillow Talk" and "Let's Get it On" and along with Barry White's persona, there was a lot of sexual steam on the airwaves (those of you who missed the 1970s, take a listen to these tunes the next time your parents tell you that there wasn't anything suggestive like music today). While the music behind Haywood sets a mood, the moaning female background singers only accent exactly what "freaky" stuff he's singing about.<br />
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It's great song, no matter what era we're discussing.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0013XIMSA&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#Ronstadt" target="_blank">Linda Ronstadt</a> - "Heat Wave"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D309589878%2526id%253D309589779%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Linda Ronstadt - Prisoner In Disguise - Heat Wave" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">b/w "Love is a Rose"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D309589797%2526id%253D309589779%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Linda Ronstadt - Prisoner In Disguise - Love Is a Rose" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #73, Peaked #5, 15 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/S6nEK7RgDsI" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Since this is a two-sided record, here's a video of the flip from the same concert:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EE5r1izY37c" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Using two sides of a single to satisfy two different formats is something that has been lost in today's digital age. Today, when an artist wants to have songs played on different formats (for instance, Taylor Swift or Shania Twain), the record company takes the same song and remixes it with different instrumentation. Listen to the different versions of Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much" (or better yet, don't...and just take my word for it) and you'll hear two different songs but the exact same vocals.<br />
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In the 1970s, some artists used their single releases to maximum effect. Olivia Newton-John and Elvis Presley were among the acts using one side for rock/pop stations and another for country, and Linda Ronstadt was another. With this single, "Heat Wave" (a faithful cover of the 1960s hit by Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) was the pop song, and Neil Young-penned "Love is a Rose" was the one destined for country radio. Both peaked at #5 on their respective <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> charts.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0022EZ4JE&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0022EZ5R0&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#DickieG" target="_blank">Dickie Goodman</a> - "Mr. Jaws"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D206474925%2526id%253D206473397%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Dickie Goodman - Dickie Goodman's All Time Novelty Hits - Mr. Jaws" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #49, Peaked #4, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EMt01N58EAo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Dickie Goodman made his name by inventing the "break-in" record. Taking a cue from the classic 1938 radio show <span style="font-style: italic;">War of the Worlds</span>, Goodman made a record interspersing current hits with "reports" of a UFO landing by DJs and reporters. "The Flying Saucer" was such a hit in 1958 that Goodman continued making "break-in" records for the next 30 years. Among the topics of his novelty recordings in the 1970s were Watergate, the energy crisis, President Nixon and anything else that suited him.<br />
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In 1975, Goodman had his biggest "hit" with "Mr. Jaws." That summer, the film <span style="font-style: italic;">Jaws</span> was breaking box-office records, so Goodman's "roving reporter" went to work asking questions of various characters from the movie. The artists involved in the "answers" were Olivia Newton-John, James Taylor, War, KC & The Sunshine Band, The Captain & Tennille, Glen Campbell, The Eagles, The Bee Gees, 10cc, Melissa Manchester and John Williams (with his main theme from the film).<br />
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The song was a smash, quickly making it all the way to #4 on the <i>Billboard</i> charts. Unfortunately, it dropped off the charts as quickly as it rose and was one of few Top 5 records that didn't make its year-end Top 100 list.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000QMHLOA&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/l.html#Lundi" target="_blank">Pat Lundi</a> - "Party Music"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #100, Peaked #78, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/b1Yyo9LLRr0" width="560"></iframe><br />
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At the time I originally wrote this review, I'd never heard Pat Lundi's "Party Music" and found nothing about her. Even my R&B reference (she had three minor hit singles on that chart) had nothing about her.<br />
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Now that I've had the chance to hear it, it's actually a pretty nice early-disco version of a song from Melissa Manchester's first LP. As for Lundi, there's still not a lot about her to be found.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#Fogerty" target="_blank">John Fogerty</a> - "Rockin' All Over the World"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D310128815%2526id%253D310128797%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="John Fogerty - The Long Road Home - The Ultimate John Fogerty & Creedance Collection - Rockin' All Over the World" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #71, Peaked #27, 11 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jd6Q6epqSuk" width="420"></iframe><br />
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This an incredibly catchy tune. It's one of those songs you can listen to a few times straight without getting annoyed by it (remember the way you could set up a record player to automatically drop the needle back on a single once it was finished?). "I like it, I like it, I like it, I li-i like it" indeed.<br />
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Of course, the song sounds exactly like an amped-up Creedence Clearwater Revival. That's because Fogerty was the guiding light behind the group. While Fogerty's song may have been great for CCR fans after the group had split three years before, Fogerty's "comeback" career was short-lived. The owner of CCR's former label (and also the owner of the group's catalog) sued Fogerty for "ripping off" CCR...by "plagiarizing" songs Fogerty had written in the first place. It would be another decade before John Fogerty returned with a new LP.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000UBMYUI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/k.html#KC" target="_blank">The Sunshine Band</a> - "Shotgun Shuffle"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D122279525%2526id%253D122281123%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="KC & The Sunshine Band - KC & The Sunshine Band: 25th Anniversary Collection - Shotgun Shuffle (Single/LP Version)" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #88, Peaked #88, 2 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ne6J3MmTlBs" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Among 1975's biggest newcomers were two Miami-based producers and artists named Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch. In addition to their group KC & the Sunshine Band ("KC" came about by Casey's last name), the duo produced George McCrae's #1 smash "Rock Your Baby." As their group was hitting #1 with "Get Down Tonight" their record label decided to get some more product out for the new group's fans. As a result, an all-instrumental LP called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Sounds of Sunshine</span> (featuring KC's "backup band") was quickly shipped.<br />
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If the album meant to capitalize on the success of "Get Down Tonight," it failed; "Shotgun Shuffle" was gone from the chart two weeks later. Undaunted, TK records issued another KC & the Sunshine Band LP and "That's the Way (I Like it)" was #1 before the end of the year.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0012F8SEM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#Abba" target="_blank">ABBA</a> - "S.O.S"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D372993%2526id%253D373015%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="ABBA - Gold - Greatest Hits - S.O.S." height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #99, Peaked #15, 15 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f19GKcZU1vg" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Here's a bit of trivia for you. This is the only chart hit of the 1970s (or any other era, as far as I know) where both the artist and song title are palindromes. This wasn't exactly a debut, since S.O.S. had appeared in the Hot 100 for two weeks in August before dropping off. This time around, the single made its way to #15.<br />
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For all the worldwide success ABBA has gotten over the years, it's easily forgotten that their chart performance in the U.S. was something of a disappointment for the group. For all their #1 singles in Europe and elsewhere, they managed to only get a single week at the top of the U.S. charts ("Dancing Queen" in 1977) and only a handful of Top 10 hits.<br />
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The melody of "S.O.S." reappeared in the late 1980s when a European dance hit called "Bring Me Edelweiss" used it.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#Smokey" target="_blank">Smokey Robinson</a> - "The Agony & the Ecstasy"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D6278864%2526id%253D6278893%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Smokey Robinson - A Quiet Storm - The Agony and the Ecstasy" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #36, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d0-wEfJT_MM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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This slow, sensual ballad was the last of three hits from Smokey's LP <span style="font-style: italic;">A Quiet Storm</span>. Although his star had dimmed on the pop charts since his departure from The Miracles, Robinson was still one of the major powers that shaped soul music. In fact, the album's title was soon incorporated into a new radio format of mellow R&B called quiet storm.<br />
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After peaking at #36 with this song, fans of Smokey Robinson had to wait until 1980 to see him make a return to the pop Top 40.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZP5K6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/o.html#Outlaws" target="_blank">The Outlaws</a> - "There Goes Another Love Song"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D255400080%2526id%253D255400035%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Outlaws - Outlaws - There Goes Another Love Song" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted 79, Peaked #34, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G5ptavYnUBM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Southern rock was never bigger than it was in the mid 1970s. Even groups that weren't from the South -- like The Eagles -- were using the genre to help fill out their sound. The Outlaws were a group from Tampa, Florida who tried to use Eagles-styled harmonies and a guitar attack reminiscent of The Allman Brothers Band. This song -- one that still gets heavy radio attention today -- is a fine example.<br />
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An interesting thing about "There Goes Another Love Song" that casual fans may not know: Hughie Thomasson (who sings lead on the song) was not the group's regular lead singer. In fact, he only handled lead duties on a few songs. However, because this was one of the group's most recognizable tunes, his voice is often equated with the group.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0013DBYKI&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#RalphC" target="_blank">Ralph Carter</a> - "When You're Young and in Love"</span> (not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #95, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qx00PVT8KPo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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This was the same Ralph Carter who played Michael Evans on the TV show <span style="font-style: italic;">Good Times</span>. The song was written by Van McCoy (the man who had hit big with "The Hustle" a year earlier) and had been a hit in 1967 for The Marvelettes. Although the disco-ish tune was expected to get some interest from young female fans of his show, the single only lasted three weeks on the Hot 100 and reached #95. Ralph Carter did manage to get another disco hit with "Extra Extra" but soon went back to his acting gig.<br />
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A YouTube video of Ralph Carter singing (okay, lip-synching) this song on <span style="font-style: italic;">Soul Train</span> is above. It's worth watching.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#JessiC" target="_blank">Jessi Colter</a> - "What's Happened to Blue Eyes"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D269589989%2526id%253D269589746%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Jessi Colter - Jessi Colter Collection - What's Happened to Blue Eyes" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a> <span style="font-weight: bold;">b/w "You Ain't Never Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #57, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2peHybUNg9Y" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Jessi Colter was better known as the wife of Waylon Jennings (and the mother of Shooter Jennings) but in 1975 she had great success with her LP <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm Jessi Colter</span>. "I'm Not Lisa" was a huge hit earlier in the year, but this two-sided followup faded at #57. On the country chart, it reached #5. After this single, there would be no more Jessi Colter songs in the Hot 100 but she was still hitting the country charts. In fact, in 1976, she and her husband teamed with Willie Nelson and Tompall Glaser to record <span style="font-style: italic;">Wanted! The Outlaws!</span> A landmark album, it would be the first country LP to be awarded platinum status.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0010YIB5Q&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-67215791426993703612012-09-01T20:30:00.339-04:002012-09-02T10:08:07.082-04:00This Week's Review -- September 4, 1976There were nine singles debuting on this week's Billboard Hot 100, with one being a double-sided hit. Five of the singles went into the Top 40, with one reaching into the Top 10. That Top 10 hit is the two-sided hit, a single that reaches into two entirely different sources. Several of this week's songs are looks into the past, with The Carpenters doing a Tin Pan Alley song, The Bay City Rollers looking back at a previous British Invasion and Diana Williams doing an "answer" song. ABBA defines the international appeal of its music, The Average White Band charts unexplored territory, John Valenti channels Stevie Wonder, The Attitudes predate Toto...and Mother's Finest just blows down the door.<br />
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There are a bunch of <i>Billboard</i> magazines archived at Google Books, but the September 4, 1976 edition is missing.With that, I once again bring up my other music-related site, <a href="http://80smusicmayhem.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">80s Music Mayhem</a>. Last week, the focus was on songs from 1988 and several of them had some personal point. I close out the decade next week, and once again return to 1980 after that. While the posts there aren't often as deep as they are here, I still have some connection to that music as well and hope you can check it out, too.<br />
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<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=229551.64&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="FLuance AVHTB 728x90" border="0" src="http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/fluance/728x902012.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=229551.64&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#ABBA" target="_blank">ABBA</a> - "Fernando"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ffernando%252Fid409925%253Fi%253D409917%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Fernando - Arrival (Import Bonus Tracks Remastered)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #77, Peaked #13, 11 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G8bm6XlxuCY" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Fernando" is one of ABBA's biggest hits, but it wasn't actually recorded by them as a group effort. It was actually concieved as a solo effort by group member Anni-Frid Lyngstad and composed in Swedish with totally different lyrics than the English version that followed. Where that version offered a condolence to a man who has lost his love (though I'm not sure whether by death or convenience), it was rewritten as a group effort after being successful in the group's native country.<br />
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The more familiar English version has two veterans talking about a lost battle. Interestingly, a pair of Swedish singers sing in English about the reminiscences of two former Mexican soldiers...and that resulted in an international hit. Opening with flutes, it definitely made an impression -- good or bad -- and its melody was much different than what 1976 usually had to offer.<br />
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The MP3s here are for the <i>Arrival</i> LP..."Fernando" was actually left off that record originally despite being recorded at the same time and restored with its B-side during a later CD reissue. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NB6MFM&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/k.html#Kiss" target="_blank">Kiss</a> - "Beth" <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fbeth%252Fid382834%253Fi%253D382826%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Beth - Destroyer (Remastered)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> b/w "Detroit Rock City"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fdetroit-rock-city%252Fid382834%253Fi%253D382832%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Detroit Rock City - Destroyer (Remastered)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #79, Peaked #7, 21 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QmG8FMfHJQQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Speaking of B-sides, this one was listed during the single's chart run, so here's the video for that as well, and we'll get into it in a minute:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jFcrKx9sw4s" width="420"></iframe><br />
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The two sides of this single could not have been any more different: one was a tender, heartfelt ballad with an orchestra, while the other was taken straight from the "car crash" era of rock and updated with the guitars that weren't yet present in the genre. Of course, "Detroit Rock City" was the intended A-side because it was the more standard Kiss song. However, "Beth" was the surprise hot and the highest-charting single the band ever had.<br />
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"Beth" is a song that basically apologizes for the writer being a musician. While he and the band are working hard to find a "sound," she's at home waiting for the singer (Peter Criss here). While the other members chime in with "<i>Just a few more hours</i>," the protagonist is trying really hard to walk the line...and the band eventually wins out. As a writer, I definitely understand the allure once inspiration takes over: it's currently 5:19 in the morning as I write this. Believe me, I understand.<br />
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While "Beth" is essentially an explanation given in a syrupy tone that tries to sooth the other person, "Detroit Rock City" is much more direct. The guitar, bass and drum that kick the song off make that pretty clear. This time, the protagonist (Paul Stanley) is stopping at a few places to socialize before "The Midnight show" and gets in a beer and cigarette in the meantime. Finally, he's jumping in the car and speeding up to get there. Just in time for the truck to come out of nowhere. Before the coda, the narrator is witnessing his own death.<br />
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I can't think of two more different sides to the Rock & Roll lifestyle.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VZO4TW&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VZO4OW&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#AWB" target="_blank">The Average White Band</a> - "Queen Of My Soul"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fqueen-of-my-soul%252Fid258417004%253Fi%253D258417234%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Queen of My Soul - Soul Searching" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #82, Peaked #40, 8 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XtGv700wer0" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Queen of My Soul" was a departure from the "usual" Average White Band song. Rather than the straight R&B-influenced funk the band used earlier, it was a dream-type soundscape. It only went to #40 pop and #21 R&B; however, despite its disappointing chart showing, the LP that included the song (<i>Soul Searching</i>) is considered one of the band's better albums despite its lack of hit material.<br />
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"Queen of My Soul" was written by band member Hamish Stuart, who played with Paul McCartney in the late 1980s. It was their final Top 40 hit, even though the group had several more albums before breaking up in 1982.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001232CQE&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BayCity" target="_blank">The Bay City Rollers</a> - "I Only Want To Be With You"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fi-only-wanna-be-with-you%252Fid327458838%253Fi%253D327458878%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="I Only Wanna Be With You - Dedication" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #12, 16 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CGD27WgtKhI" width="420"></iframe><br />
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In an effort extend Rollermania a little bit longer, the Bay City Rollers reached back to a 1963/'64 Dusty Springfield hit to record. And they gave it a good blast of music, featuring a great guitar line, popping bass and solid drums...and still fit in a string section. It went to #12 in the U.S., which equaled the chart peak of the original, and was their last U.K. Top 10 hit.<br />
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"I Only Want to Be With You" is a song that I really couldn't stand as a kid. I was partial to the Dusty Springfield version (and still am), but now that I've had more of a chance to put the decade's music into perspective, I find that it's not that bad. I'm not a big fan of the Rollers at all, but I see that they've given a really solid performance here. They don't remake the tune into their own, but they sure seem to have fun while they do it. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B002LMXQMY&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Carpenters" target="_blank">The Carpenters</a> - "Goofus"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fgoofus%252Fid357877%253Fi%253D357861%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Goofus - A Kind of Hush (Original Recording Remastered)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #56, 5 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3yfqMCJXg2M" width="420"></iframe><br />
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While The Carpenters were known to be performers and <strike>rarely</strike> only sometimes wrote their own material -- <strike>and never recorded their own material for singles</strike> (See the comment below) -- they really went back in time for "Goofus." It had been written in 1930 by Wayne King and William Harold, and Gus Kahn created the melody. Les Paul and Phil Harris recorded versions of it in 1950. Say what you want about the duo blandness, but some of the choices made after their decline were pretty gutsy. This likely wasn't a song listened to by Richard and Karen as kids. <br />
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Gutsy or not, "Goofus" was the first single from the duo to miss the Top 40 since 1970, as well as the first that didn't peak in the top 2 on the Adult Contemporary survey. While 1930s nostalgia wasn't new in 1976 (the year of "Baby Face" and a year after "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes"), this one wasn't trying to cash in on the Disco movement. It was an unashamed look back at the past, using state-of-the-art recording technology.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W27B9O&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
</div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#DWilliams" target="_blank">Diana Williams</a> - "Teddy Bear's Last Ride"</b> (Not Available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #66, 6 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8_fOaAXvxTE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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The third straight song that looks at the past is a tune that continues the story spun by Red Sovine's "Teddy Bear" earlier in the year. In it, the young boy of the original song finally lets go. He gets sick and dies, and the "last ride" of the title is the one in the Hearse.<br />
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While the original "Teddy Bear" is a great tear-jerker (during my country DJ days, I never spoke after the song was over; I always played something else. YOU try talking out of that, because it's hard to do), there isn't the same sentiment in Diana Williams' answer song. Red Sovine spun a story about the trucker who makes friends with what turns out to be a crippled boy and discovers that his fellow truckers -- as mean as they might appear on the outside -- are nothing more than big kids at times, Williams doesn't spin the same yarn. It would be the Nashville-born chanteuse's only hit on both the pop and country charts, but didn't make it high up either one.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/v.html#Valenti" target="_blank">John Valenti</a> - "Anything You Want"</b> (Not Available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #91, Peaked #37, 12 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eG50o_bdsJQ" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Though "Anything You Want" is shown as John Valenti's debut, he had a 1975 hit under his birth name John LiVigni and was a member of one of Motown's few white bands Puzzle. The Motown connection comes through here, as you might be fooled into thinking the voice above belongs to Stevie Wonder on an outtake.<br />
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That said, his accompaniment here is a little more generic than the star-studded material Wonder had at his disposal. The Chicago-born Valenti took "Anything You Want" into the pop Top 40 and #10 on the R&B chart, but never managed another hit after that. <br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#MomsFinest" target="_blank">Mother's Finest</a> - "Fire"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ffire%252Fid466531571%253Fi%253D466531572%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Fire - Mother's Finest" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #94, Peaked #93, 2 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FMlA-IdLD-I" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Fire" brings to mind Jimi Hendrix, or the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, or even The Ohio Players. This song isn't a remake of any of those. It was something different, and so was the group Mother's Finest, a Georgia-based interracial band that blended funk, R&B, hard rock and boogie into its own unique blend. In a way, the band offered fans a look at what Sly & the Family Stone might have been like if they were from the South and didn't fall apart after their leader's drug-induced psychosis.<br />
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Don't believe me? Click the video above and see if the live version of "Fire" doesn't immediately stand out. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B005OA6DLQ&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/a.html#Attitudes" target="_blank">The Attitudes</a> - "Sweet Summer Music"</b> (Not Available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #97, Peaked #94, 6 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QB49T9altbo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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The Attitudes were made up of the cream of L.A.'s crop of studio musicians (David Foster, Danny Kortchmar,Paul Stallworth and Jim Keltner), which was essentially Toto before that group was formed. The group was brought together for George Harrison's <i>Extra Texture (Read All About it)</i> LP, and ended up recording two albums for Harrison's Dark Horse imprint. Unlike Toto, the Attitudes basically played out their contract and resumed their lucrative studio jobs.<br />
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"Sweet Summer Music" has the laid-back feel of the group War but without the diverse nature of their music. They even feature a harmonica (just like Lee Oskar's), just to set the mood right. It was the group's only Hot 100 single, reaching #94 before sinking back into the radio ether. Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-71760925085041880372012-08-29T20:30:00.083-04:002012-08-29T20:30:01.281-04:00Rewind -- August 25, 1979<i>On Wednesdays this year, I'm taking a fresh look at the entries from this blog's first year and formatting them to conform better to what I do now. This week, we take the third week...and notice that there isn't even an intro. I must have been working on that right up to the last minute.</i><br />
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At the time this review was published, I wasn't yet running the back issues of <i>Billboard</i> over at Google Books yet. <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=FiUEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">So, here's the August 25, 1979 edition</a>. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 76. A letter to the editor on page 16 is written by a fan who pleads with the former Beatles to get back together. It's nice to read that, since we have the hindsight of knowing that the letter wouldn't have been written by the end of the next year. And...look who the first artist is...<br />
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<a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=214935.12&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="MP3's at CDUniverse.com" border="0" src="http://www.cduniverse.com/banners/live/cdu/468x60_mp3/468x60_mp304.gif" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=214935.12&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#BeatlePaul" target="_blank">Wings</a> - "Arrow Through Me"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D254727431%2526id%253D254727193%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Paul McCartney & Wings - Back to the Egg - Arrow Through Me" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #83, Peaked #29, 10 Weeks on the Chart) <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/42IPlbC9H_Q" width="420"></iframe><br />
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For young fans of music in 1979 who weren't old enough to remember the Beatles, it may have been a surprise to some to know that Paul McCartney was a success before he fronted Wings. During the 1970s, McCartney enjoyed 22 Top 40 hits, 13 Top 10 singles and five trips to #1 with the group. Paul McCartney & Wings was so successful, every one of their chart singles hit the Top 40 through the end of the decade. As the saying goes, all things come to an end and "Arrow Through Me" was the last single from <span style="font-style: italic;">Back to the Egg</span>, the final Wings studio album. It wasn't technically the last Wings chart single, however; McCartney's 1980 "solo" single "Coming Up" was flipped over by radio DJs who preferred Wings' live version from a Glasgow concert instead and that version was the one that reached #1.<br />
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As a song, "Arrow Through Me" isn't terrible. As a cut from the same LP as McCartney's "disco" hit "Goodnight Tonight" it's a good pop tune, with McCartney doing the bass line on a keyboard instead of his familiar Hofner. However, to fans used to stuff like "Band on the Run," "Live and Let Die" and "Jet" it was a reminder that even ex-Beatles are human. Of course, by the end of 1979, McCartney was the only ex-Beatle still enjoying chart success: George Harrison had a decent LP that year but only one (underappreciated) minor hit, Ringo Starr hadn't had a decent radio hit in years and John Lennon was still semi-retired with his family in New York City.<br />
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In short, "Arrow Through Me" was formulaic pop but still a great deal better than much of what McCartney would put on record during the 1980s.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000SZZENK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#DSummer" target="_blank">Donna Summer</a> - "Dim All the Lights"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D2382839%2526id%253D2382882%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Donna Summer - Bad Girls - Dim All the Lights" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #70, Peaked #2, 20 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lEV7TrhkZUk" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Disco was considered to be in a death spiral in 1979, but disco diva Donna Summer was as hot as ever. Her double album <span style="font-style: italic;">Bad Girls</span> was one of the biggest LPs of the year. It had two monster #1 hits: "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls," and her follow-up "Dim All the Lights" just missed the top, peaking at #2. Among all of Summer's hits, "Dim All the Lights" was the only one she wrote without a collaborator.<br />
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Much like Summer's smash from the year before, "Last Dance," "Dim All the Lights" starts off slow and builds up to a danceable pace. It also shows her vocal range, having a single note she held for 18 seconds, a record for Top 10 chart singles at the time. As "Dim All the Lights" was reaching its peak, another Summer tune ("Enough is Enough," a duet with Barbra Streisand) was competing with it. She continued having hits until well after most "disco" performers had disappeared.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NYTRMY&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/m.html#EdMoney" target="_blank">Eddie Money</a> - "Get a Move On"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D250277511%2526id%253D250277460%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Eddie Money - The Essential Eddie Money - Get a Move On" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #81, Peaked #46, 8 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8WHqvnZZTC4" width="420"></iframe><br />
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A cop named Mahoney? That was Steve Guttenberg from the 1980s <span style="font-style: italic;">Police Academy</span> movies, right? In real life, a Brooklyn kid named Eddie Mahoney tried to follow his father's footsteps by joining the police force but didn't stay in uniform for long. After a move to the San Francisco area and a shot at the music business, Mahoney altered his name to Eddie Money and began hitting the chart by 1978.<br />
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"Get a Move On" was the lead single from Eddie Money's third major LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Playing For Keeps</span>, which didn't show up in the stores until 1980. The album was a disappointment, having no Top 40 singles. "Get a Move On" stalled at #46 and Money had to wait for another LP and the dawn of MTV before his next hit record. As an uptempo song and a staple of Money's concerts, it wasn't exactly in the same league as "Two Tickets to Paradise."<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137UUBS&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/n.html#Night" target="_blank">Chris Thompson & Night</a> - "If You Remember Me"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D261304417%2526id%253D261304368%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Chris Thompson - If You Remember Me - the Very Best - If You Remember Me" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #17, 19 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/64Flt4aQgoE" width="420"></iframe><br />
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While Chris Thompson was a new name to Top 40 radio, his voice certainly wasn't. He had sung lead with Manfred Mann's Earth Band on their #1 "Blinded By the Light" in 1977. As for the group Night, this was a follow-up to their song "Hot Summer Nights" but that tune featured Stevie Lange on vocals and Thompson sang in the background. Helped by its inclusion in the Jon Voight/Ricky Schroeder film <span style="font-style: italic;">The Champ</span>, "If You Remember Me" edged its way into the Top 20 and peaked at #17.<br />
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The song was initially released as a Thompson solo effort, with the "& Night" credit added later. It features an emotional Thompson performance and is well worth a listen. That said, the MP3 links here are for a re-recorded version of the song. It's still a decent recording, but the original is available for collectors willing to look for it.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B0010WNSTW" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#JohnStewart" target="_blank">John Stewart</a> - "Midnight Wind"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #73, Peaked #28, 12 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Xhu4kun1_W8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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John Stewart had been paying his dues for over 20 years when his LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Bombs Away Dream Babies</span> was a runaway success. He was a member of the legendary folk group The Kingston Trio and wrote a #1 tune for the Monkees in 1967 called "Daydream Believer." With a little help from Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks on the tracks, Stewart's LP and the songs "Gold" and "Midnight Wind" were among 1979's success stories.<br />
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With "Midnight Wind" the unique voice of Stevie Nicks is very noticeable throughout the length of the song, and Lindsay Buckingham's guitar drones out throughout. A dark song, much in the vein of Buckingham and Nicks' contribution to Fleetwood Mac's huge <span style="font-style: italic;">Rumours</span> LP ("Gold Dust Woman" in particular) and that dynamic was sure to be a help in the song's success, as Fleetwood Mac fans were still eagerly awaiting the forthcoming <span style="font-style: italic;">Tusk</span> LP from that group.<br />
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Sadly, Stewart's success didn't sustain itself when he recorded his next LP the following year, and he returned to business as he knew it for most of the 1970s. He kept busy with music until passing away in 2008.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/k.html#KC" target="_blank">KC & the Sunshine Band</a> - "Please Don't Go"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D27496664%2526id%253D27496656%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="KC & The Sunshine Band - Do You Wanna Go Party - Please Don't Go" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #86, Peaked #1, 25 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w-l5FyA3pgo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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KC & the Sunshine Band had four #1 singles during the 1970s, and this one should have been the fifth (or the sixth, depending on whether you think he was cheated when "Keep it Comin' Love" stalled at #2 in 1977 because "You Light Up My Life" held a stranglehold on the top spot for 10 weeks) if it had only reached the chart summit a week earlier. However, since "Please Don't Go" reached #1 on January 5, 1980 it went in the record books as the very first #1 single of the 1980s.<br />
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Due to its status as a song that peaked in 1980, "Please Don't Go" doesn't appear on the list of KC's hit singles of the 1970s shown on the parent website of this blog. Even despite that technicality, the song isn't out of place among 1970s singles.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0012F6VSM&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Crusaders" target="_blank">The Crusaders</a> - "Street Life"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D338411%2526id%253D338414%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Crusaders & Randy Crawford - Street Life - Street Life" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #88, Peaked #36, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PVkJlLBP3MM" width="420"></iframe><br />
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The Crusaders are another act that -- like John Stewart mentioned above -- weren't exactly a new presence even if pop fans didn't recognize the name when "Street Life" hit the Top 40 in 1979. The group had spent the 1960s making waves in the jazz field under the name The Jazz Crusaders and its core had been playing since high school days in the mid 1950s. The word "Jazz" was dropped from the group name in 1971 as the group expanded into other musical genres, and the group enjoyed several hit LPs and a handful of singles that reached the lower reaches of the Hot 100 during the 1970s.<br />
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In 1979, The Crusaders released their <span style="font-style: italic;">Street Life</span> LP. The title track was the album's big hit, featuring lead vocals by Randy Crawford. The LP version of the song was an 11-minute opus, while the single version was edited down to a more suitable-for-airplay length. In an era where disco was considered to be on its deathbed, this dance-worthy tune was quite popular with the club types.<br />
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(The Amazon MP3 below is the 11-minute version and only available with the entire <i>Street Life</i> album. That explains the higher price shown in the link. If you click through, the CD is available through Amazon for a lot less).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000WGZ23W&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BarronKnights" target="_blank">The Barron Knights</a> - "Topical Song"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D259809226%2526id%253D259809125%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Barron Knights - The Barron Knights - 40th Anniversary - The Topical Song" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #, Peaked #70, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/crnA2lxlfAo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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There was an old song called "Everything Old is New Again" and it was one of the many things over the years that tried to explain how things eventually come back around if you wait long enough. This song is further proof of that.<br />
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This song showed up on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> chart surveys more than 30 years ago. It only stuck around for three weeks, rising to #70 before it was quickly forgotten. On the surface, it was little more than a parody of Supertramp's "The Logical Song" (a huge worldwide hit that year) but the "topic" of discussion was the rising cost of gasoline. There were other songs of the era putting a humorous spin on the issue -- most notably Dickie Goodman's "Energy Crisis '79" -- but this song applies today as energy consumption once again becomes newsworthy. <br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#Buckeye" target="_blank">Buckeye</a> - "Where Will Your Heart Take You"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #63, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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A group calling itself Buckeye is sure to be from Ohio. They were; calling Akron home, they named themselves after the nickname of their home state. Despite their quick exposure to the Hot 100 with this song, their self-titled LP would be the only one to appear in record stores and they never managed to chart a second time.<br />
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"Where Will Your Heart Take You" is a fairly straightforward rock tune. It's not bad, but it sounds enough like a lot of the other bands of their era to keep Buckeye from standing out above their competition. Unfortunately, the music business is fickle and bands that don't have something special (or at least a gimmick) don't stay around long.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-36569686043348909302012-08-25T20:30:00.000-04:002012-08-25T20:33:51.901-04:00This Week's Review -- August 26, 1972There were ten new songs on the <i>Billboard</i> Hot 100 this week, with five reaching the Top 40, and one making the Top 10. Many of the songs here are lesser-known followups to bigger hits, with only the Gladstone song being a single-time hit. Leon Russell charts for the first time under his own name, but he was no stranger to the charts. Emerson, Lake and Palmer reach the Top 40 for the only time in their career with a song that might surprise some. But for Bill Withers, Donny Osmond, Rod Stewart, Bobby Womack, Glen Campbell, The Dramatics and Sammi Smith, they're better remembered for their other hits than the ones listed here. That actually makes the list here more interesting.<br />
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There is a large archive of Billboard magazines over at Google Books available, <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=xCgEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false" target="_blank">including the August 26, 1972 edition.</a> The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 78. An article on page 4 explains how Don Cornelius was expanding his show <i>Soul Train</i> to a larger national audience. On page 40, the newest developments in car cassette players are explained. That leads into a lengthy section that tells all about cassette tapes, circa 1972. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=214935.3&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="CDUniverse.com" border="0" src="http://www.cduniverse.com/banners/live/cdu/468x60_music/468x60_music01.gif" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=214935.3&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#BWithers" target="_blank">Bill Withers</a> - "Use Me"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fuse-me-single-version%252Fid197883948%253Fi%253D197884513%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Use Me (Single Version) - Still Bill" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #80, Peaked #2, 12 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CVy5yOs0NSA" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Bill Withers' followup to his #1 hit "Lean On Me" was almost #1 itself. "Use Me" spent two weeks at #2, held out of the top spot by who of the decade's oddities: Michael Jackson's love song to a rat ("Ben") and Chuck Berry's sophomoric humor-laden "My Ding-a-Ling." <br />
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Before you consider that novelty played a part in that, "Use Me" has a novel approach in its lyrics as well. While Withers' narrator is explaining that his well-meaning friends and relatives are telling him that his woman is just using him, he's explaining that he enjoys it...in fact, he's using her, too. That's not always perceptible over such a deep groove.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00136NGJC&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/r.html#LeonRussell" target="_blank">Leon Russell</a> - "Tight Rope"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ftight-rope%252Fid215473873%253Fi%253D215473874%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Tight Rope - Carney (Digitally Remastered '95)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #82, Peaked #11, 12 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d2Z9qN8R9Bg" width="420"></iframe><br />
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"Tight Rope" shows up as Leon Russell's first hit, but it was by no means his first trip up the chart. For more than a decade, Russell had been a supporting act on tour and in the studio as well as a songwriter. When he started performing solo in the early 1970s, he never really relinquished his former roles and continued filling in where he was needed. This led him to be featured on a lot of other people's records, and even led him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a sideman.<br />
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"Tight Rope" was his biggest hit under his own name and was the first track on his <i>Carney</i> LP. Using circus imagery to compare with the life of a touring musician, it also features several chances for Russell show his chops on the piano. Interestingly, the song seems like a mix of ragtime and electrified Dixieland jazz but has aged better than most of its era's songs despite sounding old when it was released. Some call it "dated," others call it timeless, but either way, it was a standout cut from an interesting musician.<br />
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The flip side of the "Tight Rope" single featured the original rendition of "This Masquerade," which was later recorded by George Benson and The Carpenters. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000SZGWTK&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#Womack" target="_blank">Bobby Womack and Peace</a> - "Sweet Caroline"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fsweet-caroline-good-times%252Fid220057285%253Fi%253D220058829%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good) - Anthology: Bobby Womack" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84, Peaked #51, 9 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hUHuChUyXQ4" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Interestingly, one famed session player leads to another. Both Leon Russell and Booby Womack would return to session work after going solo, but Womack's solo success was longer and more sustained. His instrument was the guitar, and he played it well enough to be given the nickname "Womagic" by some of his peers. <br />
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With "Sweet Caroline," Womack did a remake of 1969 Neil Diamond song. It was during the period where Diamond was still a writer who expressed himself well enough to be covered in multiple formats, as opposed to his later image as an adult contemporary giant. Here, Womack takes the song and gives it an R&B spin...even tossing in some embellishments that remind the listener of his old mentor Sam Cooke.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00744KXZ2&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/o.html#DonnyO" target="_blank">Donny Osmond</a> - "Why" <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fwhy%252Fid340339217%253Fi%253D340339650%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Why - Donny Osmond: The Definitive Collection" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a> b/w "Lonely Boy"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Flonely-boy%252Fid250138%253Fi%253D250100%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Lonely Boy - Osmondmania! Osmond Family Greatest Hits" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #85, Peaked #13, 12 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uEZJyfPkWCY" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Since this is a two-sided hit, here's a video of the B-side as well:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VyTxXxuVN3c" width="420"></iframe><br />
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With the two sides of this single, one teen idol refers to a previous era dominated by them. Both songs had previously been #1 hits in 1959, with Frankie Avalon crooning "Why" and Paul Anka doing "Lonely Boy." Once again, Donny Osmond goes with the template that fit his solo hits: remake a song that had already been a hit in years past, and let the same girls who bought his posters do the rest. And once again, it was relatively successful...which kept the idea in place for the next single.<br />
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Osmond doesn't venture too far outside his comfort zone on either song. That's a shame, since the material he was recording with his brothers at the time was venturing into some wider ranges than what he did on his own. You can blame his handlers for that, but it was still a noticeable change.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W2987M&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000W2988Q&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#RodTheBod" target="_blank">Rod Stewart</a> - "You Wear It Well"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fyou-wear-it-well%252Fid256920003%253Fi%253D256920059%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="You Wear It Well - Never a Dull Moment" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #87, Peaked #13, 10 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bqxgTryyYoA" width="420"></iframe><br />
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At first, "You Wear it Well" sounds a lot like Rod Stewart's smash "Maggie May" but with a violin as the featured instrument instead of a mandolin. And with the common beat and similar vibe, that would seem correct. However, while both songs were addressed to former lovers, "Maggie May" was a lot more bittersweet while "You Wear it Well" comes off as something that might be mentioned while sitting at a bar and trying to figure out what the hell went wrong. And from what I've read about Stewart in the era, that might be precisely where he and guitarist Martin Quittendon wrote it.<br />
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The members of Faces help out in the background, just as they do in most of the songs on the LP <i>Never a Dull Moment</i>. It wasn't billed as a Faces record due to contractual obligations, but comes off as a brilliantly performed tune. This was before Stewart began both making records that betrayed his talent and gained him a wider audience, so "You Wear it Well" may be one of the last stops before his career went in a direction that required him to just hold on for the ride.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000V6RFGA&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/e.html#ELP" target="_blank">Emerson, Lake and Palmer</a> - "From the Beginning"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ffrom-the-beginning%252Fid276986549%253Fi%253D276986552%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="From the Beginning - Come and See the Show - The Best of Emerson Lake & Palmer" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #39, 11 Weeks on chart)<br />
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Here's something that might surprise you. "From the Beginning" was the only song that Emerson, Lake and Palmer took into the pop Top 40. And it didn't stay long there, peaking at #39 after only two weeks. For a band who charted high with all of their LPs through 1977 (including two live sets), that may seem odd.<br />
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"From the Beginning" was the one Greg Lake acoustic song that seemed to show up on every album. The song is accented by an electric bass and bongos at first, but is given an ELP flourish later on when Keith Emerson adds a synthesizer solo and random sound effects. It is performed as a collection of reassuring lines to a lover -- without a chorus -- and stands out due to its relative simplicity when compared to some of ELP's other material.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001UMNSZG&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#GCampbell" target="_blank">Glen Campbell</a> - "I Will Never Pass This Way Again"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Fi-will-never-pass-this-way%252Fid257050614%253Fi%253D257050617%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="I Will Never Pass This Way Again - Glen Travis Campbell" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #90, Peaked #61, 7 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/apX2JIrnJts" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Glen Campbell was a busy man in the early 1970s. In fact, from 1967 through 1975, he released at least two albums a year of his own material in addition to touring, filling in as a studio musician and hosting a TV variety series, which wrapped production in June 1972. That's staggering to think he was able to come out with so much music during that time.<br />
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"I'll Never Pass This Way Again" was written by Ronnie Gaylord and is performed as an adult contemporary song with a full-throated delivery. Not surprisingly, it was a much bigger hit on that chart, hitting #14. On the pop and country surveys, the song charted but failed to reach the Top 40.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000SYP738&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#Dramatics" target="_blank">The Dramatics</a> - "Toast To The Fool"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Ftoast-to-the-fool%252Fid137057111%253Fi%253D137057180%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="Toast to the Fool - The Best of the Dramatics (Remastered)" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #95, Peaked #67, 9 Weeks on chart)<br />
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When it comes to The Dramatics, fans might be familiar with "Whatcha See is Whatcha Get" and "In the Rain," but they have a catalog that really deserves to be investigated more fully than just those two Top 40 hits. "Toast To the Fool" was the followup single to the latter hit and deserves to get a closer listen. <br />
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Though a part of Memphis-based Stax, the group recorded in its hometown of Detroit and used some of the local talent on instruments. Wee Gee Howard does the lead vocals on this one, and the group shows their Doo-Wop influence as they use a multi-layered performance on the song. The "fool" in the title is the one who left a woman behind (rather that the singer himself), so the song is a celebration of being in the right place at the right time to snag the one that got away from somebody else.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0013AF67S&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#Gladstone" target="_blank">Gladstone</a> - "A Piece Of Paper"</b> (Not Available on iTunes)<br />
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(Debuted #99, Peaked #45, 11 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aAkytM0ZoVg" width="420"></iframe><br />
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There really isn't a lot of information to be found about Gladstone. They were a group out of Tyler, Texas and their guitarist was Mike Rabon, a former member of The Five Americans. That's about all there is to be found out there.<br />
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Their only hit was "A Piece of Paper," a song whose lyrics was socially aware for the times, using the piece of paper to signify a law, a marriage decree, a religious tithe and even a death certificate (the Vietnam War was still raging at the time). It also mentions abortion, a topic that was then being brought before the Supreme Court at the time. Using the phrase "<i>In order to form a more perfect union</i>" repeatedly to make its point, it was heavy stuff for a pop song. Not surprisingly, it fell short of the Top 40.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/s.html#SamSmith" target="_blank">Sammi Smith</a> - "I've Got To Have You"</b> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Falbum%252Five-got-to-have-you%252Fid205689537%253Fi%253D205689903%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" target="itunes_store"><img alt="I've Got to Have You - The Best Of" src="http://r.mzstatic.com/images/web/linkmaker/badge_itunes-sm.gif" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #100, Peaked #77, 7 Weeks on chart)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t7WfH4NYhEg" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Sammi Smith will forever be known to pop fans for her smoky rendition of Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make it Through the Night," but fewer fans realized that she charted again after that song. While she charted many times on the country chart as a member of the "outlaw" movement of the era, she only reached the Top 40 once more, with "I've Got to Have You."<br />
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The song seems to follow the template that was set by "Help Me Make it Through the Night." Smith sings it with the half-whispered voice, the strings are in the background and the subject deals with sexual release that may not lead to anything else down the road. However, lightning didn't strike twice for her and the song only made it to #77 on the pop chart and #13 on the country survey. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0037ETKOI&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4573377990818259835.post-80877194988793420752012-08-22T20:30:00.116-04:002012-08-23T05:44:53.983-04:00Rewind -- August 27, 1977<i>Every Wednesday, this blog pulls out one of its reviews from the first year of its existence. In the process, I add videos and some extra info...and in the case of this week's entry, I can listen to a couple of songs I wasn't able to when I did this the first time.</i><br />
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(This was from the original description, written when I had less of a clue what the feature would entail) Last week, I introduced a new feature where I take a look at all the new songs debuting on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> Hot 100 during a random week in the 1970s. The only stipulation I'm making is that the week be around the same time of the year as the week I'm writing the reviews. This week, I'll review the new songs that debuted on August 27, 1977.<br />
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I wasn't yet featuring any past issues of Billboard from Google Books when I first wrote this review, but the August 27, 1977 edition is missing from its archive.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" target="new"><img alt="Unlimited Music, Everywhere. Try Rdio for Free." border="0" src="http://rdio.com/media/images/affiliate/generic_type2_468x60.jpg" /></a><img border="0" height="1" src="http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&bids=221756.9&type=4&subid=0" width="1" /></div><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/w.html#StevieWonder" target="_blank">Stevie Wonder</a> - "Another Star"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D102140%2526id%253D102150%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life - Another Star" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #74, Peaked #32, 10 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Last week's review concluded with a tune that featured Stevie Wonder guesting on harmonica, so it's interesting to see this week's list leading off with a tune from the former <span style="font-style: italic;">wunderkind</span>.<br />
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This was the third single from Stevie's classic LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Songs in the Key of Life</span>. The first two were #1 smashes ("I Wish" and "Sir Duke"), so this single certainly had expectations. Unfortunately, the song just made the Top 40 before stalling at #32. Its follow-up ("As") didn't do any better on the pop charts; interestingly, one of that LP's best-known tunes -- "Isn't She Lovely" -- was never released as a single and didn't chart even after gaining a great deal of airplay.<br />
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While it was edited by more than three minutes for single release, the LP version of "Another Star" runs more than 8 minutes. The song almost sounds like it was recorded "live" in the studio, so its enjoyability might depend on whether the listener is in the mood for an extended jam session. Listening to the LP version, the brass backing band sounds like a nod to Earth, Wind & Fire and the Latin percussion break is an interesting addition. As the final track of the "regular" LP (originally, it was a double LP with an extra 7-inch EP included; the CD version just adds the extra 4 songs from that EP to the end of the LP tracks), it was a great way to finish off what is generally considered to be Wonder's "masterpiece."<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000VH4MBK&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/f.html#Frampton" target="_blank">Peter Frampton</a> - "Singed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D107543%2526id%253D107545%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Peter Frampton - I'm in You - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #75, Peaked #18, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Speaking of Stevie Wonder, a remake of one of his songs debuted along with one of his originals. Peter Frampton was still riding the crest of his popularity from <span style="font-style: italic;">Frampton Comes Alive!</span> and spent the summer of '77 on the charts with his follow-up LP <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm in You</span>. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" was the second single culled from the album. Just to know there weren't any hard feelings, Wonder was a guest musician on the LP.<br />
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Frampton's cover included a faithful guitar lick and some musical bits recalling another Wonder tune ("For Once in My Life") but listening to this version right after the original shows just how underrated the Funk Brothers (Motown's house band) actually were. Not taking away from Peter Frampton's musicianship, but his version shows exactly how tight the Funk Brothers were in their rhythm as well as how great Wonder's backing singers were in their harmony.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000V66P7U&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#Commodores" target="_blank">The Commodores</a> - "Brick House"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D263586%2526id%253D263623%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="The Commodores - 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Commodores - Brick House" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #72, Peaked #5, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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The Commodores are better known as the band that unleashed Lionel Richie on the pop audience but began life as a funk/R&B outfit. Before Richie's smoother compositions became the group's forte, many of their early hits were jams that encouraged listeners to get up off their seats and get down on the dance floor. Look no further than "Brick House" for proof of that.<br />
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Although "Brick House" is notable as one of the Commodores' big hits that wasn't sung by Lionel Richie (William Orange handled this song), it's also a song that has enjoyed quite a lot of staying power, appearing in movies, TV shows and on dozens of disco compilations. It's familiar to listeners who hadn't yet been born when it made its run through the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> charts.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001NZT1A6&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/d.html#PDavis" target="_blank">Paul Davis</a> - "I Go Crazy"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D200301305%2526id%253D200301105%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="Paul Davis - Paul Davis: Greatest Hits - I Go Crazy" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #89, Peaked #7, 40 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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I've mentioned this song before on this blog, mentioning it as one of my picks for the best singles of the 1970s. Its appearance here is significant; the song set a record in its chart run by staying on the survey for 40 weeks. It would remain on the charts until the Spring of '78, during which time over 100 songs would rise and fall from the Hot 100.<br />
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The song's lyrics tell a story. A man is talking with his old lover, explaining that he's happy to see she's found another but inwardly fighting the urge to let go of her memory. It's a well-produced song, one that I don't find tiring even after repeated listenings.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00137VS2I&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/j.html#Jigsaw" target="_blank">Jigsaw</a> - "If I Have to Go Away"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #99, Peaked #93, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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1970s music fans know Jigsaw from their hit "Sky High" but few knew the group had other hits afterwards. In their native UK, the group had 9 albums and a string of hits. In the U.S., however, their chart success dropped off. With this song, the group went away from the sound of "Sky High" and its follow-up "Love Fire" and used a falsetto. It was a pale imitation of the Stylistics (another group whose chart success had fallen by that time). Aptly named, "If I Have to Go Away" stalled at #93 and the group never returned to the chart.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/b.html#BoneyM" target="_blank">Boney M</a> - "Ma Baker"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #96, Peaked #96, 3 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Long before Frank Farian unleashed 1980s pop tarts Milli Vanilli on unsuspecting music fans, he enjoyed considerable international success in the late 1970s with Boney M. Making a disco song using the story of real-life Depression-era criminal Ma Barker seems like an awful idea, but the tune was a hook-laden confection and actually pretty good for a novelty disco song. In fact, the melody can stay in the listener's head for a while after the song ends. The song was a huge hit in the UK but only reached #96 in the U.S.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/c.html#ECarmen" target="_blank">Eric Carmen</a> - "She Did it"</span> <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=WTvUY4gzYzg&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D268586448%2526id%253D268586359%2526s%253D143441%2526uo%253D6%2526partnerId%253D30"><img alt="ERIC CARMEN - Boats Against the Current - She Did It" height="15" src="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/images/badgeitunes61x15dark.gif" width="61" /></a><br />
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(Debuted #84, Peaked #23, 16 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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After success with his group the Raspberries, Eric Carmen made his mark with his first solo LP in 1975. In 1977, he came out with his follow-up LP <span style="font-style: italic;">Boats Against the Current</span> and "She Did it was the first single from the album. As the single was hitting music stores, two of Carmen's compositions were also on the charts: "That's Rock 'n' Roll" and "Hey Deanie," both by Shaun Cassidy.<br />
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As expected, this song is a hook-heavy, clean studio production. After two massive hits from his first LP ("All By Myself" and "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again") that bemoaned lost love, this song is about finding love and sounds brighter than his better-known earlier hits. The chorus has a definite influence from the Beach Boys...in fact, a few of the Beach Boys sang in the background. Adding a hand to the song was Andrew Gold, who played the guitar solo.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vintagebaseba-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0014KA09G&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/g.html#Leif" target="_blank">Leif Garrett</a> - Surfin' U.S.A.</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #80, Peaked #20, 15 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Speaking of the Beach Boys, here's a cover of one of their best-known hits. Leif Garrett's first appearance on the <span style="font-style: italic;">Billboard</span> chart was a faithful note-for-note rendition; however, singing the same words doesn't always mean the same result. Let's just say Leif (that's pronounced "Layf", not "Leaf") Garrett was a 1970s teen idol who could sing capably enough to sell a lot of posters and lunchboxes to boy-crazy girls.<br />
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Watching VH1's <span style="font-style: italic;">I Love the 70s Volume II</span>, there's a segment on Leif Garrett in the episode for 1977. In it, Loni Love mentioned that she remembered him, but also that "nobody knows any of his hits. How come?"<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/n.html#SamNeely" target="_blank">Sam Neely</a> - "Sail Away" </span>(Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #95, Peaked #84, 4 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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Here's the first of the two songs I wasn't able to listen to the first time. And now that I hear it, I've been familiar with the tune for years. The Oak Ridge Boys had a #2 country hit with the same song in 1979, and that was the version I was familiar with. Sam Neely, however, recorded it two years before that.<br />
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Written by Rafe Van Hoy, "Sail Away" was a laid-back ditty about sailing away, using nautical language as a metaphor for love. Neely's song was the last of his handful of Hot 100 entries. He was a country-styled Texan whose biggest pop hit "Loving You Just Crossed My Mind" came in 1972. <br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.hitsofthe1970s.com/h.html#Hot" target="_blank">Hot</a> - "The Right Feeling at the Right Time"</span> (Not available as MP3)<br />
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(Debuted #81, Peaked #65, 5 Weeks on the Chart)<br />
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"The Right Feeling at the Wrong Time" was the second song I wasn't able to listen to the first time around. Thanks to this little project, I've managed to find most of the songs I'm featuring, so this reboot is a way of getting back to the few songs I missed that first year.<br />
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Hot was on the heels of their only big hit "Angel in Your Arms" but couldn't capitalize on the success of that song. It was done in the same ballad style as the earlier hit, but the lack of the "gotcha" lyric made it seem more generic. The song sputtered out at #65, and the trio never managed to get that high on the charts again.Chris Stufflestreethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04229983444919282224noreply@blogger.com0