70s Music Mayhem

This Week's Review -- January 28, 1978

2012-01-28T08:30:00.273-05:00

There were eight new songs debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, and six of those would eventually work their way into the Top 40. Additionally, two reached the Top 10 and one traveled to #1. That chart-topper was one of the many songs helped by its inclusion in the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, a record that was fast becoming one of the best-selling albums in history at that point. The other Top 10 hit is one that is well-identified with its group even though it was different stylistically over what they had done before. Another movie theme appears as well, which was from a Richard Pryor film. Van Halen makes its first appearance, as does Warren Zevon as a songwriter (Linda Ronstadt handled the song). Bob Welch continues his post-Fleetwood Mac comeback. The two songs that missed the Top 40 are both by groups that had already made the Top 10.

Among the archive of past Billboard magazines at Google Books is the January 28, 1978 edition. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 108. An ad on page 7 announces that The Doobie Brothers will be appearing on the TV show What's Happening. An article on page 8 has suggestions for retail store owners that is not only fundamental information, but is still valid advice today. A bit on page 34 explains that the Supreme Court would be hearing the case that was brought up by a lsitener complaint after New York station WBAI (misnamed in the article) aired George Carlin's notorious "Seven Dirty Words" routine. Finally, a front-page article that continues inside explains that the FCC was investigating payola accusations at a Los Angeles-based Latin music station.

Linda Ronstadt - "Poor Poor Pitiful Me"

(Debuted #78, Peaked #31, 9 Weeks on chart)

The protagonist of "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" starts off the song by trying to kill herself, only to realize that the train whose tracks she's laid down on no longer runs. It sets off a series of unfortunate events, the product of the often sardonic style of Warren Zevon, who wrote the song. When Linda Ronstadt's take on his song charted, he hadn't yet made his presence with the Excitable Boy LP or the song "Werewolves of London," so this track was a breakthrough of sorts for him.

In Zevon's original version, the main character still tries to kill himself and gets a little more graphic about S&M in the third verse. In order to make it more radio-friendly, Ronstadt's version was toned down in addition to changing the gender of the main character. For an artist who was becoming regarded as an entrepreneur of song of the 1950s and 60s, "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" was a reminder that she could do more contemporary material as well.

Kansas - "Dust In The Wind"

(Debuted #81, Peaked #6, 20 Weeks on chart)

"Dust in the Wind" was one of those accidental songs that almost wasn't. It was a last-minute addition to the Point of Know Return LP that started out as a finger-picking exercise that group member Kerry Livgren used on his guitar. His wife liked it and encouraged him to write lyrics to the tune. Taking inspiration from philosophy contained in a book of Native American poetry, he came up with the words.

That last-minute addition to the album that Livgren hesitated to play for his bandmates because it didn't follow their normal progressive material became the group's signature hit. It was their only Top 10 pop hit and remains a steady radio presence today.

Bob Welch - "Ebony Eyes"

(Debuted #88, Peaked #14, 17 Weeks on chart)

The lyrics of "Ebony Eyes" are pretty basic. Man sees a woman sitting in a corner and is entranced with her eyes. However, instead of going over to talk with her, he gets the feeling that she's holding something back.

"Ebony Eyes" was the second hit from Bob Welch's French Kiss LP, a harder-edged song than the earlier "Sentimental Lady" and tailor-made for radio airplay in 1978. The lyrics suggested the setting was a dance club (a big deal that year), the production was clean and featured the best L.A.-based studio musicians. The album was originally scheduled to be the third for his post-Fleetwood Mac band Paris, but the group fell apart before the project was started.

Yvonne Elliman - "If I Can't Have You"

(Debuted #89, Peaked #1, 22 Weeks on chart)

The backstory behind "If I Can't Have You" was interesting. It seems that when Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb were writing the material that would appear on the soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever, they actually intended to record the song themselves. They had a song for Yvonne Elliman (which was "How Deep is Your Love") that was perfectly suited to her style as a pop balladeer. At some point, their manager Robert Stigwood determined that the two songs would be switched. It was a great move in retrospect, as both would become pop #1 hits.

It would also be the biggest hit of her career and the song she's most identified with today. It's a shame, though, considering that she originated Mary Magdalene's part on Jesus Christ Superstar, was a noted backup singer for Eric Clapton and had a handful of other hits.

Van Halen - "You Really Got Me"

(Debuted #91, Peaked #36, 11 Weeks on chart)

Van Halen's first hit was quite an introduction. While it helped point toward the future, it was also a remake of a Kinks classic from 1964. It's ingrained itself in Van Halen's legacy enough that many of the group's fans fail to realize it had been done before, a fact that has long bothered Kinks member Dave Davies. Apparently, Davies has been congratulated by the group's fans after Kinks concerts over the years for doing such a great version of "Van Halen's song." Songwriter Ray Davies, however, has gone on record as a fan of Van Halen's version of the song.

Although it was issued separately as a single, on the Van Halen LP it was paired with a song called "Eruption," a minute-and-a-half guitar workout that often precedes it on rock stations today.

Pablo Cruise - "Never Had A Love"

(Debuted #94, Peaked #87, 4 Weeks on chart)

"Never Had a Love" was the third and final single from Pablo Cruise's breakthrough LP A Place in the Sun. It was a disappointing showing, coming off the Top 10 success of "Whatcha Gonna Do?" (reviewed on this blog a couple of years back), but its style and production were a little cliched even by 1977/'78 standards. From the piano chords that open the song, to the guitar interludes to the vocal harmonies to the way the piano comes back near the end of the song, all of it makes for a sum that really isn't as good as the sum of its parts.

Compared to the earlier hit single, it didn't really have a hook that kept listeners interested. Fortunately for the group, the song died a quick death on the chart and another Top 10 hit -- "Love Will Find a Way" -- appeared on the horizon later that year.

Stargard - "Theme Song From Which Way Is Up"

(Debuted #96, Peaked #21, 14 Weeks on chart)

Stargard was a female R&B trio, but weren't going to be mistaken for the likes of The Supremes or The Three Degrees. Although they had a gospel background, they were influenced by the likes of LaBelle and the Pointer Sisters.

"Which Way is Up" is the theme from a movie of the same name where Richard Pryor played three different roles. It was written and produced by Norman Whitfield and was a #1 R&B hit. The gritty disco-fueled hit should have been a precursor to future hits, but the group only had one more pop single and a handful of songs on the R&B chart before splitting in the early 1980s.

Brick - "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #92, 4 Weeks on chart)

After two hits by Brick that featured titles that combined the words "dance" with other words ("Dazz," "Dusic"), the Atlanta band's third pop chart single was a more conventionally-named tune. Apparently, they didn't want to find themselves coming up with songs called "Dock," "Dunk" or "Dew Wave." However, "Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody" failed to get too far up the charts and was their final hit on the Hot 100.

That's too bad, as it is a really good song that should have gotten a better chance to make a splash. It's a straightforward song with an R&B edge (and a Top 10 R&B hit) but is fairly close to rock in its performance and sound. There may be a funky horn section and synthesized keyboards here, but there is also a guitar solo in the instrumental break that would have been welcome in any rock-oriented song of the era.

Rewind -- January 19, 1974

2012-01-25T20:30:00.021-05:00

(This is part of a series where I go back to the posts from the first year of this blog and bring them up to speed.)

This was the first week in the time I've been writing this blog where every song has been available from both iTunes and Amazon as downloads as well as having an available YouTube video. However, having only five new songs in total helps those odds tremendously. Of the five debuts in Billboard's Hot 100 survey, only two would reach the Top 40 and one was a #1 hit. Interestingly, all five acts had long and multi-faceted careers, even if there were some rough stretches along the way.

Many past issues of Billboard are available through Google Books, but the January 19, 1974 edition is not among them. It's a shame, as I've enjoyed reading through them and seeing that while technology has changed (back then, vinyl was king, cassettes and 8-tracks were considered inferior but were being improved and nobody yet knew what CDs or digital recordings were...plus there were things like cartridge television and other oddities), many of the business fundamentals have remained the same. After all, the bottom line is still the most important part of the business, no matter what era. Perhaps some of today's music executives could pay attention to the history lessons contained in some of these issues.

Ashford & Simpson - "(I'd Know You) Anywhere"

(Debuted #94, Peaked #88, 3 weeks on chart)

Although the table linked above shows this as the first hit for husband/wife duo Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, they had been enjoying hit singles for years as songwriters. During the 1960s they wrote "Let's Go Get Stoned" (along with former Ikette Josie Jo Armistead) for Ray Charles and later became staff writers for Motown. There, they wrote several hit duets for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell ("Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"). When Diana Ross parted from The Supremes, two of her earliest solo hits were Ashford & Simpson tunes: her #1 hit version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)."

Before becoming songwriters, Ashford & Simpson had tried unsuccessfully to work as a recording act. After having others hit with their material, they decided to try again in the early 1970s. Valerie Simpson had a minor hit as a solo artist in 1972 with "Silly Wasn't I" and began teaming with Ashford on record in 1974 when they left Motown for Warner Brothers. Their first LP Gimme Something Real contained "(I'd Know You) Anywhere," a song that began as a slow ballad and then picks up a little bit two minutes in. Opening with a piano and sparse instrumentation accompanying Ashford and Simpson as each do solo vocals, the full orchestra (complete with backing singers, which sounds to me like multitracked recordings of Ashford and Simpson) kicks in just as the song becomes a true duet.

As an entrance for the duo as performers, the song was decent and should have been a bigger hit than its #88 peak would indicate. It hit the R&B Top 40, reaching #37. The duo would continue to score on the R&B chart and begin getting some Top 40 LPs before finally reaching the pop Top 40 for the first time in 1979. As they built their own career together, the duo also did commercial jingles, worked as DJs for New York's KISS-FM and worked with other artists like Quincy Jones (Simpson sings on "Stuff Like That"), Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan, among others.

Cher - "Dark Lady"

(Debuted #82, Peaked #1, 16 weeks on chart)

This is a fine example of what I call a 1970s melodrama: a song that tells a story, has music that wouldn't be out of place on a movie or TV show and has an ending that isn't exactly out of any storybook. The lyrics spin the tale of a woman seeing a fortune teller. The all-knowing seer says her man has been unfaithful and that the other woman is "someone else who is very close to you." Upon returning home, she catches the scent of the fortune teller's perfume, realizes she was the other woman, then goes back to catch her and the man together. A violent end follows.

The song was written by John Durrill, a member of The Ventures. He had submitted some of his songs to Cher's producer Snuff Garrett; "Dark Lady" was one of them but it hadn't been completed yet. Upon getting the gist of the song, Garrett suggested, "make sure the bitch kills him." Once he finished with it, Garrett had Cher record it and it was a hit single.

This was the third and final #1 single Cher had during the 1970s. All three came during the run of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, a variety show on CBS that achieved excellent ratings but wasn't actually considered to be much more than mindless TV with Cher's one-liner put downs of her husband and her elaborate but 1970s tacky clothing styles. The show would be canceled soon after "Dark Lady" fell off the charts, as Sonny and Cher began divorce proceedings. By an odd coincidence, Cher's next husband would be Gregg Allman and his band had a song debut this week as well.

The Dells - "I Miss You"

(Debuted #91, Peaked #60, 7 weeks on chart)

The Dells are a Chicago-based group that has weathered many decades and musical styles. Beginning in the mid 1950s, they have recorded in the doo-wop, soul, jazz, disco and R&B genres. More incredibly, they have had a consistent lineup for many of those years. From 1960 onward, the same core group of five remained together until Johnny Carter's death in August 2009. The group's peak hitmaking years spanned the late 1960s through early 1970s, and "I Miss You" was near the end of that run. It would be their last Top 10 R&B hit and second-to-last Hot 100 entry. Even after the hits stopped coming and new recordings became less frequent, The Dells continued touring.

"I Miss You" is a basic R&B song that isn't much different from other soul emanating from the radio early in '74. The music has the same urban quality heard on songs from The O'Jays, The Chi-Lites, The Spinners and the post-Norman Whitfield Temptations. The vocals sound almost like Levi Stubbs in The Four Tops' post-Motown material. It's a shame to say the song sounds like an imitation of other 1970s soul artists, as The Dells certainly held their own over the years adapting to many changes in styles.

The Allman Brothers Band - "Jessica"

(Debuted #90, Peaked #65, 6 weeks on chart)

As familiar as "Jessica" is to many listeners, a lot of people would be surprised to see that it only peaked at #65. It's a familiar instrumental that many will know by ear even if they don't recognize the song title. Despite its relatively poor showing on the Billboard chart, the song has lived on for years through radio airplay, use in movies (like "Field of Dreams") and as a theme song to shows such as Dr. Dean Edell's radio program and the BBC series Top Gear.

Written by Dickey Betts and named after his daughter Jessica, the song was a seven-and-a-half minute jam on the group's Brothers and Sisters LP. The single version only excised about 30 seconds from the tune, and its running time likely helped keep its chart position low. However, the longer version is the one that has been included on The Allman Brothers' greatest hits packages and is played on most radio stations.

Rick Derringer - "Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo"

(Debuted #100, Peaked #23, 14 weeks on chart)

Although it shows as Derringer's first chart single, he had already been part of two #1 singles, as a member of The McCoys ("Hang On Sloopy" in 1965) and The Edgar Winter Group ("Frankenstein" in 1973). He was also a guest guitarist for Alice Cooper ("Under My Wheels") and Steely Dan ("Show Biz Kids"). Originally named Rick Zehringer, his last name was changed to reflect the Derringer pistol in the logo of The McCoys' record company, Bang.

"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" is probably best remembered as a classic example of 1970s guitar-driven rock, included on dozens of compilations and played incessantly on classic rock radio. It probably also sounds dated as a result of that saturation. At first, it sounds like a basic rock song with a great guitar riff propelling it...and in that sense it's a really fun song. That said, it also conveys all the excess and hard-living that went with the 1970s hard rock lifestyle even though it's a great song to crank the volume up whenever it begins playing.

This Week's Review -- January 22, 1977

2012-01-21T08:30:00.442-05:00

This week's entry features eleven new singles that debuted on the Billboard Hot 100. Out of those, only two would reach the Top 40. However, they were extremes, as one went to #1 and the other barely dented the Top 40. That #1 was the first for a duo who'd rack up many more chart-toppers in the next decade. The entire list features some surprises, though. An O'Jays song that hit #1 on the R&B chart and deserved to get a petter shot on the pop side. A surprisingly funky song by a singer not known for that. A guy who wrote two hits for England Dan and John Ford Coley and ended up sounding exactly like them. The guy who played Mr. Kotter on TV. Not surprisingly, with the disco movement in full swing, several songs feature a dance beat. Three songs are instrumentals, which were slowly becoming rarities.

Among the large archive of past issues of Billboard is the January 22, 1977 edition. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 118. An article on page 35 explains the way European discos had become a springboard for breaking hit singles. Since most radio stations were run by governmental organizations and adhered to strict playlists, discos offered a way to take advantage of the active nightlife in many European cities and "test" songs in a way Continental radio stations couldn't. In fact, some of the biggest disco hits rose from Munich, Paris and Rome, even seeing an American-born artist named Donna Summer breaking out from Germany. Interestingly, one of those songs originating from the Munich scene is in this week's debuts.

The O'Jays - "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love)"

(Debuted #80, Peaked #72, 4 Weeks on chart)

Although "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love)" was a #1 R&B hit for the O'Jays, it also marked a sad milestone. It was the final pop hit to feature group member William Powell, who passed away from cancer in May 1977 at the age of 35.

It's yet another example of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's "Philly Soul" sound, with its lush string arrangement and great vocal interaction between the group's members. A song of devotion, its lyrics express the realization that he's in a really good place with his "old lady" and he's not going to do anything to change that.

Despite being the seventh of the group's nine #1 singles on the R&B chart, it fared poorly on the pop chart, topping out at #72. If there's a song that really deserved a better chance, this was it. It's a great tune that is backed by a classic (regardless of the era) arrangement.

Daryl Hall and John Oates - "Rich Girl"

(Debuted #81, Peaked #1, 20 Weeks on chart)

The top musical duo of the 1980s earned their first #1 record during the 1970s. In it, they made a song that had more in common with the "blue-eyed soul" sound of its era than the pop confections of the new decade.

The funny thing, "Rich Girl" was originally written about a guy. Daryl Hall said that his girfriend's ex was the son of a very wealthy man, and as he watched the way he acted, he came to the realization that if he was to ever get into any type of trouble, it would be easily remedied with money. Thus, the idea for the "old man's money" was planted. However, Hall was unable to make the song work about a man, so he switched the gender.

"Rich Girl" was suggested by David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz as a song that encouraged him to kill, even though he had actually begun his spree before the song's release. It was also rumored to be about Patty Hearst, which persisted despite Hall's explanation about the real person behind the lyrics.

Barry DeVorzon and Perry Botkin Jr. - "Bless the Beasts and the Children" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #83, Peaked #82, 5 Weeks on chart)

After the surprise success of "Nadia's Theme," writer/conductor Barry DeVorzon and arranger Perry Botkin, Jr. went to the well with the main song of the film score that produced the earlier hit. However, this song didn't bring to mind a 14 year-old Olympic gymnast scoring a perfect ten and failed to get much father than its starting position on the Hot 100 before disappearing.

Bless the Beasts and Children was a 1971 film about a group of misfit children that intervened to save a herd of buffalo from being slaughtered by a group of hunters. It was intended to be a message about guns and violence, which had an impact with the memories of Kent State and Vietnam still fresh. However, by 1977, those memories were much more distant. At that time, the movie's theme was recorded by The Carpenters and was a flip-side to their hit single "Superstar."

Hearing DeVorzon's orchestrated version, it sounds exactly like a film score from the early 1970s, but it also sounds like the stuff Muzak would have piped into elevators. If anything, it brings to mind that Karen Carpenter had quite a tool (pun intended) at her disposal when she lent her voice to a project.

Parker McGee - "I Just Can't Say No To You"

(Debuted #84, Peaked #42, 7 Weeks on chart)

Internet DJ Music Mike handles the intro of the video shown above. He'll be back before this blog entry is finished.

As 1977 began, Parker McGee had written two big hits for England Dan & John Ford Coley ("I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" and "Nights Are Forever Without You"), and released his own self-titled solo album on the tail of those hits. The Mississippi-born singer/songwriter sounds an awful lot like that duo on his only hit single "I Just Can't Say No to You," which not only reflects on his songwriting but the fact that the same producer (Kyle Lehning) and session musicians were used on all of the songs mentioned so far.

Perhaps the similarity killed off any chance McGee had of sustaining a career. While he barely missed the Top 40 on his own, it's likely that if it had been issued as a single done by England Dan & John Ford Coley, it may have done a little better. As a result, he doesn't seem to have released a major-label follow-up and no additional hits followed.

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils - "You Know Like I Know"

(Debuted #85, Peaked #74, 12 Weeks on chart)

Once again, Internet-based DJ Music Mike gives as good an introduction to this song in the video above as anything I can pull up. So I'll pick up where he left off.

"You Know Like I Know" was written by band member Larry Lee, who had also co-written their biggest hit "Jackie Blue." The soft ballad was one of the standout tracks of the group's LP Men From Earth. However, their chart fortunes were declining and the song ended up being their only chart single from that album. In fact, it was their last appearance on the Hot 100 at all until 1980.

Boney M - "Daddy Cool"

(Debuted #87, Peaked #65, 5 Weeks on chart)

Here's something I don't understand. When Frank Farian assembled Boney M, he used attractive people who could dance well for the performance and relied on session musicians (usually himself and two of the group's three female members) to craft the vocals in the studio. This was fairly well-known in the 1970s and early 1980s. Yet, when Farian did the exact same thing with Milli Vanilli a decade later, it was somehow a "scandal" that led to lawsuits, refunds to consumers who bought the record and the return of a Grammy award. I'm no fan of Milli Vanilli (not in the least), but even I knew at 17 that they weren't singing the stuff live.

Boney M's first hit in the U.S. was "Daddy Cool," a song that was fairly typical of the Disco coming out of Munich at the time (click on the link for the Billboard magazine in the intro above to read more about that). A song that was more about the background music than the vocals, it was designed specifically to be an incentive to get on the dance floor and start stepping. While that didn't make it unique in 1977, the fact that the group was put together with an eye toward performing on stage helped set them apart from many of the studio-based groups putting out similar music in that era.

Phoebe Snow - "Shakey Ground"

(Debuted #88, Peaked #70, 4 Weeks on chart)

Phoebe Snow passed away last year. While it's sad to reflect on those who've left this mortal plane, it's a sad truth that many of those passings expose just how good the artist was and that their work was somehow taken for granted when they were still alive. While most casual fans remember Snow for "Poetry Man" and possibly the Paul Simon duo "Gone At Last," her story was one that shows just how sudden life can make a quick turn and how fickle the music business can be.

By 1977, Snow had begun caring for her young daughter, who was mentally impaired. While that definitely affected her career, she was also involved in a dispute with her former record company when she moved to Columbia, the label that released her LP It Looks Like Snow. That album included the song "Shakey Ground," a song that had already been a hit by The Temptations in 1975.

While the song begins with a really funky groove, Snow's rendition of the lyrics is something of an acquired taste. It is a lot different than you might expect if you're only familiar with her work from the songs mentioned above.

Silvetti - "Spring Rain"

(Debuted #96, Peaked #39, 15 Weeks on chart)

Bebu Silvetti was a pianist, producer and arranger originally from Argentina but based in Miami by the mid-1970s. Though "Spring Rain" would be his only U.S. pop hit, he would become a Grammy-winning prosucer of Latin muic and a giant in the international music scene.

"Spring Rain" is an instrumental, with backing (wordless) vocals performed by female singers. A Salsoul production mixed down by legendary disco producer Tom Moulton, it sounded like it should heve been used as the theme song for a TV show or played during a film. It just peeked into the pop Top 40 during its chart run but also made a showing on the R&B and adult contemporary charts.Today, it has a classic sound, which doesn't sound at all like a lot of the disco material of its era.

Grace Jones - "Sorry" b/w "That's The Trouble"

(Debuted #98, Peaked #71, 7 Weeks on chart)

B-side:

The songs from this double-sided single were taken from Grace Jones' first album Portfolio, yet another of the many projects of disco producer Tom Moulton. Before beginning her singing career, Jones had been a fashion model, a muse of Andy Warhol and a regular patron of Studio 54. While the idea of a singing career may have seemed liek an afterthought for Jones (indeed, that first album's music was recorded before she was brought in to lay down her vocals), she eventually had a very successful run of club-oriented hits.

"Sorry" was a slower tune, while "That's the Trouble" was a more uptempo song. They were the middle two songs on the second side of the album; interestingly, the other two songs ("La Vie En Rose" and "I Need a Man") are probably better-known and more well-regarded by her fans.

The Love Unlimited Orchestra - "Theme From King Kong (Part 1)"

(Debuted #99, Peaked #68, 7 Weeks on chart)

The instrumental was already in a downward spiral by the late-1970s despite the fact that there were three of them making their debut in this survey. In fact, only of of the three would reach the Top 40 (and even then, only barely). This one didn't fare well at all.

In 1976, a remake of the classic 1933 film King Kong was released that placed the story in the then-modern era. Instead of the iconic scene of the big gorilla climbing the Empire State building, he instead went to the World Trade Center where he had two structures to use as he fought off the military helicopters (rather than the biplanes of the original). Fay Wray's character was played by Jessica Lange; her name was Dwan (yes, that is spelled correctly) and she was an aspiring actress. While the movie was largely considered a failure by critics, it actually made a tidy profit for Paramount.

The film score was done by movie maestro John Barry but wasn't given a release to Top 40 radio. Instead, Barry White performed it as part of his Love Unlimited Orchestra. However, the song was tilted more towards funk than the lush strings of the ensemble's biggest hits. The bass line is very prominent, with interjections from a brass section before the strings finally swell up midway through the song. Fittingly for a movie that starts off on a remote island, tribal-like drumming is also prominent in the song.

Gabriel Kaplan - "Up Your Nose With A Rubber Hose" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #100, Peaked #91, 3 Weeks on chart)

That's right, this is the actor who played Mr. Kotter using a catch phrase from the show Welcome Back, Kotter. Coming off the heels of the show's theme song hitting #1 and co-star John Travolta reaching the Top 10 with "Let Her In," this record probably didn't seem as odd at the time as it does today. In that sense, it may be fortunate that it stalled at #91, or else there may have also been a "Boom-Boom Soul" record by Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs or a disco song with Ron Pallilo screeching "Oooh! Oooh!" during the breakdown segment.

What may seem weird to those of us who were fans of the show is that the "Up your nose" line actually originated with the Sweathogs (Vinnie Barbarino was the first to say it in the pilot episode). The song isn't done in the character of Mr. Kotter, though...it was a return to Gabe Kaplan's roots as a comedian.

Rewind -- January 17, 1970

2012-01-18T20:30:00.002-05:00

(This is part of a series where I take one of the posts from the first year of this blog and give it a makeover.)

Of the nine songs making their debut during the third week of 1970, three would go on to make the Top 40 and two would be Top 10 hits. However, one of the songs that missed the Top 40 would come back later -- sung by the group's singer as a solo effort -- to become a huge hit. A wide variety of music is represented in the list: rock, blues, jazz, crossover country and several varieties of soul (Detroit, Philly, white soul and early funk).

When available, I provide a link to the Billboard issue for the week being reviewed but January 17, 1970 is missing from the online archive at Google Books.

The Cannonball Adderly Quintet - "Country Preacher"

(Debuted #98, Peaked #86, 3 weeks on chart)

Julian "Cannonball" Adderly was a well-regarded jazz musician. An alto saxophone player, he had worked with Miles Davis, John Coltrane and dozens of others as a sideman before forming his own quintet along with his brother Nat Adderly. Jazz artists are normally shut out of the Billboard Hot 100 but Adderly managed to score a few entries in his career, including one Top 40 hit (the #11 "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" in 1967). "Country Preacher" would be his final entry on that chart before his death in 1975.

The song was recorded live at a meeting of Jesse Jackson's Operation Breadbasket event in Chicago (The Reverend Jackson is the "country preacher" of the title). There are two different moods for the song; the first, slow and sad but the tempo picks up to a more hopeful sound. If there's anything negative to be said about the song, it's far too short at three minutes (the LP version is more than four minutes but includes a spoken intro by the Reverend Jackson). Granted, jazz gets precious little exposure on the Hot 100, but it would be nice if the few singles that do make the survey could feature more of the music.

The Chairmen Of the Board - "Give Me Just a Little More Time"

(Debuted #85, Peaked #3, 15 weeks on chart)

"Give Me Just a Little More Time" was the first and most successful of six pop hits for The Chairmen of the Board. The group was part of the Invictus label, one of Holland/Dozier/Holland's post-Motown ventures. Sung by General Johnson, the song sounds much like a classic Motown single for a couple of good reasons: not only was it written by Holland/Dozier/Holland (under the pseudonym Ron Dunbar & Edyth Wayne) it also featured several members of Motown's house band The Funk Brothers to back up the vocals. Evidently, the "fake" pen names were an attempt to circumvent a contract that Holland/Dozier/Holland still had in place with Motown and using several members of the Motown house band went undetected at the time since that label still wasn't giving any credits to the musicians who played on their records.

Before joining The Chairmen of the Board, Norfolk, Virginia native General Johnson was a member of The Showmen, singing the classic "It Will Stand" in 1961. He was a songwriter as well as a singer, penning "Patches" (a big hit for Clarence Carter although The Chairmen did it first) and many hits for other Hot Wax/Invictus acts The Honey Cone and Freda Payne.

Nazz - "Hello it's Me"

(Debuted #83, Peaked #66, 6 weeks on chart)

Fans who weren't around to experience the 1970s probably know "Hello it's Me" as a Todd Rundgren song that gets played an awful lot on oldies radio. However, Rundgren began his career as a member of a group called Nazz and "Hello it's Me" was one of their tunes. To fans who are only familiar with the 1972 Rundgren single (reviewed on this blog last October), the original Nazz version sounds quite foreign: slower, more low-key and using different instruments and vocal harmonies. The differences are subtle but make the two songs distinct.

This was actually the second time on the Billboard chart for "Hello it's Me." Originally issued in 1968 as the B-side to Nazz's first single, the acid-rock tinged "Open My Eyes," it gained some radio airplay when that side failed to chart nationally. Issued in its own right, it reached #71 in 1969 before dropping off the chart. After the band fell apart later that year and Rundgren began doing solo work under the "group" name Runt, "Hello it's Me" was given a re-release and earned a higher peak than it did a year earlier. Interestingly, Rundgren's '72 reworking itself took yet another year after its release to become a hit.

Glen Campbell - "Honey Come Back"

(Debuted #78, Peaked #19, 9 weeks on chart)

Glen Campbell was one of the more successful pop/country crossover stars of the early 1970s.While several country artists scored crossover hits as the 1960s gave way to the 70s -- Johnny Cash, Ray Price, Lynn Anderson, Merle Haggard, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn -- Glen Campbell was perhaps the most consistent artist on both charts. In addition to his musical success, he was being seen on TV (The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour) and in the movies (True Grit, along with with John Wayne, and Norwood), which no doubt helped his chart fortunes.

As somebody who was so successful on the pop charts, it's safe to say that Campbell's music wasn't always "country" in the same sense as contemporaries like Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty or George Jones. Being a former L.A.-based session musician who made his living playing a lot of diverse styles in recording studios (he played on records by The Monkees, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and even toured in 1965 as a member of The Beach Boys), his range went well beyond what many would assume from a man who grew up in rural Arkansas. "Honey Come Back" is a example of his dual identity: it has the "I miss you since you left me" and "I'll walk away because I can't give you what he can" lyrics that fill many country songs but has an orchestra behind Campbell's vocals. In other words, the fiddles are played as violins and there are no steel guitars or dobros to be found.

Little Milton - "If Walls Could Talk"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #71, 5 weeks on chart)

A well-respected bluesman, Little Milton was part of the staple of artists at Chess records through its Checker imprint. In addition to being a singer/guitarist, he was also a manager and producer of other acts. While never a big hitmaker like B.B. King, he gathered some modest but respectable R&B hits through the 1960s and '70s. Some, like "If Walls Could Talk" were excellent examples of soul/blues mixes, sounding a lot like they could have been capably performed by Wilson Pickett. "Walls" has a great organ line punctuated by a horn section that drives the song.

The Temptations - "Psychedelic Shack"

(Debuted #95, Peaked #7, 11 weeks on chart)

After replacing David Ruffin with Dennis Edwards, The Temptations began using Norman Whitfield as their producer. Taking a cue from the music of Sly & the Family Stone, Whitfield made The Temptations into Motown's "psychedelic soul" act with hits such as "Cloud Nine," "I Can't Get Next to You" and "Ball of Confusion." With its new lead singer, the band took a very different direction than its pre-1968 lineup had and helped usher Motown into the new decade.

"Psychedlic Shack" contains one of the first instances of sampling. At the beginning of the song (often cut for radio play to avoid listeners thinking the DJ was late cueing up the song), a record is heard dropping onto a player and the opening to "I Can't Get Next to You" is heard before that song is "interrupted." The song is heavy on wah-wah guitar, distortion and deep bass and uses the range of other singers in the group, notably Eddie Kendricks' high register and Melvin Franklin's deep voice.

Despite becoming one of Motown's best-charting groups with its "psychedelic soul," the group began suffering internal struggles. After 1972, they would part ways with Norman Whitfield, Eddie Kendricks (who preferred the group's ballads) would leave for a solo career and Paul Williams would take his own life. A totally different Temptations -- with a revolving door of members -- would soldier on to the present day, even after the hits stopped coming.

The Flaming Ember - "Shades of Green"

(Debuted #100, Peaked #88, 3 weeks on chart)

A white soul group from Detroit, The Flaming Ember was a group that -- true to its name -- would enjoy a few decent hits for a short time and then simply fizzled out. From late 1969 through late 1970 the group had three Top 40 singles and one minor hit. That minor hit was "Shades of Green," which had two short runs on the chart but never got higher than #88. Compared to the three hits ("Mind, Body & Soul," "Westbound #9" and "I'm Not My Brother's Keeper"), "Shades of Green was an inferior, almost generic record. That's not to say the song was bad...it was merely a rehash of material they did better on the other tunes.

Donny Hathaway - "The Ghetto (Part 1)"

(Debuted #99, Peaked #87, 4 weeks on chart)

Chicago-born Donny Hathaway was a bright star on the horizon as the 1970s began but wouldn't live to see the decade end. His singing was an inspiration to many but his personal struggles with depression would alienate him from many of his friends (including duet partner Roberta Flack) and often require hospital stays. Although hindsight gives Hathaway's records some added context, his music is both hopeful and tragic because it hints at what might have been. Sadly, because his biggest hits have been his Flack duets his solo material hardly gets heard by casual fans (unless they happen to watch TV, that's his voice doing the theme for Bea Arthur's show Maude).

One of Hathaway's earliest singles was "The Ghetto," a glimpse into an inner-city landscape released several months in advance of his debut LP Everything is Everything. On that LP the song was a six-and-a-half minute epic, but on the single it was divided into two parts. The song is mostly instrumental, with few lyrics beyond a chant-like repetition of the song title except indistinct "street corner" talking and a baby. Handclaps and Latin percussion keep time for Hathaway's electric piano and the funky rhythm.

Brenda and the Tabulations - "The Touch of You"

(Debuted #84, Peaked #50, 8 weeks on chart)

One of the better-regarded Philly soul acts of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Brenda & the Tabulations was a vocal combo led by Brenda Payton. As the 1970s dawned, the group was made up of Payton and three male singers but later in 1970 the men left and were replaced by two female singers. "The Touch of You" was a single released before the personnel change, as there are definitely men singing the background harmonies.

A great example of late 1960s Philly soul before the Thom Bell/Gamble & Huff material of the 1970s supplanted it, "The Touch of You" was a modest hit. Besides peaking at #50 on the Hot 100, it reached #12 on the R&B chart and would be the group's second-biggest 1970s single.

This Week's Review -- January 12, 1974

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This week had some potent hits. Seven new singles debuted in this week's Billboard Hot 100, and six of them went on to become Top 40 hits. Additionally, three would enter the Top 10 and the lowest-charting debut went on to reach #1. That chart-topper is among the handful of songs that are among those tossed out by fans as a great example of 1970s music, as well as those who find it among the worst things ever etched into vinyl. The other Top 10 singles include a song that has aged well over the years as well as a rare song sung entirely in a foreign language. A gritty performance by The Stones, a celebration of the American spirit as viewed by an outsider and an R&B hit by The Moments are included, as well as a group effort credited to Joe Walsh.

There is a large archive of Billboard issues over at Google Books, but the issue from January 12, 1974 is not among them. Instead, I'd like to point out the tabs hanging off the picture of the 8-track tapes above. Each one has its own year listed, and clicking on them will bring up all the weeks (and songs) I have featured on this blog so far in that year. I update the list with each new post, so if there's a favorite year you want to look through or even a song you'd like to find from a particular time, check them out.

The Rolling Stones - "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)"

(Debuted #83, Peaked #15, 11 Weeks on chart)

A lot of roles are switched around on this song. Keith Richards plays the bass, while Mick Taylor takes over on lead guitar. Two of the more prominent instruments don't feature members of the Stones at all but prominent sidemen: Billy Preston does the opening clavinet and Bill Price blows on the trumpet.

The situations mentioned in the lyrics (police shoot a man in a case of mistaken identity, a young girl overdoses on drugs) weren't actual events. Instead, Mick Jagger's words are meant to paint an image of life in inner-city America (as Stevie Wonder's "Living For the City" did around the same time). As he unleashes one of his more memorable performances, other group members add in their own "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo" refrains, which are present enough to have been included in the song's title.

While not one of the band's most-requested tunes or even one that gets a lot of play on the radio, it's definitely one of their high points during the 1970s.

Redbone - "Come And Get Your Love"

(Debuted #85, Peaked #5, 23 Weeks on chart)

The term "redbone" comes from a Louisiana Cajun term for a person of mixed racial ancestry, and the group Redbone was fronted by a pair of brothers named Pat and Lolly Vegas, who were of mixed heritage themselves. They were Mexican (their real last name was Vasquez) and Native American, which would be a large influence on their music.

The group's biggest hit was "Come and Get Your Love," a song that has stayed in the collective American conscience over the years thanks to its use in commercials in addition to its inclusion in many retro radio formats. Despite the fact that Lolly Vegas sounds like he's singing despite the fact he's fighting a cold, the song has actually aged quite well in comparison to much of the contemporary material it competed with on its way up the chart. The band's singalong in the chorus, the subtle string arrangement, the use of a guitar that sounds vaguely like a sitar and the funky-but-not-really bass all combine to give the song a timeless feel that works even in later eras.

Mocedades - "Eres Tu (Touch the Wind)"

(Debuted #90, Peaked #9, 17 Weeks on chart)

In Europe, the annual Eurovision concert is a big deal, as several nations bring out their best and brightest stars to vie for the title. Over the years, the contest has expanded to include other nations that aren't exactly European. "Eres Tu" was the runner-up in the 1973 contest; however, few would be ready to name the song that beat it out without looking it up (I definitely can't).

Hailing from Bilbao, Spain, Mocedades was originally known as Voces y Guitarras ("voices and guitars" in their native language). They were founded in the mid-1960s and went through some lineup changes before producer Juan Carlos Calderon changed their name around 1970. The success of the group (and the song) at Eurovision spurred a single release of the song, with its original lyrics on one side and an English translation -- called "Touch the Wind" -- on the other.

The Spanish-language version was a surprise hit in the U.S. and became one of the few songs sung entirely in Spanish to make the Top 10. There were others that were sung partially in the language (Freddy Fender's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls"), there were others that were technicalities (I'm not counting The Champs' "Tequila," but it can be argued that its one word in the lyrics is Spanish), but for a nation with an ever-growing Hispanic population, there haven't been a whole lot.

Joe Walsh - "Meadows"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #89, 4 Weeks on chart)

The only one of the songs on this week's list that failed to make the Top 40 might not come as a surprise once you hear it. It's just not a song that was meant to be commercial. From the screaming that started off the song to the swing between light vocals and more bombastic instrumentals, it might have felt more at home on college radio during the 1990s.

"Meadows" was the first track on side two on the LP The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get. Though the album was credited solely to Joe Walsh it was meant to be a project for his band Barnstorm. His record company opted to make it a solo release to capitalize on Walsh's fame. The song featured Walsh on vocals and guitars, but the rest of the band is just as prominent throughout the song.

Gordon Sinclair - "The Americans (A Canadian's Opinion)" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #98, Peaked #24, 7 Weeks on chart)

Gordon Sinclair's only "hit" was a spoken-word recording that started out as an editorial made after the news that the U.S. Red Cross had run into financial trouble. Sinclair was a journalist and read it in his position on the air at radio station CFRB in Toronto. After going on record to stand up in support of his neighbors to the south, U.S. News and World Report ran an article with the commentary.

Some other stations recorded the bit along with a patriotic background "bed" (as instrumental backgrounds are called in the business), including one by fellow Canadian broadcaster Byron MacGregor, whose single was released ahead of the "official" version by Sinclair. They would fight their way up the Top 40 -- with MacGregor winning the dogfight -- and a third version by Tex Ritter eventually charted as well. With the single, Sinclair became the second-oldest person to have a Top 40 hit at 73 years old.

"The Americans" was resurrected in 2001, after the events of September 11. They were often erroneously attributed as a response to the airplane attacks, even though Sinclair had been dead for 17 years and the "draft dodgers" alluded to in the piece had long since returned home.

The Moments - "Sexy Mama"

(Debuted #99, Peaked #17, 13 Weeks on chart)

The Moments were a trio of Billy Brown, Harry Ray and Al Goodman that formed in Washington, D.C. in the mid-1960s. Ray had joined the group after the 1970 hit "Love On a Two-Way Street," and sang lead on "Sexy Mama." He had taken the lead vocal duties from Goodman, who was experiencing issues with his throat at the time, and his sensual reading of the lyrics over the lush orchestration really fit the song well.

"Sexy Mama" would be the group's biggest hit under that name other than "Love On a Two-Way Street." In 1979, contractual problems forced them to change their name to Ray, Goodman and Brown for future recordings.

Terry Jacks - "Seasons In The Sun" (Original Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #100, Peaked #1, 21 Weeks on chart)

"Seasons in the Sun" is one of the many songs of the 1970s that are polarizing to fans. There are a lot of people who love it, but there are also a lot of people who would prefer extensive root canal surgery without any anaesthetic rather than listen to it again.

While known primarily as a Terry Jacks song, "Seasons in the Sun" predates him by more than a decade. It was originally written with French lyrics by Jacques Brel in 1961, while Rod McKuen penned a much different English translation. Jacks had originally worked with the song as part of a Beach Boys project, but it was never released.

What probably bothers many people about the song is that it's told from the perspective of a man who's about to die. Jacks' version doesn't necessarily state whether the person is suffering from a terminal disease or is about to be executed (or, as critics contend, simply from realizing that he's singing that song). Songs where somebody's getting ready to meet his doom aren't usually well-suited for pop music. The tenor of the song is appropriately downbeat, but maybe the cheerfulness of the chorus and its optimistic look at past events doesn't sit well with some.

Rewind -- January 7, 1978

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(This is part of an ongoing series to bring the posts from this blog's first year into the format I have established as the blog has evolved. Videos have been added, typos have been fixed and stuff has been relived. If you missed this one the first time, I certainly hope you enjoy it now.)

Ten new songs made their debut in Billboard's Hot 100 this week. Four would go on to reach the Top 40 but only one would get into the Top 10. After the success of the film Star Wars (still running in many theaters as 1978 began), science fiction had become mainstream. To mirror that, three of the songs in this week's review have "outer space" imagery. Another big trend as 1978 was getting underway would be disco, which had just become huge with the release of Saturday Night Fever. While no songs from that movie were among the debuts, several have a dancefloor beat to capitalize on the sound.

This issue of Billboard magazine is available online. Read the issue at Google Books. The full Hot 100 chart can be found on page 104. For those who like to read the articles, the scan of page 3 has a tear-out subscription insert blocking much of the page that prevents reading some of the industry news.

Heatwave - "Always And Forever"

(Debuted #78, Peaked #18, 20 weeks on chart)

While not their biggest-charting pop hit ("Boogie Nights" was a #2 hit and "The Groove Line" would reach #7), this may be Heatwave's best-remembered because it's been played often on adult contemporary radio and in wedding receptions for more than 30 years. A romantic ballad expressing true devotion, it's become a wedding-day standard for its timeless quality. Released at the height of disco, it proved that people still sometimes liked to dance slow.

The story of Heatwave begins with two brothers who were stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army. Johnnie and Keith Wilder sang at local bars and venues with various German bands and remained there once they were discharged from the service. Eventually they moved to London to collaborate with Rod Temperton and built a multiracial, multinational band. Heatwave's first single ("Boogie Nights") was a huge smash in several countries and they were able to follow up that success with more hits. However, tragedy struck the group. Singer Johnnie Wilder was paralyzed in a car accident in Dayton, Ohio and bassist Mario Mantese was stabbed by an unknown assailant in London. Other members quit, including Temperton. By 1979, the band was very different and the hits dried up.

Temperton would go on to write many hit songs afterwards, especially Michael Jackson ("Rock With You," "Off the Wall," "Thriller"). Among his other hit compositions were George Benson's "Give Me the Night," "Stomp!" by The Brothers Johnson and a couple of James Ingram duets ("Baby Come to Me" and "Yah Mo B There").

Al Green - "Belle"

(Debuted #98, Peaked #83, 5 weeks on chart)

Al Green had an exceptional run of Hot 100 singles during the 1970s and this would be his final hit of the decade. It was the lead song from The Belle Album, which marked some major changes for the star. It was his first album away from producer Willie Mitchell and the Hi Records Rhythm Section, which shaped many of his big hits. It also marked the end of his R&B era; Green had a religious awakening and the album was his last secular LP before he began a new phase of his career as a gospel performer. Unfortunately, "Belle" didn't pack quite the punch of many earlier songs and wasn't around long.

Without the horns that flavored nearly all of Green's familiar hits, "Belle" sounds like a decent R&B song but not one that's distinctively Al Green. Instead, there is a synthesizer, an electric piano and some sparse guitar strumming. There is some indication of Green's newfound religious direction in the lyrics "Belle, it's you I want but Him that I need." Since religious fervor wasn't exactly in vogue during the hedonistic disco era, fans weren't as likely to listen as they might have been earlier in the decade when Jesus Christ Superstar was a hit, The Staple Singers were scoring hits and "Spirit in the Sky" extolled the virtues of having "a friend in Jesus."

The Pockets - "Come Go With Me"

(Debuted #94, Peaked #84, 9 weeks on chart)

The Pockets were a group from Baltimore that was under the wing of Earth, Wind & Fire member Verdine White (brother of EW&F frontman Maurice White). "Come Go With Me" was an uptempo number with forward-looking lyrics and a bright outlook that wouldn't have been out of place on an EW&F LP from that era, but that's not saying it would have been a standout track. However, the record-buying public didn't really see the need for another Earth, Wind & Fire when that group was still cutting their own albums. After two more Pockets LPs and no more hit singles, the group called it quits after 1979.

Heart - "Crazy On You"

(Debuted #82, Peaked #62, 6 weeks on chart)

This was a return to the charts for a song that reached #35 in 1976. After the success of that year's LP Dreamboat Annie, a dispute between the group and its record company (Mushroom) caused them to leave for Portrait records in 1977. By 1978, Mushroom Records was trying to get as much money out of Heart as possible so they re-released "Crazy on You" as a single in advance of the LP Magazine that was at the heart -- pun intended -- of the dispute with the company. It didn't do as well the second time around, missing the Top 40 but it didn't stop the song from remaining one of the group's best-known tunes.

Beginning as an acoustic guitar solo, a blistering guitar riff takes the song to Ann Wilson's lyrics. Beginning with little more than a whisper, she builds to a crescendo where her delivery of the chorus near the end of the song is nearly maddening. All the while, the music fuels the fire. It was an interesting song in its day, as female singers generally weren't as hard-edged. There were exceptions to the rule (like Fancy or Patti Smith), but by early 1978 Janis Joplin was dead, The Runaways couldn't get a break and punk bands hadn't yet gained a toehold on American radio. The 1980s would see more female acts that weren't afraid to crank up the volume (Pat Benatar, The Go-Go's, ex-Runaway Joan Jett, among others) so Heart was a trailblazer in that respect.

War - "Galaxy"

(Debuted #79, Peaked #39, 9 weeks on chart)

War was a very underrated 1970s band. Despite their influence on later artists from several different genres, the band gets little recognition beyond their fan base. To make it worse, there are some music fans out there who assume they were little more than Eric Burdon's backup group on "Spill the Wine." However, the L.A.-based group was a blend of many different sounds -- rock, jazz fusion, funk, reggae, Latin and R&B -- that gelled when they added two white Europeans (Burdon and Danish harmonica player Lee Oskar). Burdon left after two LPs but the band was more than up to the task of continuing without him.

"Galaxy" was War's final Top 40 hit of the 1970s. With a spacey sound, there are some added sound effects that sound like they came from the Cylons in the old Battlestar Galactica TV show (which hadn't yet debuted when the LP was recorded). Although given a somewhat danceable beat for disco play, dance music wasn't really War's forte. Their laid-back California beat and socially-aware lyrics weren't a good fit with the superficial disco scene and their music soon fell out of favor on Top 40 radio. Even though the records stopped coming out, the group has soldiered on through the years and still tours regularly (even though only one original member is left in the lineup).

Eric Clapton - "Lay Down Sally"

(Debuted #75, Peaked #3, 21 weeks on chart)

Many fans know that "Lay Down Sally" was a big pop hit for Eric Clapton. But few know it was a Top 40 country song, peaking at #26 on that chart as well. The song is performed with a shuffle and is much more of a country-style song than may of Clapton's fans may realize. Clapton wrote the song with two members of his backing band: guitarist and Southern native George Terry, and singer Marcy Levy (later known as Marcella Detroit), whose voice is clearly heard behind Clapton's. Rather than being a country fan, Clapton has acknowledged the influence in writing "Lay Down Sally" to J.J. Cale, an Oklahoma native who contributed another Clapton staple (and "Lay Down Sally" B-side), "Cocaine" as well as his 1970 hit "After Midnight."

The lyrics are straightforward ("stay with me tonight, lay here and talk") but the music is what propels the song. The shuffle beat sounds like a locomotive chugging down the tracks, Clapton's guitar solo is understated but terrific and the band is in fine form. While it's little surprise that "Lay Down Sally" wasn't a bigger country hit, it's worth noting that in 1978 there were many country artists -- Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Dolly Parton -- having crossover success and artists like Linda Ronstadt who courted both audiences, there were also pop and rock artists (Clapton, The Carpenters and Neil Diamond, among others) earning modest success on the country charts as well.

George Duke - "Reach For It"

(Debuted #87, Peaked #54, 6 weeks on chart)

This song was one of the few Hot 100 singles George Duke would get, but that doesn't begin to show his wide-reaching influences. Duke had been a collaborator with Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa and Billy Cobham. From his beginnings as a jazz keyboardist, Duke explored R&B, funk and Latin rhythms as he began recording his 1977 Reach For it LP. Although the LP was more an R&B groove than jazz fusion, it wasn't exactly a "sell-out" like critics were tagging George Benson with at the time. The song "Reach for it" sounds a lot like something from Parliament from its instrumental interplay and female vocalization or The Gap Band (and their song "Oops" in particular) in its male lead vocal.

Prism - "Take Me To The Kaptin"

(Debuted #90, Peaked #59, 7 weeks on chart)

Here's a song that is nearly four minutes of pure power pop. It has many of the requisite ingredients: the guitar attack, the tight production, the disposable lyrics, even a cowbell. While not memorable, it isn't a bad song and sounds similar to some harder-edged but still inoffensive corporate rock hits from the early 1980s. Perhaps the similarity has a little to do with the fact that the song's producer was the same person who crafted many of those 80s arena rock anthems.

The five-member Vancouver-based Prism was the first group produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who would go on to become tremendously sought-after by bands in the 1980s and '90s for his hard-edged style. Fairbairn produced multiplatinum LPs (and later CD releases) for Loverboy, Bon Jovi, AC/DC and Aerosmith.While critics often considered Fairbairn's production to be antiseptic and sterile, artists usually paid attention to the fact that they often had their best-selling LPs under his direction.

David Castle - "The Loneliest Man On The Moon"

(Debuted #89, Peaked #89, 2 weeks on chart)

The video above features a nice introduction from the Internet-based DJ Music Mike.

This was one of the shortest-lived chart hits for all of 1978: it debuted at #89, held the same position a week later and then disappeared. The song's quick death on the charts also marked the end of Castle's short career as a prospective hitmaker. While songs that took place in space like David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and Elton John's "Rocket Man" were big in the early 1970s, the fact that the Apollo program was still going on at the time may have helped them. Unfortunately, by 1978 astronauts weren't going to the moon anymore and the public wasn't buying a lot of records that took place beyond the stratosphere. Of course, any mention of the moon in the song is purely metaphorical; the lyrics mention waiting for a lover to return and a feeling of loneliness.

David Castle was a staff writer for United Artists during the mid-1970s and released his debut LP Castle in the Sky in 1977. Although he hailed from Texas, he recorded his album at the famed Abbey Road studios in London and had some help in the background from the London Symphony Orchestra (who provide much of the "spacey" music in this song).

Meco - "Theme From Close Encounters"

(Debuted #61, Peaked #25, 10 weeks on chart)

For the second time in less than a year, Meco did a discofied version of a movie theme composed by John Williams. The first time out, Meco's version of the Star Wars theme (with "Cantina Band" inserted into it) went to #1 while Williams settled for a #10 peak with his original. Fans of Star Wars -- so often easily agitated in regards to "authenticity" -- weren't overly thrilled by the result, but disco was hot enough in 1977 to vault Meco's version into the #1 spot even if it was seen as a novelty. For Close Encounters of the Third Kind however, it was Williams who won the race, peaking at #13 with his film score as Meco stalled at #25.

Meco was the stage name of Domenico Monardo, an Italian-American born in Pennsylvania. While in high school, he jammed along with friends Chuck Mangione and jazz musician Ron Carter. After being in a service band during his Army hitch, he became a studio musician and arranger. Among his contributions: the horn section on Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crystal Blue Persuasion" and Neil Diamond's series of Coca-Cola commercials. As a producer, he handled Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye" and Carol Douglas's "Doctors Orders." After going platinum with his first LP Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk, he decided to see if lightning struck twice with Encounters of Every Kind. It didn't sell as many copies, but Meco continued with movie-themed singles, including selections from The Wizard of Oz, Superman, The Black Hole, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

This Week's Review -- January 3, 1970

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This week, this blog goes right to the front of the line. This week's review covers the very first week of 1970, which marks the beginning of the 10-year period that I'm defining as the 1970s. There were eleven songs making their debut appearance for that first week of the new decade (including one that had re-entered the chart). Four of these would end up making the Top 40, with one double-sided platter jumping to the #1 position. The slate of singles is a decent representation of the different types of music of the day, and even of the optimism that often comes with a change. The 1960s were now over, and the 1970s represented a chance to straighten out the world on a clean canvas.

While there are several past issues of Billboard in the archive over at Google Books, they don't have the January 3, 1970 edition there. So once again, I'll plug my other music-related blog 80s Music Mayhem. Last week, the focus was on 1984, so the spotlight falls on 1985 in the coming week, and two of the songs remember a fallen legend who had died the previous year.

One last thing...the banner ad below shows an actress whose mother appeared in one of the songs in this week's list.

Joe South - "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"

(Debuted #54, Peaked #12, 11 Weeks on chart)

The highest-charting debut single of the new decade's first week had a timely message. The 1960s were marked by racial strife, war and political assassinations, which made many Americans hopeful that the 1970s would somehow bring a fresh start. "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" echoes this optimism, with lyrics reminding that you'll never know what somebody else is thinking or feeling unless you've been in their positions. While statements of brotherhood sometimes come off as too utopian or far-reaching, Joe South keeps his point close to his own heart.

South was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, which was also the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. He lived through the Civil Rights movement and was moved to write a song calling for compassion, respect and perspective, and infused it with a gospel-styled choir. Beginning the previous year, South had delved into more personal issues with his songs, perhaps with a similar optimism that things would be better with a little bit of work. However, his personal life would soon hand him some twists that caused him to back away from his musical career; the 1970s quickly weren't the happier time his songs hoped for.

South's version of "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" peaked just short of the Top 10, reached #3 on teh adult contemporary chart and was a minor country hit. Willie Hightower took a version onto the R&B chart later in the year. It was also a song that Elvis Presley would incorporate into his live act for several years.

Sly & the Family Stone - "Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)" b/w "Everybody Is A Star"

(Debuted #59, Peaked #1, 13 Weeks on chart)

Since this was a two-sided hit, here's a video of the B-side as well:

Sly and the Family Stone was another act that showed a great deal of promise as the new decade began, yet found that the "fresh start" the new decade promised wasn't going to be found. Some of the blame is their own, as many of the group's members were descending a little too much into the "sex, drugs and Rock & Roll" lifestyle. As the party raged on, the recordings halted; this double-sided single was their only new material released between mid-1969 and late '71.

"Thank You (Falletin Me Be Mice Elf Agin)" was a tune that definitely pointed the direction of funk in the 1970s. Larry Graham's slap bass line that led off the tune and then carried it along is memorable and has reappeared in other songs as well (most notably Janet Jackson's 1989 hit "Rhythm Nation"). The lyrics are both a summation of the band's career -- as evidenced by the use of the titles of several songs -- and a hope for the continuation of the ride."Everybody is a Star" also echoed the confidence and optimism of the band's earlier material. A reminder that every person is special in his or her own way, it featured alternating lead turns by Sly, his siblings Rose and Freddie, and Graham. It also features the bright brass and hopeful spirit the band had usually infused into their records.

The two songs (as well as "Hot Fun in the Summertime") were originally intended to be included on an album that never got off the ground, so they ended up on a greatest hits compilation that bridged the gap between the group's albums. When they finally did release a new album (1971's There's a Riot Goin' On), the group took a major change in direction. One of the biggest signs was a radical reworking of "Thank You." On the album, the same words, music and singers were used, but the song was slowed down considerably. On the single, it was a celebration; on the album, the version (called "Thank You For Talkin' to Me Africa") was just sinister.

The 5th Dimension - "Blowing Away"

(Debuted #77, Peaked #21, 9 Weeks on chart)

While Sly & the Family Stone was a group that celebrated its interracial membership, The Fifth Dimension was a group that proved that an all-black membership can put out adult contemporary music just as easily as an all-white group. And they did that very well in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their similarity to The Mamas and Papas was obvious, even after the fact that they used the same studio players (Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel and Joe Osbourne) is mentioned.

"Blowing Away" was one of several Laura Nyro-penned tunes the group released. It was taken from an album that had already scored two #1 singles ("Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "Wedding Bell Blues"), which gives it a "now" sound that was unique to its era. While the instruments seem to be mixed a little high in the mix, you can definitely pick up that the group had a superb sense of harmony.

The Rascals - "Hold On"

(Debuted #81, Peaked #51, 7 Weeks on chart)

While we're on the subject of the new decade and its effect on the past, there were several acts who didn't cope well once 1970 rolled around. One of those acts was The Rascals, who put out some of the most memorable songs of the last half of the 1960s. By 1970, however, the group was beginning to wind down. Eddie Brigati, who had been a co-writer with Felix Caviliere during much of the group's glory years, was relegated to a backup player and would leave the band during the year. Gene Cornish followed in '71. There were some more LPs with new members, but the spark was gone and the band split up in 1973.

"Hold On" would be the first single by The Rascals to miss the Top 40 since 1966. It was a song that sounded more like a garage band had recorded it than the lineup that did pop classics like "Groovin'" and "Lonely Too Long." There is an instrumental break with a guitar solo and organ break that doesn't really sound like anything they'd have put on their earlier hits. However, you have to give them credit for seeing that music was changing and for having the courage to chart their own path.

The Street People - "Jennifer Tompkins" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #87, Peaked #36, 15 Weeks on chart)

At first, "Jennifer Tompkins" sounds like a mix between Tommy James and the Shondells and Tommy Roe with a female backing chorus. With that kind of description...it's a bubblegum song, and sounds like a hundred other songs of its era.

The Street People was a studio group that was formed when Ron Dante was contractually unable to continue singing with The Cuff Links due to his duties with The Archies. The Cuff Links had begun work on their second album, so fellow member Rupert Holmes (who later became a solo star later in the decade) contributed his own vocals to the existing instrumental track.

One thing that needs to be pointed out: the entire song clocks in at just under two minutes. And it's not even the shortest-running song among this week's debuts.

The New Hope - "Won't Find Better (Than Me)" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #89, Peaked #57, 9 Weeks on chart)

At first listen, "Won't Find Better Than Me" sounds like a song from the mid-to-late 1960s rather than a song from early 1970. The production value, piano opening, instrumentation and harmonies sound dated even for 1970. As it turns out, the song had already been recorded and released twice by the group under its old name -- The Kit Kats -- and was a local hit in the Philadelphia area in 1966-'67. In fact, many of the songs they recorded as The New Hope were remakes of songs they'd already recorded as The Kit Kats, which may have been confusing even to their fans who remembered them in their former guise.

"Won't Find Better Than Me" would be the group's only Hot 100 single under any of their identities.

Gene Pitney - "She Lets Her Hair Down (Early In the Morning)"

(Debuted #93, Peaked #89, 4 Weeks on chart)

Another artist whose career took a different trajectory in the 1970s when compared to the previous decade was Gene Pitney. From 1961 onward, Pitney was a multi-tasking artist. Not only did he have 24 singles hit the Hot 100, he was a session performer on many other hits as well as a songwriter. In 1962, his biggest hit "Only Love Can Break a Heart" was kept out of the #1 spot by The Crystals' "He's a Rebel," a song he had written and featured his unique backing vocals.

Pitney's 24th chart single was "She Lets Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning)," which had hit the chart late in 1969 but fell off for a couple of weeks. It was given a second chance in the new decade but only reached #89 before falling off the chart for the final time. It would be his final hit in the U.S., even though he'd later have sporadic hits in the U.K. and in Europe. In 1970, Pitney decided to limit his time on the road and slowed down the pace of new recordings he'd been doing for more than a decade. It cost him additional hits, but he'd earned the right to go out on his own terms.

The Berlin Philharmonic - "2001: A Space Odyssey" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #94, Peaked #90, 4 Weeks on chart)

The opening sequence for the film 2001: A Space Odyssey is definitely iconic, and the classical music score that Stanley Kubrick placed in the movie is memorable. However, when the original soundtrack album was recorded, Kubrick was forced to use alternate versions of the music because the executives at Decca were reluctant to have their recordings "cheapened" by association with a film score (at the time, classical music was considered to be high art and not something that should be placed at the feet of the masses). Therefore, the original soundtrack LP used a different recording that what was on the actual film and the orchestra wasn't named in the credits.

And then something amazing happened. The movie was a huge hit, and the music score actually heightened the scenes that didn't have dialogue. Realizing they had made a huge mistake, Decca put out a second soundtrack LP and the Berlin Philharmonic was given credit for the song. The theme song was "Also Sprach Zarathustra," a song composed in 1896 by Richard Strauss. Even though it was made famous by the film, it has become a theme song for many others ever since. Elvis Presley used it for his entrance before his stage show, it returned to the charts in 1973 in a jazzed-up version by Deodato, and its permanent connection to the space program has caused it to be used in conjunction with BBC and CTV coverage of the Apollo program.

Rotary Connection - "I Want You To Know"

(Debuted #96, Peaked #96, 2 Weeks on chart)

Rotary Connection was a racially-integrated band like Sly & the Family Stone, and like that group, their influences rand from psychedelic rock to soul to gospel. Unlike the Stones, they were never quite able to break out form their Chicago base and the Midwest. The band was the concept of Marshall Chess (Leonard Chess's son) and signed to the Chess subsidiary Cadet Concept. Their history was marked by poor management and bad timing -- they were invited to play at Woodstock but declined -- but are still looked upon fondly by those who remember them.

Two associates of the group went on to later success. The string arrangements were done by producer and co-founder Charles Stepney, who was instrumental in guiding Earth, Wind & Fire in their early days (that band was founded by Maurice White, who also was an occasional session player for Rotary Connection). The other member was Minnie Riperton, whose five-ocatve range is prominent in "Want You to Know." Sadly, both members died far too young: a heart attack took Stepney in 1976 and cancer claimed Riperton three years later.

Candi Staton - "I'm Just A Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #56, 8 Weeks on chart)

When she recorded "I'm Just a Prisoner (Of Your Good Lovin')," Candi Staton was still twenty-nine years old, but her voice sounds like she's a lot older. That's not a knock in any way, not in the Southern-smoked R&B she sang.

I'm Just a Prisoner was Staton's first solo LP, cut at Rick Hall's legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The tile song was also the first track on the album. She benefits from the house band and brass section, but especially from the guitar lick that sounds like the muddy waters of the Mississippi rolling by.

Joe Simon - "Moon Walk (Part 1)"

(Debuted #100, Peaked #54, 8 Weeks on chart)

This was no premonition of Michael Jackson. Rather, only a few months after the Apollo 11 mission and a real "Moon walk," Joe Simon came out with a song that expressed the feeling of being in love. It was also a "dance" song -- with Simon helping listeners through the steps during the bridge -- that were so prevalent during the 1960s but would soon dry up in the new decade.

As for Joe Simon, his own career would get a boost later on when he recorded more songs that were straight R&B and eased up on the novelty "dance" songs.

Rewind -- January 1, 1972

2012-01-04T20:30:00.002-05:00

(Due to changes made during the first year of this blog, there are several reviews from the past that looks "weird" now. As a way to remedy this, I'm re-running them on Wednesdays to get them up to speed. At the same time, a few songs weren't listened to and can be reviewed now. It's a nice way to get the weeks straight, as well as a way to read the reviews you might have missed.)

Seven new songs debuted on the first Billboard Hot 100 of 1972. While that's a low number of first-timers, the songs had hit power. Six would go on to make the Top 40 and four would be Top 10 hits. The Billboard magazine from this week can be found at Google Books and the Hot 100 List can be found on page 19.

T. Rex - "Bang a Gong (Get it On)"

(Debuted at #87, Peaked at #10, 15 weeks on chart)

Over the years, many groups from England have been hugely successful in their own country only to have limited success in the U.S. One of those acts was T. Rex, a group led by Marc Bolan that was very influential in the Glam rock scene of the 1970s. Despite their heavy influence on later artists, they only managed four U.S. hits and only "Bang a Gong" managed to reach above #67.

The song was a #1 single in the U.K. and was called "Get it On" there (and everywhere else in the world). However, a minor 1971 hit of the same name by the group Chase caused the record label to alter the title to "Bang a Gong (Get it On)" to avoid any confusion. As a three-minute piece of disposable pop, the song is really good. The lyrics are about a girl, but critics have debated whether there's any meaning behind them, with mentions of teeth of a hydra and eagles on her shirt. Others say it's merely a song about sex.

A remake by The Power Station (featuring singer Robert Palmer, two members of Duran Duran and Chic drummer Tony Thompson) would reach #9 in 1985, with the reverted title "Get it On (Bang a Gong)."

Apollo 100 - "Joy"

(Debuted at #100, Peaked at #6, 14 weeks on chart)

In 1969, an LP called Switched-On Bach (by Walter -- now Wendy -- Carlos) brought the compositions of Johann Sebastian Bach to a new audience and showed how electronic devices like the Moog synthesizer could be used to make music. It was a surprise million-seller. After that, other artists (most notably The Who on "Baba O'Reilly") began to experiment with the new instrument and it was only a matter of time before somebody decided to issue a Bach composition as a single. As 1972 dawned, an English studio group called Apollo 100 released a single called "Joy," a take on "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." Though it didn't use a synthesizer (Apollo 100 used an organ), it was clearly inspired by the Carlos record.

While a classical piece usually doesn't excite fans of rock and pop, "Joy" was a Top 10 hit. It's a song that many might not know by seeing the title but often remember upon listening. It has been featured in films like Boogie Nights (in a scene showing a pan of Eddie/Dirk Diggler's bedroom with all its period pieces) and The 40-Year Old Virgin. The group's success was short-lived, though; a followup single with music from Mendelssohn's 4th barely dented the Hot 100. Future releases missed the chart altogether and the group folded in 1973.

Climax - "Precious And Few"

(Debuted at #81, Peaked at #3, 19 weeks on chart)

Here's a tune that people love or hate, depending on their musical tastes. To some listeners, this is one of the 1970s' romantic favorites. For other, this is the reason people stopped listening to AM radio stations. Regardless whether you think it makes a great wedding song or belongs on selection B15 in the Jukebox from Hell, it was a big hit and still finds its way onto romantic hit compilations like the ones you see getting shilled on late-night TV by some past-his-prime singer from 30 years ago.

Climax was formed out of the ashes of The Outsiders (who hit in 1965 with "Time Won't Let Me") after that group split up around 1970. Former Outsiders Sonny Geraci and Tom King both formed new bands and began using the name The Outsiders, and when King sued as the owner of the group's name, Geraci changed the name of his band to Climax. The newly renamed band released its first LP late in 1971 and "Precious and Few" was the first single. The slow, romantic love song was a #3 smash and its followup "Life & Breath" was a minor hit. Despite the encouraging success of their first LP, Climax recorded but never released a second and broke up shortly afterwards.

Listening to "Precious and Few" it's hard to imagine that the smooth voice belonged to the same person who did "Time Won't Let Me." The songs are from different perspectives as well. The earlier one was a plea for the lady to give in to his desire and with the later song...it's safe to say she finally let it happen. From the lyrics, this guy is thinking of her as he's away from home, or else he's drinking ("If I can't find my way back home..."). But in either case, the guy is now p-whipped.

The Faces - "Stay With Me"

(Debuted at #56, Peaked at #17, 10 weeks on chart)

After reviewing a song like "Precious and Few," "Stay With Me" is an interesting contrast.The lyrics couldn't be more direct: "let's have a one night stand, but you need to be out the door before I'm awake." Further lines like "it won't take much persuading...but with a face like that you've got nothing to laugh about" point out that this is definitely not a love song. Beginning with electric piano before Ron Wood begins playing his guitar and Rod Stewart opens up with his distinctive vocal, the song is straight-ahead rock & roll and is among the group's best performances.

While The Faces were recording their LP A Nod is as Good as a Wink...To a Blind Horse, Rod Stewart hit huge with his solo LP Every Picture Tells a Story and the #1 hit "Maggie May." The resulting success was good for the band because it brought some exposure but it also helped fracture the lineup once Stewart's solo career demanded his time. They would record one more LP before breaking up. Rod Stewart would become a superstar, two other members joined iconic groups (Ronnie Wood to the Rolling Stones and Kenney Jones to The Who), keyboardist Ian McLagan became a heavily-sought after session man and bassist Ronnie Wood formed his own band. Their time was relatively short, but The Faces would contribute to the face of music for years to come.

Robert John - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)"

(Debuted at #89, Peaked at #3, 17 weeks on chart)

This is, of course, a remake of the #1 song done by The Tokens in 1961. While that version is probably the best known, it's not the original. First written and recorded in 1939 by a South African Zulu named Solomon Linda as "Mbube" (the Zulu word for "Lion"), the song was a hit during the 1940s in its native country. In 1951, folk legends The Weavers did a version of the song and called it "Wimoweh" because they misheard the background vocals (uyimbube - "You're a lion"). For the #1 record in 1961, new lyrics were written for The Tokens by three American writers. As a result of the various additions to the original song and a lawsuit filed by Linda's heirs, it is often listed as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh) (Mbube)." For a more complete version of the events, read this article from Bob Shannon's "Behind the Hits" website.

Robert John was a Brooklyn-born singer who had been recording since he was 12 (in 1958) but had only gathered a handful of hits. With "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" he finally earned his first Top 40 single and also his first gold record. The song was done in a slightly different style from The Token's version; while there is still a doo-wop chorus, John's version adds a slide guitar in the background and the sax solo with a female soprano voice behind it has been replaced by -- of all things -- a tuba solo with a slide guitar.

The 5th Dimension - "Together Let's Find Love"

(Debuted at #90, Peaked at #37, 10 weeks on chart)

"Together Let's Find Love" was a single from The 5th Dimension's LP Live!! and even though it just made the Top 40 as a concert recording it was considered a poor chart position for a group that usually scored Top 20 with their singles. The single fared a little better on Billboard's R&B (#22) and Easy Listening/Adult Contemporary (#8) charts. Despite the vocal harmonies that marked the group's big 1960s hits, their 1970s songs tended to be more of a spotlight for its vocalists to sing solo and this song is no exception. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. do what is essentially a duet before the crowd while the other three members are relegated to background support and that isn't evident in some parts unless you really listen. Even though they're in fine form vocally on the song, it's easy to see why this is often forgotten in favor of hits "One Less Bell to Answer" or "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All."

Van Morrison - "Tupelo Honey"

(Debuted at #99, Peaked at #47, 8 weeks on chart)

Van Morrison is one of those performers who is a favorite of music fans, critics and other musicians. Judging by his reputation, it would be assumed that his list of hit singles would be longer -- or at least have higher peak positions -- than it is. Neither this or any of Van the Man's subsequent 1970s singles would reach the Top 40 even though his albums were consistent sellers. Perhaps his fans were content to simply buy the long-players and shun the singles, especially when they were often edited down for radio play.

"Tupelo Honey" was the title track from Morrison's 1971 LP. The album cover showed his wife on a horse and this song was likely written about her. The hymn-like delivery of the song sets a mellow tone. As Morrison seems to be channeling both Bob Dylan and Otis Redding, his band backs him up superbly.

This Week's Review -- December 25, 1971

2011-12-31T20:30:00.353-05:00

To my loyal readers, I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year. This year was an unusual case, as both January 1 and December 31 fell on Saturdays...so this is the 53rd and final weekly review of 2011. Believe it or not, I've already picked out the reviews I will be tackling over the next 12 months. That means I intend to keep them coming, so please keep checking back to see what I'm featuring.

There were ten singles debuting in this week's Billboard Hot 100. Three of those would go on to reach the Top 40 and one made it as high as the Top 10. The biggest hit was another smash from Three Dog Night that was written by the same person who'd just handed them their biggest hit single. Wilson Pickett reaches the Top 40 with a song that exemplified his style, and Led Zeppelin offer a unique start/stop rhythm to their song. The songs that missed the Top 40 come for some long-established artists such as Ray Charles, Rufus Thomas and the Bar-Kays, as well as early hits from Alice Cooper and The Ohio Players. A hidden gem from The Persuaders shows up, as well as a song that helped spread the "gospel" of Jesus Christ Superstar.

There is an archive of past Billboard issues over at Google Books, and the December 25, 1971 edition is among them. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 58. An editorial article on page 3 has a few short words regarding the recently deceased David Sarnoff. In what may be one of the first mentions about him in the magazine, Billy Joel complains in an article on page 14 about how hard it is to find a good piano while touring. On page 28, the spokesmen for Admiral are announcing that their engineers have picked 8-track over cassette for which tape format to offer to consumers. The issue also contains a special section naming the top singers and songs of the year.

Led Zeppelin - "Black Dog"

(Debuted #67, Peaked #15, 12 Weeks on chart)

What do you call the LP that is led off by "Black Dog"? Many call it Led Zeppelin IV, but it has also been called Four Symbols, Runes, "Zoso," Untitled or "the fourth album." The album was issued without a name, so fans (and the band's record company) have had to use their own devices over the years when it comes to giving it a name. Whatever it's called, it's the band's best-known album and their biggest seller, and it's not solely due to the fact that "Stairway to Heaven" is included; it's a solid rock collection.

"Black Dog" is one of those songs where the title doesn't appear at all in the lyrics, but that is probably for the best, as the words are an expression of lustful desire. The idea for the song came from Muddy Waters' "Electric Mud," which inspired John Paul Jones to come up with a rolling bass part. As for the start-and-stop lyrics before Jimmy Page's guitar assaults that are probably the most memorable part of the tune, that inspiration was from Fleetwood Mac's 1969 song "Oh Well."

Wilson Pickett - "Fire And Water"

(Debuted #79, Peaked #24, 11 Weeks on chart)

Once again, I'm a sucker for Soul Train footage when it comes to picking out the video footage that accompanies these posts.

One of Wilson Pickett's talents was an innate ability to take songs from other genres and adapt them to his own style. In many cases, he chose material that many soul artists might not have dared to try. In case of "Fire and Water," he took a song that was originated by the English rock group Free and made it his own.

He had some help, of course...Dennis Coffey contributed the guitar and the Memphis Horns were there to add some of their own color to the song. A clavinet is also a major instrument in the mix, but it's Pickett's powerful voice that binds it all together. "Fire and Water" was the lead track on his Don't Knock My Love LP, the last one he recorded for Atlantic.

Three Dog Night - "Never Been To Spain"

(Debuted #81, Peaked #5, 12 Weeks on chart)

Three Dog Night was well-known for getting its hit material from top-notch songwriters. In the case of "Never Been to Spain," the writer was Hoyt Axton, who also penned their monster hit "Joy to the World" earlier in the year. The song mentioned seemingly random geographic references (Spain, England, Oklahoma, but "not Arizona," Las Vegas) played out as if it were the ramblings of a wayward drifter. At the same time, Cory Wells keeps raising the tenor of his voice. At the beginning of the song, he's singing in a whisper, but by the end of the song he's giving it all he has.

Ray Charles - "What Am I Living For"

(Debuted #87, Peaked #71, 7 Weeks on chart)

Once again, Ray Charles takes a song that was already familiar and gives it his own interpretation. "What Am I Living For" was written by Jay Harris and was a #1 R&B hit for Chuck Willis in 1958. It became a standard over the years, cut not only by soul artists like Chuck Jackson and Solomon Burke, but also by country artists Ernest Tubb and Conway Twitty. The country style is evident in Brother Ray's version, as it starts with the notes of a steel guitar.

That said, Charles' take on "What Am I Living For" was not sung as a country song. Country serves as one of his many influences, as he delivers the lines as only he knew how.

Alice Cooper - "Under My Wheels"

(Debuted #88, Peaked #59, 8 Weeks on chart)

At the time "Under My Wheels" was a hit, the name "Alice Cooper" was still associated with the band that performed it as much as the singer. In this entry, I'm referring to the band.

"Under My Wheels" was the song that led off the LP Killer, which was a collection that pointed toward Alice Cooper's future musical direction. Written by three of the members of the group (rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bass player Dennis Dunaway and keyboardist Bob Ezrin), it has become a concert staple over the years.

The Bar-Kays - "Son Of Shaft"

(Debuted #92, Peaked #53, 10 Weeks on chart)

Just as the movie Frankenstein was swiftly followed by The Bride of Frankenstein and The Son of Frankenstein in the wake of its success, it was little surprise to see "Son of Shaft" show up so soon after Isaac Hayes took his Shaft film score to #1 on both the singles and album charts.

Like the original and more familiar "Theme From Shaft," "Son of Shaft" features a lengthy instrumental part, a solid funk backbone and the retort "Shut your mouth" to prevent the utterance of a radio-unfriendly obscenity.

The video above comes from the the film Wattstax. That was a concert festival held in the summer of 1972, where various artists from the Stax family performed at the Los Angeles Coliseum. In order to get as many people as possible to attend, tickets were sold for one dollar.

The Persuaders - "Love Gonna Pack Up (And Walk Out)"

(Debuted #96, Peaked #64, 10 Weeks on chart)

The Persuaders' best songs have been remade into big hits, but "Love Gonna Pack Up" seems to have been overlooked by "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" and "Some Guys Have All the Luck." However, "Love Gonna Pack Up" is a song that deserved a wider audience than it eventually had.

Despite having a similar rhythm and topic that was used on "Thin Line Between Love and Hate," there is a tremendous groove that drives "Love Gonna Pack Up." A fuzz guitar punctuates the lyric's warnings that a relationship requires a lot of work and can fracture without both people giving it their all. Rather than a song about dealing with a split, it's a reminder that one can happen when regular care isn't taken to keep it alive. It deserves a listen if you've never heard it.

Rufus Thomas - "Do The Funky Penguin (Part 1)"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #44, 10 Weeks on chart)

After a long career performing soul and blues and drawing from his Vaudeville background to keep audiences entertained, Rufus Thomas was letting the funk take the wheel in many of his early 1970s songs. One of those tunes was "Do the Funky Penguin," and sequel of sorts to his 1969 hit "Do the Funky Chicken."

The guitar effects in the song that give it much of its bite come from Charles Pitts. As a longtime member of the Stax lineup, Thomas was able to get some of the tightest musicians in Memphis to play on his records, and it sounds like they had a great time laying it down in the studio.

The Ohio Players - "Pain (Part 1)"

(Debuted #99, Peaked #64, 8 Weeks on chart)

For many casual listeners, The Ohio Players' pre-Mercury recordings (aside from "Funky Worm," possibly) have been largely overlooked. What is better remembered from the group, though...is their racy LP covers. Where their Mercury albums often looked like they were remainders from a Penthouse shoot, their Westbound LPs went with an S&M angle. That's not really surprising once you see that those LPs were called Pain, Pleasure and Ecstasy.

The first of those LPs was Pain, which marked a transition from the Southern-style hard-edged soul they were performing in the 1960s to a more experimental sound that incorporated jazz, blues and psychedelia. It wasn't yet the funky stuff that would fuel their biggest hits later in the decade, but they were finding their way to that point. The song "Pain" was an example of this, with its freeform horn solo and a guitar workout that goes off on their own jazzy tangents, as well as a flute that could have been right at home on a Herbie Mann track.

The Assembled Multitude - "Medley From Superstar (A Rock Opera)" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #100, Peaked #100, 1 Week on chart)

This was a second chance for "Medley From Superstar," after it managed to spend a single week at #95 back in February before dropping off the chart. Unfortunately, it would also spend only a single week on the chart before falling off for good.

The Assembled Multitude was an instrumental ensemble based in Philadelphia. Some of the members would go on to work in the various orchestras behind Thom Bell, Gamble & Huff and what would be called the "Philly Sound." With "Medley From Superstar," they performed an instrumental medley of songs from Jesus Christ Superstar, similar to what they did with Tommy. However, this time the result didn't climb its way very far up the chart; instead, Murray Head's performance of "Superstar" became the hit version (albeit on its third chart run).

This Week's Review -- December 23, 1978

2011-12-24T20:30:00.368-05:00

There were ten new singles this week in Billboard, with five reaching the Top 40, two making the Top 10 and one that coursed its way to the #1 position. That chart-topper was a song about a one-night stand and -- depending on who's commenting about it -- is either a sign of its era or a reminder of when the artist made a wrong turn. The other Top 10 hit was a surprise single that sounds little like most of the songs of the era. Foreigner shows up with a familiar sound, while Dobie Gray tries on some dancing shoes and Chicago tries to right a course charted by a twist of fate. Further down the chart are a Christmas-themed song, two movie themes, an adult-oriented tune and a song that could have only appeared during the Disco era.

Unfortunately, there is no December 23, 1978 issue in the archive of Billboard issues over at Google Books. So, I will once again shamelessly plug my other music-related blog, 80s Music Mayhem. Each weekday, I feature a single song that peaked in the 1980s and last week's focus was 1982. The five songs featured over the week represented five very different styles...if you're not reading that blog, I'll recommend making it a regular stop.

Rod Stewart - "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy"

(Debuted #40, Peaked #1, 21 Weeks on chart)

We start with one of the more polarizing songs of the decade, one that not only picked up more fans for "Rod the Mod" but also repelled others who'd been following him since the beginning of the decade. To those fans, it was a sign that he had somehow signed a pact with Satan himself to become so talented and finally had to pay the piper. Not only had Stewart crossed over into disco, but the person narrating the tale of picking up a one-night stand is miles away from the person who sang the lyrics of Faces' "Stay With Me."

Adrian over at the 7 Inches of 70s Pop blog did a much better description of this song than any I'll ever write, complete with the songs that were used (some might say "lifted whole") as guidelines for the finished product. So, I'll link over to his blog instead and point out that it should be regular reading for anybody who is interested in this weekly exercise.

Foreigner - "Blue Morning, Blue Day"

(Debuted #75, Peaked #15, 14 Weeks on chart)

"Blue Morning, Blue Day" was the sixth hit single Foreigner charted in just two years, and each of those made the Top 40. By this time, the band had pretty much established its template for pleasant arena rock, with hard-edged guitar riffs, flawless production and lyrics that weren't exactly subtle.

However, when compared to the other hits that came off the group's Double Vision LP ("Hot Blooded" and the title track), "Blue Morning, Blue Day" actually comes off as restrained. That wasn't going to change, though; their next LP Head Games featured more of the same sound and attitude...and still sold well.

Chicago - "No Tell Lover"

(Debuted #77, Peaked #14, 15 Weeks on chart)

"No Tell Lover" was a song that pointed to the direction of the band Chicago at the time. It was written by group members Peter Cetera, Lee Loughnane and Danny Seraphine, but the vocals were supplied by Cetera and Donnie Dacus, the member who joined the band as Terry Kath's replacement after Kath's accidental suicide. Not only was Kath gone, so was the group's long-time producer James William Guercio. The album containing the song was called Hot Streets -- a break from the band's routine of simply numbering their albums -- and featured a shot of the band members instead of an artistic design.

The changes weren't all well-received by the group's fans. Some were frustrated by their more pop-oriented direction at the expense of the progressive jazz-rock fusion they showcased earlier in the decade. While a certain degree of aimlessness was expected due to Kath's death and a change of producer, the group's records tailed off both artistically and commercially. "No Tell Lover" would be Chicago's final Top 40 single until 1982, after they were dropped by their record company and settled on their future direction. Along the way, they also dropped Dacus from the lineup in quick and unceremonious fashion.

"No Tell Lover" was a ballad about an on-the-sly affair that was done, appropriately enough, in an adult contemporary style. It was one of the album's high points, but marked the end of their staggering run of big hits in the 1970s.

Bobby Caldwell - "What You Won't Do For Love"

(Debuted #83, Peaked #9, 20 Weeks on chart)

Sometimes I enjoy taking a few minutes to read through the comments that accompany some of the videos that get placed on this blog. For another video where Bobby Caldwell performed "What You Won't Do For Love" in the late 1980s, this little note was added in the comments: "Wait a minute...this guy is white?"

That's actually a legitimate question, as the song is performed in a similar style that many R&B artists employed well into the 1980s and uses a light jazz accompaniment that gives it some of the urban sophistication you'd expect from Michael Henderson or Peabo Bryson. Caldwell personified "blue-eye soul" in "What You Won't Do For Love," and the song has a timeless quality that makes it sound fresh in any era.

Engelbert Humperdinck - "This Moment in Time"

(Debuted #85, Peaked #58, 6 Weeks on chart)

A few weeks back, I was listening to a repeat episode of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 radio show from 1976. It's a weekly habit for me, here's a list of the stations that run the show and links to hear them stream live. Before playing "After the Lovin'," Casey told the story of how a singer named Arnold Dorsey failed to generate much excitement until he changed his stage name to Engelbert Humperdinck.

By the mid 1970s, Humperdinck was more focused on his stage shows than he was on his new records. "After the Lovin'" was a temporary change in that philosophy, but the shows were too profitable to ignore. He targeted an adult crowd, sang his standards at his Vegas shows and only charted sparsely on the pop chart into the early 1980s. "This Moment in Time" did pretty well with the adult contemporary scene -- it was his fourth and final #1 single in that format -- given the way it sounds like a wedding song.

Dobie Gray - "You Can Do It"

(Debuted #86, Peaked #37, 11 Weeks on chart)

It is somehow appropriate that this singer's final pop hit as a solo artist finds its way into this blog during the same month he passed away. The sad news about Dobie Gray losing his bout with cancer on December 6 brought out several career highlights, as this type of news tends to do. Long-time fans remembered him for "The In-Crowd" and "Drift Away." Northern Soul fans in the U.K. reflected on his "Out On the Floor." Others remembered the guest turn he took on Uncle Kracker's remake of "Drift Away" in 2003. And yes, over on a music group I follow on Facebook, somebody said, "hey, anybody remember his disco hit"?

That would be "You Can Do it." Recorded in Muscle Shoals with legendary producer Rick Hall, it was a minor hit that just scraped the Top 40 early in 1979. That made it his first pop Top 40 in nearly six years.Although the era was marked by artists who were quick to record a danceable tune to cash in on the Disco craze, "You Can Do it" is a song that shouldn't be lumped in with more generic productions. It's actually a very good song that still can be considered a solid R&B tune (something that many Disco songs fail to do) and isn't trapped up in the conventions of the sound. Hall and the Muscle Shoals players deserve some of the credit for that, but Gray deserved it as well.

Stephen Bishop - "Animal House"

(Debuted #88, Peaked #73, 5 Weeks on chart)

Animal House has long been one of my favorite films, so this song, which plays over the closing credits of the film, has long been familiar to me. Singer Stephen Bishop was able to secure a cameo in the movie as well, playing the man with the guitar who is serenading a group of ladies on a stairwell during the fraternity's toga party before Bluto (John Belushi) grabs the guitar and smashes it against the wall.

"Animal House" is an original song but is given a wonderfully retro feel that makes it sound like it was from the film's early 1960s setting. The lyrics tell about the various characters in the film, and the soundtrack version -- but not the version played in the film -- interjected dialogue from the movie. It's not really surprising the song didn't get much higher that #73 on the chart, but it really could have stayed around a little longer.

Yvonne Elliman - "Moment By Moment"

(Debuted #89, Peaked #59, 6 Weeks on chart)

Earlier in 1978, Yvonne Elliman scored her biggest hit with a track from a monster movie starring John Travolta. At the end of the year, she was contributing a theme to another Travolta film, a May/December romance co-starring Lily Tomlin called Moment By Moment. Neither the film nor Elliman's theme song was able to match the heights Saturday Night Fever did.

"Moment By Moment" sounded like it was made to be a song that played over the closing credits of a film. It's soft, it features a lush orchestral arrangement and features Elliman's lovely and soaring voice. It's exactly what you expect to hear when the story has played itself out and you're walking out of the theater.

Boney M - "Mary's Boy Child"/"Oh My Lord"

(Debuted #90, Peaked #85, 5 Weeks on chart)

Just in time for the holiday season, here's a song about the man who gave the name to Christmas. And in the U.K., where there is a special emphasis placed on the #1 song during the Christmas week, the song that held down the top spot was "Mary's Boy Child/Oh My Lord" a medley that mixed a 1956 Harry Belafonte song with a song co-written by Boney M's creator Frank Farian.

Originally, the single was rushed into production in order to have it ready for the holiday season. As a result, it was a single-only release that would never be placed on an album until 1981 (and then, in edited form on a U.K.-only LP). Due to its low peak position on the chart and limited availablity, it was a prized single among collectors for a while. It can still be heard on radio stations during the holiday season...in fact, I actually heard it a few times this year on my own radio.

John Davis and the Monster Orchestra - "Ain't That Enough For You"

(Debuted #92, Peaked #89, 4 Weeks on chart)

During his youth, John Davis was supposedly given the nickname "Monster" because he didn't know that the word could be used as a synonym for "huge" (as in a "monster" hit). Eventually, he used the name for his backing band. Their only single to make the Hot 100 was "Ain't That Enough For You," a catchy disco song that failed to get too far up the chart before falling off.

"Ain't That Enough For You" was definitely a shot of adrenaline and was certain to pick up the pace on the dance floor. It's surprising that it didn't get more exposure at a time when everybody and his brother was rushing to get out a disco song. However, the end of the Disco era soon spelled the end of The Monster Orchestra as well. Davis remained in the music business, composing the theme for Beverly Hills, 90210 in 1992.

This Week's Review -- December 18, 1976

2011-12-17T07:55:00.350-05:00

Nine new singles debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Of the four that eventually cracked the Top 40, three reached the Top 10 and two were #1 hits. Both of those chart-toppers are still familiar songs today, as is the other Top 10 hit. The remaining songs are all by artists who are familiar to most casual listeners of the era, and there are a few surprises to be found among them.

There is a large archive of past issues of Billboard magazine at Google Books, including the December 18, 1976 edition. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 68. There are several future trends that are pointed out. An article on page 3 has a Motown executive predicting the "death" of the single format within five years. Another article on page 3 explains the incident on Bill Grundy's TV show involving The Sex Pistols that gave the band some extra notoriety before they ever stepped foot in the U.S. Finally, one of the biggest things to hit the 1980s is referenced in an advertisement on page 17. It's an "open letter" from Sony regarding its Betamax machine. While that unit eventually lost out to VHS in a format war, it was a device that allowed people more freedom to watch what they wanted and at a time of their own choosing. As such, it is a forerunner to today's on-demand video and DVR units.

The Eagles - "New Kid In Town"

(Debuted #48, Peaked #1, 15 Weeks on chart)

Until I was 13 years old, I lived in a military family. As a result, I was forced to move several times and definitely understood what it was like to be "the new kid." I also learned that while the new kid is usually a source of interest, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. And when you live in a military atmosphere, it doesn't take long until there is another "new kid" coming in to grab attention.

In the case of the Eagles song, it was directed at the fickle state of the music business and the way artists are pushed aside for "The Next Big Thing." A track from their Hotel California LP, it would become their third #1 pop single as well as a #2 adult contemporary hit.

The Steve Miller Band - "Fly Like An Eagle"

(Debuted #73, Peaked #2, 20 Weeks on chart)

Moving from a song by The Eagles to another with "Eagle" in its title, "Fly Like an Eagle" has long been one of The Steve Miller Band's most recognized tunes. Its mellow vibe, soaring synth lines and title lead some to claim the song is about using drugs, but that avoids the other lines of the song that mention feeding the poor and sheltering the homeless.

"Fly Like an Eagle" has been widely played on album rock stations since its hit days, often in tandem with "Space Intro," the song that segued into it on the Fly Like An Eagle LP.

KISS - "Hard Luck Woman"

(Debuted #74, Peaked #15, 13 Weeks on chart)

"Hard Luck Woman" may sound like a blatant attempt to recreate the events that made "Beth" a surprise hit. Like that song, it is a ballad and features Peter Criss handling the vocals. The main instrument here is an acoustic-sounding guitar (which, like the piano in "Beth," was different from the hard-edged electric guitar they were known for). However, instead of Criss also writing the song, "Hard Luck Woman" was a Paul Stanley creation. He wrote it for Rod Stewart and gave it to Criss when Stewart declined to record it.

It's a shame, since I would like to hear how Stewart would have handled it. The song sounds perfectly suited for his style.

In the hands of KISS, it's a compelling song because it's so different from their "standard" material. The acoustic rendition gave an additional element to what many saw as a band that was all about makeup and pyrotechnics. It's just the type of song that the "hair metal" bands 15 years later -- many of whom were influenced by KISS in their youth -- would step away from their instruments midway through their concert to play.

Donna Summer - "Winter Melody" b/w "Spring Affair"

(Debuted #80, Peaked #43, 15 Weeks on chart)

Since this is a two-sided single, here's an additional video for the B-Side:

Donna Summer's Four Seasons of Love was a concept album that told the story of a love affair in four parts, and each phase was attributed to a season of the year as it blossomed and ultimately died. There were only four songs on the entire LP (plus a reprise of the first song at the end), and two of them were included on this single (in abridged form). They were the opening ("Spring") and closing ("Winter") acts.

Interestingly, the A-side was the finale, "Winter Melody." It was performed as a ballad, as the protagonist/narrator comes to the realization that the romance is over ("cause he's not coming home and I'm here alone"). Like winter, she feels the chill and finds it dark and lonely as the storms approach. "Spring Affair," on the other hand, is much more upbeat and hopeful, as you'd expect when love is new.

Heart - "Dreamboat Annie"

(Debuted #82, Peaked #42, 10 Weeks on chart)

The version of "Dreamboat Annie" in the video above is a live rendition, which doesn't feature the song the way it was presented on the single. In that version, Heart's record company decided that the two minute running time was too short and tacked the acoustic guitar intro from "Crazy On You" to it, which made me check my player a couple of times to verify I had loaded the right song while I was listening to it for this review. In the clip above, Nancy Wilson does a different solo on the acoustic guitar to open the song.

Dreamboat Annie was the debut LP by Heart and included three separate songs called "Dreamboat Annie." The version that was placed on the single (albeit with an extended intro tacked on) was the second version. The first was an intro that ran for a minute between the album's biggest tracks "Magic Man" and "Crazy On You." There was also a reprise of the song that finished the album's second side. It features Ann Wilson's vocal in a softer vein than what the two previous hits showed, giving her more ammunition to be considered one of her generation's best singers, regardless of genre. She even sings over a banjo, which definitely didn't appear on the earlier singles.

The single mix of "Dreamboat Annie" is still unreleased on any Heart album.

Starbuck - "Lucky Man"

(Debuted #83, Peaked #73, 5 Weeks on chart)

Starbuck had one of the defining singles of the Summer of 1976 when "Moonlight Feels Right" began playing on radio stations. On their followup singles from the album, the group risked being seen as a One-Hit Wonder because they were unable to score another Top 40 hit until their next LP came out. "Lucky Man" wasn't destined to be that hit.

"Lucky Man" (not a remake of the Emerson, Lake and Palmer song of the same title) was a song that had its own charm and was awash with keyboards, but lacked the same spirit the band gave "Moonlight Feels Right."

Plus, the line "we're happy as a monkey in a coconut tree" is a little goofy.

Cliff Richard - "I Can't Ask For Anymore Than You"

(Debuted #84, Peaked #80, 4 Weeks on chart)

Cliff Richard was the all-time top performer in the U.K., with even more hit records there than The Beatles had. In the U.S., his chart fortunes weren't as bright. Ironically, his American hits dried up as the British Invasion brought fame to many of his countrymen. He only managed a pair of Hot 100 singles after The Beatles arrived in 1964 through their breakup, and neither one of them got any higher on the Billboard chart than #92. By the mid 1970s, he was even having trouble in his native country, failing to chart in the U.K. at all in 1975 despite still releasing naew material.

In 1976, he recorded the LP I'm Nearly Famous, which returned him to prominence in his home country and gave him his first American Top 10 hit "Devil Woman." It was seen as a return to his 1960s form, as well as an embrace of a harder-edged style that he hadn't used since early in his career. The first track on that album was "I Can't Ask For Anymore Than You," a song that has Richard bringing out a falsetto.

The song only reached #80 in the U.S. and #17 in the U.K. Richard had a breakthrough in America, but his next big hits would not arrive there until a new decade rolled around.

Thelma Houston - "Don't Leave Me This Way"

(Debuted #85, Peaked #1, 24 Weeks on chart)

"Don't Leave Me This Way" has become one of the "prototypical" disco songs, over the years and has popped up in several retrospectives on the era as well as many movies that were set in the decade. The first of those movies was Looking For Mr. Goodbar, a 1977 film that appeared shortly after the song had fallen off the chart. It was an unqualified crossover smash, reaching the #1 position on Billboard's pop, R&B and Disco charts.

The song was originally recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, with Teddy Pendergrass singing. That version wasn't released as a single in the U.S. but featured a more subdued opening and its arrangement was designed to accentuate Pendergrass' voice as he built up to the choruses; Houston's version was tailor-made for the dance floor, so the arrangement is amped up until the song fades out. As a nice counterpoint, the video clip above has Houston giving the song a slightly different take, which lets us hear more of her voice than the single did.

Paul Anka - "Happier"

(Debuted #86, Peaked #60, 7 Weeks on chart)

The video above simply features "Happier" in its vinyl state, as part of what appears to be a compilation of Paul Anka's hits (I can't read the label in the video, but the words look too long to be his LP The Painter, where the song originally appeared). I'll mention that the few audible pops on the record are annoying to some, but a familiar relic of the "old days" to others.

"Happier" seems to be written in a similar state of marital contentment that caused him to write "Having My Baby," except with what sounds like a marching band (complete with a tuba player) and a synthesizer accompanying him. It was the first chart single he released since his mid-70s "comeback" to miss the Top 40, but ended up in the adult contemporary Top 10.

This Week's Review -- December 10, 1977

2011-12-10T20:30:00.002-05:00

There were nine new singles in this week's Billboard Hot 100, with four reaching into the Top 40. One of those hits ended up hitting #1 for several weeks. That chart-topper is a classic of the era, but the other songs are worth listening to as well. Two of the songs are reworkings of classic 1960s hits, with one being given an uptempo disco treatment, and the other being recorded by its writers. A "comeback" hit by Bill Withers joins lesser-known hits by Leo Sayer, Peter Frampton and Foreigner. Sammy Hagar shows up on the chart for the first time as an artist, while Al Martino shows up for his last.

There is a vast archive of past issues on Billboard magazine at Google Books, including the December 10, 1977 edition. The full Hot 100 can be found on Page 88. An article on Page 20 by Paul Grein explains how Dolly Parton's star was on the rise after the crossover success of "Here You Come Again."

The Bee Gees - "Stayin' Alive"

(Debuted #65, Peaked #1, 27 Weeks on chart)

As most fans of 1970s culture know, "Stayin' Alive" was the song that played during the opening credits of the film Saturday Night Fever, as Tony Manero (John Travolta's character) walks down a Brooklyn street while fetching a special-order can of paint for a customer at his job. Along the way, he puts a down payment on a silk shirt he sees in a store window, tries to flirt with a woman who just walks away and grabs two slices of pizza from a neighborhood pizzeria. The scene has become so identified with the song -- and with Travolta himself -- that it has become iconic.

The Bee Gees were already well-known before the film, but their work on the soundtrack made them the biggest group on the planet as 1978 rolled around. Their success raised the tide of all the acts around them, with their record company getting a boost, their younger brother Andy scoring his own hits and several acts that did well with songs written and/or produced by the Gibb brothers.

Like it or hate it, the song does have its merits. "Stayin' Alive" is introduced by a bass line that is both recognizable and simple. The song makes full use of Barry Gibb's falsetto, and the music before the fade echoes the same thing that Manero was feeling in the movie: "I'm going nowhere, somebody help me." His character was still 19 and was trying to determine what do do with his life, which makes those words an apt description of what many in that position are expressing.

Bill Withers - "Lovely Day"

(Debuted #67, Peaked #30, 12 Weeks on chart)

From a list of songs, it would appear that "Lovely Day" was a comeback for Bill Withers. It was his first time in the pop Top 40 in nearly four years and his first Hot 100 listing in more than two, but he hadn't really gone away. He was still releasing singles in the meantime, and while they missed the pop charts, they were still placing over on the R&B chart.

The song was the lead track of Withers' Menagerie LP, a collection that was more upbeat and positive when compared to the earthy, homespun material from earlier in his career. On a personal level, he was happier; he had just gotten married and settled down to start a family. "Lovely Day" reflects this new-found optimism and is a very hard to resist. It's one of those songs that remains in the back of the head after it's done playing. The musical accompaniment is bright and the production is solid. And while it has a noticeable beat, it isn't a song that can automatically be lumped in with other songs of its era as Disco.

"Lovely Day" holds a record for American hits. Toward the end, Bill Withers lets loose a note that lasts for 18 seconds. As of this writing, it is still the longest single note held in a Top 40 song. That may remain for a while, judging by the current trend used by singers of melisma, where a single note can be held for an extended time but is subjected to changes of pitch and volume in order to extend it.

Peter Frampton - "Tried To Love"

(Debuted #70, Peaked #41, 8 Weeks on chart)

After setting the musical world on fire with Frampton Comes Alive!, it was going to be a tough time to top it when the followup LP I'm in You arrived in 1977. And sure enough, the title track was a ballad that was both his biggest single and a song his critics would point to when they wanted to prove a point about how success will change somebody (and not for the better). That's not to say the new album was totally soft, as it contained a solid reworking of Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed and Delivered (I'm Yours)" and "Tried to Love," which seemed like a song that hearkened back to the sound of his live LP.

In its delivery, "Tried to Love" sounds like it could have been recorded live, or at least in a more intimate setting than a studio. That in itself is a refreshing change from the slickly-produced material that was flooding the airwaves at the time. Unfortunately, it just missed making the Top 40.

Leo Sayer - "Easy To Love"

(Debuted #74, Peaked #36, 10 Weeks on chart)

Here's the second song in a row mentioning "love" in its title this week. It's also the second single in a row that was recorded after its artist was dealing with sudden fame. For Leo Sayer, it was the one-two punch provided by the #1 songs "You Make me Feel Like Dancing" and "When I Need You." Those were able to get Sayer back into the studio to record a new LP called Thunder in My Heart with producer Richard Perry and the cream of the L.A. session player crop, including Michael Omartian, Larry Carlton, Lee Ritenour, Ray Parker, Jr., Tom Scott and most of the future members of Toto.

However, there was no guarantee that having a flawless backing arrangement would lead to sustaining the hit cycle. For whatever reason, the sometimes quirky nature that found its way into Sayer's earlier material didn't want to show up this time around. Both of the singles from the album ("Thunder in My heart" and "Easy To Love") made the Top 40, but just barely. In fact, "Easy To Love" was the one that charted higher and peaked at #36. Co-written by Sayer with Albert Hammond, the song has an easy-going cadence, joined by lyrics that are repetitive and seemingly off-the-cuff.

Foreigner - "Long, Long Way From Home"

(Debuted #81, Peaked #20, 14 Weeks on chart)

Musicians know what it's like to be a long way from home. Those who tour are often away for extended periods, which makes it easy to write songs about it. "Long, Long Way From Home" was written by three members of Foreigner, singer Lou Gramm, guitarist Mick Jones and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald. Done as an anthem, the song features a cutting guitar line, a saxophone solo in the instrumental bridge, and the perfect production you'd expect from a Foreigner song.

The third single taken from their self-titled debut LP, it was the first to miss the Top 10 in the U.S.

The Addrisi Brothers - "Never My Love" (Original Version Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #83, Peaked #80, 4 Weeks on chart)

With this single, "Never My Love" was given its fifth run up the Hot 100. This time, however, the writers of the song were giving it their own voice. While better known as a song by The Association that hit #2 in 1967 and reached the Top 40 in the 1970s in separate versions by The Fifth Dimension and Blue Swede, what is striking about the version by Don and Dick Addrisi was the way it sounds like a mixture between The Association and Marilyn McCoo's breathy rendition of the song.

The production doesn't have the extra harmonies The Association gave it, and features a piano in the mix instead of an organ. A female voice is also included, as is an orchestral arrangement. While it's been largely forgotten in favor of the hit versions of the song, it's interesting to hear the people who wrote the words returning to it a full decade after it became a big hit.

Sammy Hagar - "You Make Me Crazy"

(Debuted #84, Peaked #62, 8 Weeks on chart)

"You Make Me Crazy" is not exactly what you expect for the future Van Halen frontman. Nor is it something you'd expect from the former lead singer of Montrose. While much of the music on his LP Musical Chairs falls in line with the harder-edged material he's best known for doing, "You Make Me Crazy" is more laid-back and even features a keyboard line where a guitar riff would be expected. Its lyrics are about the effects of a woman's love, not that Hagar is complaining about it.

At the time, it's likely that Capitol Records was trying to get Hagar exposed to pop radio, so they opted to release this slowed-down ballad as a single rather than one of the rougher tracks on the album. It succeeded in getting him into the Hot 100 for the first time (Montrose never had a hit single), but he wasn't able to break the Top 40 until he reverted to his harder style.

Al Martino - "The Next Hundred Years"

(Debuted #86, Peaked #49, 10 Weeks on chart)

Al Martino was a crooner from an earlier era, but earned his place in the 1970s culture as Johnny Fontaine in The Godfather. In that film, he played a former teen idol who was looking to get cast in a motion picture despite interference from the studio chief. Not only does he get slapped by Marlon Brando in a memorable scene, but his request leads to the scene where the studio head wakes up one morning with the severed head of his prized horse in the bed beside him.

Although he may have been seen as an odd choice to portray a character loosely based on Frank Sinatra (he was more than a decade older than "Ol' Blue Eyes" would have been at the end of World War II), his career was supposedly affected by the Mob in real life. Unlike the film, his connections didn't help him. His management contract was supposedly bought out around 1953 and large payments demanded from him. He ended up moving to England until the problem could be sorted out.

His final hit single was "The Next Hundred Years," a song whose lyrics mention settling down with a woman. However, he sang it in a style that was largely becoming passe by that time. Like many of his fellow crooners, he went on to sing his familiar tunes to his fans but he never appeared on the pop chart again.

Marilyn Scott - "God Only Knows" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #90, Peaked #61, 9 Weeks on chart)

"God Only Knows" is best-remembered as a Beach Boys hit from 1966. The title came about after Brian Wilson thought about how there weren't any songs that addressed "God" by name without having a religious context. He agonized over it, thinking that the title alone would kill chances of radio airplay, but the song ended up being one of the group's all-time classics.

During the Disco era, many songs were redone with a dance beat, and "God Only Knows" was given the treatment in 1977. Despite the fact that many Disco songs were tooled to the lowest common denominator to get the crowds out on the dance floor, this song doesn't get trapped by convention.

Marilyn Scott was a jazz-influenced singer who had previously sung backup vocals for Tower of Power and parlayed it into a career as an in-demand session singer in Los Angeles. Due to that background, her rendition of "God Only Knows" is more in tune with a jazz performance rather than as just another Disco version of a familiar tune.

This Week's Review -- December 6, 1975

2011-12-03T20:30:00.427-05:00

There were thirteen singles making their first appearance in the Billboard Hot 100 this week, including one that was a 2-sided listing. Out of that number, five eventually reached into the Top 40, with two getting into the Top 10 and one that "trucked" its way to the #1 spot. That chart-topper was a result of the CB fad then sweeping the nation, and the other Top 10 was a song that was a risque song for its time. Olivia Newton-John appears both as a solo artist and a backing singer on John Denver's song. The other Top 40 hit is a song that would show up again a few years later as an even bigger hit. As for the eight songs that missed the Top 40, there are several tunes from many formats. A straight rock band from Canada does their thing, a brother act known for R&B rocks out to an Edgar Winter classic and several R&B acts appear to do their thing. One of those acts performs what was then the new theme song to the TV show Soul Train.

The archive of Billboard issues at Google Books doesn't include the December 6, 1975 edition. So, I'll once again point out (shamelessly) that I write another music blog related to the hits of the 1980s called 80s Music Mayhem. For the next week, we focus on five songs that peaked during 1980, including the one that went to #1 in the wake of the tragic death of John Lennon.

Donna Summer - "Love To Love You Baby"

(Debuted #55, Peaked #2, 18 Weeks on chart)

Donna Summer seemingly came out of nowhere in 1975, and "Love To Love You Baby" was the song that introduced her to American audiences. At the time, it raised some eyebrows due to its simulated sexual content and heavy breathing. The full song took up the entire first side of the album of the same name, clocking in at over 18 minutes, which incidentally is about all the time people need to perform the act that Summer was suggesting.

On the single, though, the song was edited down to a more radio-friendly three and a half minutes. As a corollary to the length of the original, that might be seen as a premature ending. As always, there are links to digital copies of the song here. The iTunes link above is the full-length LP version, while the Amazon link below is the truncated single version.

John Denver - "Fly Away"

(Debuted #58, Peaked #13, 11 Weeks on chart)

The tile of "Fly Away" is ironic due to the way John Denver died in a plane crash, but at the time it was recorded it was a song about getting away from the city and away from the noise and hectic pace. The idea of returning to a more pristine scenery is a common element of Denver's music, which places the song squarely within the context of much of his work.

Olivia Newton-John contributes on backing vocal. She's uncredited, but there is little doubt it's her as her voice is mixed louder as the song goes on until her voice is at the same level as Denver's. Like many of his songs, it was a hit across several formats, missing the pop and country Top 10 but "gliding" its way to #1 on the adult contemporary chart.

Olivia Newton- John - "Let It Shine" b/w " He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #75, Peaked #30, 9 Weeks on chart)

Despite the fact that the B-side isn't available digitally, it's on YouTube:

Speaking of Olivia Newton-John and crossover success, here's a two-sided hit she recorded. The A-side was another one of the songs Olivia performed that was given a country treatment, including the instruments used behind her. "Let it Shine" was written by Florida-born Linda Hargrove, who charted a handful of songs on the country chart during the 1970s but gained more success as a songwriter. Among her songs was Johnny Rodriguez' "Just Get Up and Close the Door" and George Jones' "Tennessee Whiskey." Despite reaching #30 on the pop chart, "Let it Shine" hit #5 country and topped the adult contemporary survey.

"He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother" had already been a hit single twice. The first version by The Hollies was one the chart just as 1969 switched to '70, and a cover by Neil Diamond (reviewed in this blog last month) appeared later in 1970. I explained the background info about the song when I reviewed Diamond's version, so follow the link if you'd like to read about it.

C.W. McCall - "Convoy"

(Debuted #82, Peaked #1, 16 Weeks on chart)

A little more than a month ago, Adrian over at the blog 7 Inches of 70s Pop featured this song. He gives it a humorous spin and divulges a lot of the background info there, so all I really need to do is suggest you check it out. That blog is one of the links I keep in my Blogroll and should be regular reading for anybody who's interested in the material presented in this blog.

"Convoy" is a song that definitely marks the time it was made. Filled with CB lingo, it tells a story of a coast-to-coast drive drive featuring an entire fleet of trucks (incluidng a logger, pig hauler and a Hazmat truck pulling dynamite) and some assorted hangers-on in a chartreuse Microbus. My own father had a CB in his car at the time and later drove trucks for a living, so I was no stranger to the sometimes creative language used in the song. There is one glaring error in the lyrics, however. When McCall delivers the line "We were headin' for bear on I-1-o about a mile out of Shakeytown..." he says he's leaving San Francisco, but Interstate 10 goes to Los Angeles, a four-plus hour drive down I-5.

"Convoy" was one of the biggest hits of the year, spending six weeks at #1 on the country chart in addition to its week at #1 on the pop chart. It also topped the chart in Canada and Australia and was a #2 hit in the U.K. Its success, along with the CB fad, even led to a film called Convoy in 1978 with Kris Kristofferson playing the fabled Rubber Duck.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "Down to the Line"

(Debuted #83, Peaked #43, 7 Weeks on chart)

Occasionally, the audio in YouTube videos exhibits the pops and cracks from the original vinyl record. While some people consider it to be annoying, it can be a familiar sound to those of us who grew up before the age of CDs and just knew those sounds as something that happened to records when they got played a lot.

"Down To the Line" was a single-only song that appeared just ahead of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's Head On LP (it would be added as an extra track on the CD in a later release, however). It was exactly what you'd expect from a BTO song: a straightforward beat, guitar-driven rock and Randy Bachman's vocal added with the backing vocals of the other group members.

At the time, BTO was slowly running out of gas. "Down to the Line" would miss the Top 40 despite the fact that the song was assured of airplay on album-oriented and rock stations.

Helen Reddy - "Somewhere In The Night"

(Debuted #85, Peaked #19, 13 Weeks on chart)

"Somewhere in the Night" is probably best-known for its version sung by Barry Manilow, which was a #9 hit in 1979. However, he wasn't the first to record it. Written by Richard Kerr and Will Jennings, it first appeared on Kim Carnes' debut album. It was a single by Batdorf and Rodney that was a minor adult contemporary hit in 1975, but that would be overshadowed when Helen Reddy recorded it for her LP No Way to Treat a Lady. Not only did her version surpass it on the AC chart (it reached #2), but it made the Top 40 as well.

Reddy gives the song the full-throat, made-for-Vegas treatment you'd expect from a record with her name on it. However, that's nothing compared to the bombast that Manilow gave it in his own version. Perhaps that's why he had a bigger hit with it.

Kenny Starr - "The Blind Man In The Bleachers" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #86, Peaked #58, 5 Weeks on chart)

Pop fans were already familiar with a different version of "The Blind Man in the Bleachers," as David Geddes' rendition had already been on the chart for a few weeks before Kenny Starr entered with his own country-infused reading of the song.

The words of the song follow a football player who doesn't get much playing time but whose father sits in the stands at every game. His father is blind, but still sits there every week. When he doesn't show up the last week, the kid disappears around halftime and shows up late demanding to get in the game. When I played football in high school, that type of behavior got you sent to the locker room...but in the song, he comes in and leads the team to victory. As it turns out, the kid had just found out that his father had died and played his heart out, because "it's the first time that my father's seen me play."

Starr's version was a #2 country hit. Compared to the Geddes hit, it's more subtle (but not much more). The country arrangement is more low-key than the over-the-top histrionics of Geddes' hit. It still pulls at the same emotions without sounding like the subject of an Afterschool Special.

Tavares - "Free Ride"

(Debuted #87, Peaked #52, 6 Weeks on chart)

As you may have guessed, "Free Ride" is a version of the song made famous by The Edgar Winter Group. For most of the fans who know Tavares from their disco-era hits "It Only Takes a Minute," "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel," "Whodunit" and "More Than a Woman," this version may be a pleasant surprise. Rather than giving it the disco treatment, the brother act from New Bedford, Massachusetts do a very faithful rendition that follows the original closely. It's either a reminder that Tavares was influenced by rock acts as well, or simply that songwriter Dan Hartman was also influenced by R&B.

The Soul Train Gang - "Soul Train "75""

(Debuted #89, Peaked #75, 5 Weeks on chart)

The Soul Train Gang was assembled by impresario Don Cornelius in conjunction with Dick Griffey, who wanted to capitalize on the popularity of Cornelius' TV show. They group produced two LPs, with the first produced by Norman Harris in Philadelphia, but failed to make much of an impact on either the pop or R&B charts.

"Soul Train "75"" was a new version for the show's theme song, after MFSB's "The Sound of Philadelphia" had run its course. It wouldn't be the last theme song, which changed every couple of years as public tastes evolved.

The Ritchie Family - "I Want To Dance With You (Dance With Me)" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #90, Peaked #84, 4 Weeks on chart)

Before he put together The Village People, producer Jacques Morali created a group called The Ritchie Family that was made up of studio vocalists who weren't related at all despite the "family" name. Among the early disco acts, their first four albums were all loosely-based concept LPs. The first of those was Brazil, which provided their first two chart singles.

"I Want to Dance With You (Dance With Me)" follows the lead of the earlier hit "Brazil" by sounding (in places) like it's accompanied by a big band. However, it lacks the same melodic grace that propelled that song into the Top 40. Frankly, there might have been other moments on the LP that might have been better for single release; however, since Disco was just getting started, those songs might have been less hit-ready material than they would have been a year or two down the road.

The Stylistics - "Funky Weekend"

(Debuted #96, Peaked #76, 9 Weeks on chart)

The Stylistics split from their longtime producer Thom Bell in 1974. They soldiered on with Van McCoy running the console, but they clearly lost a step in the transition. Though they continued to score on the R&B charts as well as in the U.K., their days as major hitmakers were numbered.On the pop chart, "Funky Weekend" would be their second-to-last hit.

The title of the single pretty much says what you can expect from the sound. However, it's a rather generic brand of funk. Yes, there's a clavinet and horns in the mix, but the group is a long way down the road from the brighter, more shimmering work that had marked their output earlier in the decade.

The Four Tops - "We All Gotta Stick Together"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #97, 1 Week on chart)

The Four Tops are mainly remembered as a Motown act, even though they recorded some great-sounding records for ABC during the 1970s. Among those songs is "We All Gotta Stick Together," a song about brotherhood that is sung by Lawrence Payton rather than usual lead Levi Stubbs.

Not only does "We All Gotta Stick Together" feature a solid harmony from the group that appears to be influenced by gospel -- right down to an organ featuring prominently in the arrangement -- but also has a brass section. The different lead vocal gives it a unique perspective, because it doesn't sound like the "same old song" (to borrow from the title of one of those Motown hits) from the Tops at all. Unfortunately, it only stuck around on the pop chart for a single week.

Crown Heights Affair - "Every Beat Of My Heart" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #100, Peaked #83, 8 Weeks on chart)

Crown Heights is a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York as well as the source of the name of this band. Like Earth, Wind & Fire, they were one of the groups that was part of R&B's transition between the 1960s soul sound to the Disco era. Unlike that band, however, their pop success was rather limited.

"Every Beat of My Heart" features an upbeat tempo, plenty of vocal interplay and a solid brass section. There is also a clavinet solo that lends it a 1970s feel, even if the phasing effect accompanying the high-hat percussion distracts from the composition.

This Week's Review -- November 25, 1972

2011-11-26T20:30:00.367-05:00

There were twelve new hits on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, with four that eventually reached the Top 40. Two of them would also reach the Top 10. Two of the singles feature the same song recorded by two different performers. The biggest hit of the bunch was a surprise due to its minimal production. A song celebrates the singer's new adopted home state, while another mentions an ancient promised land. A Raspberries hit touches on a subject that is more common than listeners might be willing to admit, and a song from a duo that had already split up appears. In the mantime, songs by Mac Davis and David Bowie failed to reach heights expected of them, while a song by an actress proves she's unable to improve upon an original. Finally, two songs foreshadow future success: a relative flop would later hit as a live version and a singer would resurface as a huge star in the next decade.

Google Books has a vast archive of Billboard magazines going back to 1944, including the November 25, 1972 edition. The full Hot 100 can be found on page 55. An article beginning on page 3 explain that there were still obstacles for some black businessman wanting to get into the jukebox business in many urban areas, even after the Civil Rights movement was underway.

The Raspberries - "I Wanna Be With You"

(Debuted #77, Peaked #16, 11 Weeks on chart)

Before I began reviewing the songs that debuted in Billboard on this blog, I focused on some of what I felt were my favorite singles of the decade. "I Wanna Be With You" was the third song from that series. Here's a link to that review, which is a bit rambling. I'll edit it down here:

Two horny teens.

It's the main topic of a whole lot of rock 'n' roll songs, going back as far as the genre itself. In fact, the term "rock & roll" was itself regarded as slang for sex. But the fact remains -- despite the revisionists who try to convince us that the 1950s were somehow more pastoral or innocent -- there has been an undercurrent of sex running through the music for its entire history.

The lyrics are certainly a lot more "in your face" now than they were in past decades, but for those trying to say that there wasn't a lot of sexual subject matter in the past must not have been paying attention. Any fan of 1970s music only has to pull out the catalogs of Barry White, Al Green or Marvin Gaye to poke holes in that argument. Even the easy-listening stuff: "Afternoon Delight" anyone? When Toni Tennille sang "You Never Done it Like That," I'm guessing she wasn't complimenting her Captain on his handling of a keyboard.

"I Wanna Be With You" was likely seen as a second helping of "Go All the Way" when the single was shipped in the Fall of '72 as a follow-up to the earlier hit. While "Go All the Way" is the more obvious pop tune, with a catchy melody, Roy Orbison-inspired phrasing and guitar hook, "I Wanna Be With You" is faster, more impatient, more immediate, direct and aggressive -- in short, a lot like I was at 16 -- and even the guitar line conveys the urgency that only a teenager can come up with in his efforts to get his girlfriend to let him get past second base.

At just over three minutes, it's a perfect length for a pop tune. It's long enough to satisfy but still leave you wanting more after it was finished. Kind of like the song's subject was for me when I was a lot younger; sadly, about three minutes was usually all I needed then.

John Denver - "Rocky Mountain High"

(Debuted #81, Peaked #9, 19 Weeks on chart)

Born in New Mexico, John Denver was a military kid, which meant that he moved around a lot. As a result, he never really had a place he considered to be home until he was an adult. That place became Colorado, the state whose capital city was his last name on stage. The lyrics of "Rocky Mountain High" begin with that revelation "He was born in the summer of his twenty-seventh year, coming home to a place he'd never been before."

The lyrics express the natural wonder of the area around Colorado, but the song was interpreted by some as a song that glorified drug use (when Denver wrote, "I've seen it fire rain in the sky," he meant a meteor shower, but others assumed he was on an acid trip). As a result, the song was banned by several radio stations.

Even with the unexpected controversy, the song managed to reach the Top 10 on both the pop and adult contemporary charts and even generated some exposure on country radio. That would generate more controversy later in the decade.

Mac Davis - "Everybody Loves A Love Song"

(Debuted #83, Peaked #63, 7 Weeks on chart)

Mac Davis's followup to "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" was not the big hit expected just after a #1 single. That said, his style was multi-faceted and he wasn't about to be boxed into a corner by that hit song. With "Everybody Loves a Love Song," Davis went with a more positive message and came up with a lyric from his softer side.

Though it missed the Top 40, "Everybody Loves a Love Song" managed to reach #13 on the adult contemporary survey, where it was probably more suited. Davis continued to hit those two charts as well as the country survey throughout the decade, rather than focusing all of his efforts in one area. In addition to performing, he remained a songwriter and dabbled in acting.

Carole King - "Been To Canaan"

(Debuted #88, Peaked #24, 10 Weeks on chart)

"Been to Canaan" was the only chart single from Carole King's LP Rhymes & Reasons. The album was unlike her earlier output by the fact that it was made up entirely of new material, rather than an occasional pick from the archive of songs she'd written with Gerry Goffin. Critics have tagged it as an eneven collection, but it's probably tough to come up with followups to an album like Tapestry, which was still riding the charts when Rhymes & Reasons was released.

Historically, Canaan was the name of the area that is now called Israel. Considering that King is ethnically Jewish, it makes sense that the song is a reference to the homeland of her religion (indeed, there is a mention of "Promised Land" in the lyrics). Accompanied by a piano riff, King's words convey a desire to find a place -- not necessarily a specific land -- where she can feel comfortable in the arms of a loved one.

Though it stopped at #24 on the pop chart, "Been To Canaan" would hit #1 on the adult contemporary survey, her second as a solo artist.

Rick Springfield - "What Would The Children Think" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #89, Peaked #70, 4 Weeks on chart)

Thanks to Rick Springfield's success during the 1980s and his role as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital, his early career as a singer in the 1970s is largely forgotten. Long before he was a hearthrob, he was a member of Zoot, a popular Australian teenybopper band.

"What Would the Children Think" was his second Hot 100 listing, following his first Top 40 hit "Speak to the Sky." It was a cut from his first American LP titled -- appropriately enough -- Beginnings. Although the lyrics aren't much compared to what he later recorded (a man refuses to leave a relationship for the good of his kids), it's a glimpse into Springfield's roots.

David Bowie - "The Jean Genie"

(Debuted #90, Peaked #71, 5 Weeks on chart)

"The Jean Genie" was part of David Bowie's Aladdin Sane LP, a record that was recorded after (and inspired by) Bowie's tour of the United States to support The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. While most of the music was recorded in London, "The Jean Genie" was cut while Bowie was still in New York, which gives it perhaps the most "American" flavor of all the songs on the album.

In a sense, it is another of the many phases of Bowie's work. It is driven by a guitar riff, which is provided by Mick Ronson.It may surprise some to learn that the song only reached #71, since it's one of the more visible tunes in Bowie's catalog.

Foghat - "I Just Want To Make Love To You"

(Debuted #91, Peaked #83, 5 Weeks on chart)

"I Just Want to Make Love to You" is one of the few songs that has charted both as a studio version and in a live setting. This was the second of two chart runs for the studio track, reaching #83. It would eventually reach the Top 40 in 1977 when the Foghat Live LP brought it back from its status as an album cut. The resurgence was a result of several factors: Foghat was better known, the timing was right, and some songs just sound better on stage.

This wasn't the first appearance of "I Just Want to Make Love to You," however. It was originally a hit for Muddy Waters in 1954, Etta James put her mark on it in 1961 and The Rolling Stones performed it on their first album. It was also the first hit Foghat placed on the national chart. With its driving beat and guitar-driven sound, it was quite a way for the blues-influenced act to kick in the door.

Timmy Thomas - "Why Can't We Live Together"

(Debuted #94, Peaked #3, 15 Weeks on chart)

"Why Can't We Live Together" is a song with a message of brotherhood. It's also a song that is about as stripped down production-wise as you can get. According to the backstory, it was recorded as a demo with Thomas playing an organ and accompanied by a rhythm machine. It was slated to have a full orchestra filling in the details, but producer Steve Alaimo liked it the way it was.

The song was an immediate smash, hitting #1 on the R&B chart as well as #3 pop as it sold more than two million copies. It also proved that it wasn't always necessary to fill in extra instruments to detract from teh vocals, especially when they are sung in a soulful manner and conveyed an inpassioned plea.

Peter Skellern - "You're A Lady" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #96, Peaked #50, 8 Weeks on chart)

The first of two versions of the same song, "You're a Lady" is performed here by the English singer Peter Skellern, who also wrote the song. The song features the backing of The English Congregation, who had a minor hit of their own with "Softly Whispering I Love You" earlier in the year. Performed in a low-key manner until the coda kicks in, the song is an affirmation of the value of a woman's love.

Although "You're a Lady" would be Skellern's only hit in the U.S., he has remained busy writing music for television shows, stage shows and chorale groups over the years.

Simon and Garfunkel - "America"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #97, 2 Weeks on chart)

Two things happened in 1972 that helped "America" become a single more than four years after it was included on the 1968 LP Bookends. First, the progressive group Yes released a remodeled version of the song (reviewed in this blog in August 2010) and then it was included on Simon & Garfunkel's LP Greatest Hits album. The duo, which had split in 1970, never released the song as a single in 1968 but it had become a notable track due to its non-rhyming lyric and its tale about a metaphorical search of oneself by traveling across the country. The song performed poorly, never exceeding its #97 entry position.

In the 2000 film Almost Famous, William's sister plays the song as her explanation for leaving home.

Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando - "You're a Lady"

(Debuted #98, Peaked #70, 8 Weeks on chart)

The second version of "You're a Lady" to debut this week sounds like a Tony Orlando solo project even though it is credited to his group Dawn. At the same time, the backing track sounds very much like the one used in the original Peter Skellern version. It definitely isn't Joyce Wilson and Telma Hopkins behind him.

I can't find anything to back me up on this, but the song was likely recorded during the period when the permanent members of Dawn were still being decided. Sensing a chance to get an American version of a song that might not chart on this side of the Atlantic, Orlando likely went in the studio to record it. Interestigly, both songs were on the chart for 8 weeks, with the original faring better.

Joey Heatherton - "I'm Sorry"

(Debuted #100, Peaked #87, 9 Weeks on chart)

"I'm Sorry" was originally a #1 hit in 1960 for Brenda Lee, who was 15 years old when she recorded it. At the time, her record company was worried about such a young girl singing about unrequited love. It was relegated to a B-side but ended up becoming one of the songs Lee is best-remembered for singing. For Joey Heatherton, she was in her late twenties, so the song should have been perfect.

However, Joey Heatherton was no Brenda Lee. That's not meant to be an insult, as very few singers are. It's just that Joey Heatherton was one of many actresses given the chance to record their own albums. It doesn't appear she was given a chance to record a second one.

This Week's Review -- November 17, 1973

2011-11-19T20:30:00.381-05:00

There were twelve new songs debuting this week in Billboard's Hot 100, with three making their way into the Top 40. However, two of them reached the Top 10 and one rose all the way to the #1 position. That chart-topper was unfortunately boosted by a tragedy, despite the fact that it was an excellent song regardless. The other Top 40 tunes included a Chicano classic and a country tune sung by a foreign artist. The other songs included early hits by artists who became superstars (like Earth, Wind & Fire), songs by established R&B artists (Ray Charles, Joe Simon, Smokey Robinson, The Chi-Lites) that got lost in the shuffle, a blues artist who was enjoying a career renaissance, and a duet by a couple who had recently married.

Google Books has an archive of past issues of Billboard to read Online, including the November 17, 1973 edition. The full Hot 100 can be found on page 64. Fans of The Carpenters might enjoy the extended section about the group celebrating their success.

Jim Croce - "Time In A Bottle"

(Debuted #79, Peaked #1, 14 Weeks on chart)

There were two posthumous #1 singles in the 1970s. The first was Janis Joplin's "Me and Bobby McGee," which was a reminder of the talent that was wasted by drugs. The second, "Time in a Bottle," was a reminder of the cruel hand of Fate that caused a plane to crash with Jim Croce aboard.

Ironically, "Time in a Bottle" wasn't intended to be a single at all. Written shortly after Croce's wife Ingrid told him she was pregnant, it was included on his You Don't Mess Around With Jim LP in 1972 and was passed over as a single release in favor of the title cut and "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels)." However, it would get a reprieve thanks to its inclusion at the end of a TV movie called She Lives! that aired eight days before the crash. That helped sell more albums, but the song wasn't slated as a single until Croce's death gave the lyrics an entirely different message than the one he originally intended.

On its face, it was a great song that wasn't considered commercial enough for hit radio. With its new poignancy due to the tragic way Croce's story turned out, it became magnificent.

Earth, Wind & Fire - "Keep Your Head To The Sky"

(Debuted #82, Peaked #52, 11 Weeks on chart)

When Earth, Wind & Fire released their Head To the Sky LP in 1973, they were still making a name for themselves. The LP ended up being their first Top 40 pop album and its two singles, "Evil" and "Keep Your Head to the Sky" were the group's best-performing singles up to that point. Although neither made it past #50 on the pop chart, they helped set the sound that would propel them to much larger hits in the future.

If anything, the song "Keep Your Head To the Sky" was another example of a positive message in the group's lyrics matched with exemplary rhythm and vocal harmonies. The vocal features a tremendous effort by Philip Bailey, and features an atmospheric guitar-based riff in the absence of any of the horn section that would later become a hallmark of the group's sound. If you're a fan of Earth, Wind & Fire's bigger hits, give this song a spin and see if you're not wondering how this song missed the Top 40.

El Chicano - "Tell Her She's Lovely"

(Debuted #83, Peaked #40, 10 Weeks on chart)

"Tell Her She's Lovely" was the third and final Hot 100 chart hit for El Chicano. As the name implies, the band was made up of ethnically Mexican musicians who were from Los Angeles. Although the group was often confused with Santana (and were clearly influenced by them), they were a band with their own identity and sound.

The light-funk, Latin-flavored "Tell Her She's Lovely" only reached #40 on the national charts, but was as big in Chicano neighborhoods as anything from War in its day. It has an easy beat and a lovely melody that is easy to follow.

Olivia Newton-John - "Let Me Be There" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #87, Peaked #6, 19 Weeks on chart)

Australia has had a long history of country music, which seems appropriate when you consider how much of that nation is made up of bush country and the image of Australian men as rough-and-rugged types. However, when Olivia Newton-John began recording songs in the style during the mid 1970s, her critics questioned the authenticity that a foreign singer might have. That is seen as silly today (especially when one of its biggest stars is Keith Urban, who is also Australian) and exposed a similar view that Southern country fans had against atrists from the Northeast.

Olivia's first country crossover hit was "Let Me Be There," which was recorded as a straight country tune complete with the steel guitar. It featured the distinctive deep voice of Navin Harris, who would also accompany her on the future hit "If You Love Me, Let Me Know." Despite the fact that teh presence of a steel guitar was often the kiss of death with pop songs, the song went Top 10 in both formats, as well as on the adult contemporary chart.

First Choice - "Smarty Pants"

(Debuted #89, Peaked #56, 8 Weeks on chart)

First Choice was a female R&B trio from what was perhaps the best location for that genre in 1973: Philadelphia. They were under the aegis of producer Norman Harris, which also meant that the bulk of the MFSB instrumental ensemble was able to back them up on their records. They were part of the Salsoul label and remained there until that company folded in 1983.

"Smarty Pants" was the followup single to First Choice's breakthrough hit "Armed and Extremely Dangerous." Compared to that hit, "Smarty Pants" may seem like a different vibe. This time around, the narrator has fallen under the spell of a smooth-talking man and is now carrying his child. The arrangement is less slick than what the previous hit featured, even venturing into more of a bubblegum sound.

The Independents - "It's All Over"

(Debuted #93, Peaked #65, 4 Weeks on chart)

One of the more common misnomers about 1970s R&B concerns singer Chuck Jackson of The Independents. He's not the same Chuck Jackson who sang solo in 1960s, despite the fact that both Wikipedia and Allmusic both link to his biography from their pages about the group. Instead, this Chuck Jackson was the younger brother of the activist Jesse Jackson and would later go on with fellow group member Marvin Yancey to help get Natalie Cole's career started as The Independents fell apart.

"It's All Over" was a ballad that had its narrator pleading to keep a relationship going even if it means he has to change his ways. A piano accompanies Jackson, with an organ, brass section and chorus mixed in as well. Though it covers a different topic, it sounds like it has been largely influenced by gospel.

The Chi-Lites - "I Found Sunshine"

(Debuted #94, Peaked #47, 10 Weeks on chart)

The Chi-Lites were originally called The Hi-Lites, but added the extra letter to their name in 1964 to pay homage to their home city of Chicago. In the early 1970s, they stood out among the big R&B groups coming out of Detroit and Philadelphia by largely writing and producing their material, rather than attaching themselves to a star producer. Their biggest contributor was singer Eugene Record, who wrote "I Found Sunshine."

"I Found Sunshine" is an upbeat tune with a funky clavinet riff coursing through it. Since it missed the pop Top 40 and peaked at a relatively modest #17 on the R&B chart, it's become a forgotten hit from the group. That's unfortunate, and is worth a few minutes of listening time.

Bobby "Blue" Bland - "This Time I'm Gone For Good"

(Debuted #96, Peaked #42, 13 Weeks on chart )

"This Time I'm Gone for Good" was the biggest hit of 70s for Bobby "Blue" Bland on the pop chart and his best showing on the survey since 1964. That said, Bland's influence as a blues singer won't really be reflected well by looking at the pop charts because it wasn't his arena. In that decade since he's reached the Top 50 of the Hot 100, he had been a constant presence of the R&B chart and had scored a number of Top 10 hits there.

By the early 1970s, Bland was redirecting his life and career. He gave up drinking in 1971 and in 1973 changed record companies, moving over to MCA under Steve Barri, who was able to get L.A.'s top session players to play at the studio for him. "This Time I'm Gone For Good" led off the first LP he recorded there, and shows the benefit of his new arrangement. While the music is top-notch, it's Bland's emotive voice that got him where he was, and he uses it to its full effect.

Smokey Robinson - "Baby Come Close"

(Debuted #97, Peaked #27, 16 Weeks on chart)

The term "Quiet Storm" hadn't been applied yet, but Smokey Robinson was preparing it. The funny thing about it is that he stepped away as the lead singer of The Miracles the previous year to focus on his position as a VP at Motown, but was soon back in the studio to record his own LP after writing a few more songs. His first solo album was simply called Smokey, and it signaled a direction he may not have pursued with the group. "Baby Come Close" was the last track on that record, a slowed-down tune to bring the album to a close.

As the title indicates, "Baby Come Close" is a come-on accompanied by a lush orchestra and Willie Hutch's sharp production. It was something that never would have appeared on a Miracles record, but yet pointed to many of the best-remembered songs Smokey Robinson would record later.

Joe Simon - "River"

(Debuted #98, Peaked #62, 7 Weeks on chart)

A year after the hit single "Drowning in the Sea of Love,"Joe Simon returns to the water metaphor on "River," a song that may not have been far from the gospel music he grew up singing. In the lyrics, this "river" flows everywhere and eventually reaches everybody. If that isn't religious imagery, I don't know what it is.

As Simon goes through the verses about a river, a light, meadows and a song, he is accompanied by a great guitar lick, a backing chorus and eventually a saxophone solo. In its purest form, "River" had the same spirit as The O'Jays' "Peace Train" did earlier in the year, a song that reminded us that we're all in this big world together.

Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge - "A Song I'd Like to Sing"

(Debuted #99, Peaked #49, 10 Weeks on chart)

Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge were married in 1973, and it was likely no surprise that the two would soon release their own duet album together. That LP, Full Moon, showed up in September of that same year and "A Song I'd Like to Sing" was the last cut on the record. One thing that was unusual about the collection was that most songs were from other writers, but "A Song I'd Like to Sing" was a Kristofferson original.

The calypso-inspired rhythm that kicks off the song soon sways into a Mexican-derived chant and what sounds like a Cajun infusion during the bridge helps remind listeners of Coolidge's versatility and also overpowers Kristofferson's vocal (which, to be fair, was never his strongest suit anyway). However, the question arises: If this is a song you'd like to sing, what is it now that you've sung it?

Ray Charles - "Come Live With Me"

(Debuted #100, Peaked #82, 6 Weeks on chart)

I've mentioned in this blog that R&B and country have a lot in common when it comes to topics. Over the years, a number of country hits have been remade into an R&B format and vice versa. What is less common is the R&B artist who has taken a series of country songs and reinvented them for his own fans the way Ray Charles did in the 1960s. With two volumes of LPs he called Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music in 1962, "Brother Ray" came out as a big fan of country music even if he didn't mimic its style. The albums were successful, and he continued to look to country songs for material as his career continued.

In 1973, he cut a song that had been a hit by Roy Clark earlier in the year (reviewed here in May 2010) and made it his own. Although Clark's version was a #1 country hit, it's possible that more people know it as a Ray Charles song. That's not to say that Clark's version was inferior; it's just that Charles was that much more famous than him worldwide.

"Come Live With Me" was written by the husband-and-wife team of Boudleaux and Felice Bryant specifically for Clark to sing, but it seemed to be well-suited for Ray Charles's style as well. His version would make Billboard's pop, R&B and adult contemporary charts, not busting records on any of them but still showing Charles's cross-cultural influence.

This Week's Review -- November 7, 1970

2011-11-12T20:30:00.002-05:00

For the third time in the past few months (and the last time in a while if I can help it), there are 16 new singles that debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 this week. Of those, six would reach the Top 40 and two would climb into the Top 10. Two of the songs are by Neil Diamond, thanks to his former record company diving into the archive to capitalize on his new-found success. Motown also gets into the business of reaching into its vaults, pulling out a track from 1965 as the group was working through issues. At the same time, a Canadian singer was remaking a classic "girl group" song from the 1960s and a Georgia native sings about a California street in a song that sounds like it came from an old movie. This week's new songs weren't all looks at the past, however. A song that will be forever linked to James Taylor appears by a different act, Gene Chandler continues with the sound from his last hit and a Florida-based group trip out with an instrumental. The Mike Curb Congregation do a movie theme and some short-lived groups perform music that was obviously a 1970s vintage. Speaking of that, two singles have the word "Stoned" in the title; one was said to be a mistake, but I doubt the other one was.

There is a large archive of Billboard issues over at Google Books, including the November 7, 1970 edition. The full Hot 100 list can be found on page 64. Several articles on the front page mention how the music business was responding to the drug influence exposed by the (then) recent deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Canned Heat's Al Wilson. One article mentions the rise of religiously-themed material (what I like to call "God Rock"), and another explains that MGM head Mike Curb fired 18 acts that he deemed to be promoting drug use. Since one of the stories had little to do with the deaths and the other was essentially a knee-jerk reaction by a man who eventually followed political aspirations, it probably isn't a surprise that the music business of the 1970s isn't well-renowned for its ability to keep away from drugs. On a different tangent, an article on page 26 has Mercury head Irwin Steinberg explaining his ideas about how obscenity really is in the eye of the beholder; it's both a response to his label's recent single "Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus" and a neat piece from before WBAI was sued for playing George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" bit.

The Supremes - "Stoned Love"

(Debuted #61, Peaked #7, 14 Weeks on chart)

"Stoned Love" was the Supremes' biggest hit after Diana Ross departed for a solo career, reaching #7 on the pop chart, #1 on the R&B survey and #3 in the U.K. In a way, it sounded much like a song that Sly & the Family Stone would have released with its message of brotherhood (which made it topical for 1970), but the title was seen by some as a drug reference.

When Kenny Thomas wrote "Stoned Love," there was no "d" at the end of the first word. According to the legend behind the tune, that letter somehow found its way onto the label sometime during the mastering process, which makes sense (since it's sung as "Stone Love" on the record). However, you'd think that Berry Gordy could have fixed the issue if it were that big a problem.

The vocals by Jean Terrell are good enough to make the listener forget the group's previous lead singer had left, the backing music was -- as always -- flawlessly done by Motown's unheralded house band The Funk Brothers, and the record carries enough of a "now" sound to make it memorable.

Neil Diamond - "He Ain't Heavy...He's My Brother"

(Debuted #68, Peaked #20, 11 Weeks on chart)

Neil Diamond covered a tune that had been a hit earlier in the year for The Hollies, but its story begins before that group got hold of it. The title was a variation of the motto of Father Edward Flanagan's fabled Boys Town orphanage, but can be traced back to the 1800s. The song itself was written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell (who shouldn't be confused with the Bobby Russell who was a singer, songwriter, producer and onetime husband of Vicki Lawrence). The fact that Russell was dying of cancer while the song was written lends it a poignant quality that goes beyond the sometimes maudlin arrangement the lyrics convey.

When Neil Diamond cut the song, it was the only song from his Tap Root Manuscript LP that he hadn't written. Considering the sometimes experimental nature of that album, that speaks to how much he was affected by the song. He gives it a low-key rendition, which wasn't as hopeful as The Hollies when they recorded it. Starting slow, he picks up the pace as he goes along, as if the spirit behind the words is helping him keep on going.

Chicago - "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"

(Debuted #72, Peaked #7, 13 Weeks on chart)

After the breakout success of Chicago's second album, there was a second look at their first LP Chicago Transit Authority, which had gone largely unnoticed when it first arrived in 1969. One of the songs on that debut records was "Does Anybody Really Know What Time it is?" which wasn't issued as a single the first time around (like "Questions 67 &68" and "Beginnings") but would reach #7 on the pop chart anyway.

The song was written by Robert Lamm, one of the three primary voices heard on Chicago's records at the time. He said in an interview that he was given the title as a teenager when he asked a theater usher taking a smoke break if he knew what time it was, and it stuck with him for a few years after that. In the years since it appeared on vinyl, it has come to be debated countless times about whether it's a philosophical statement or simply an observation.

There have been a number of different edits of the song over the years. The original LP version was preceded by a piano solo by Lamm, which was edited out for the single. A different mix of the song was included in the band's Greatest Hits album, while a different mix altogether showed up on the CD version when it came out. Another different version of the mix was included in another compilation of the group's hits later on. As a result, sharp-eared fans might have been confused about which version was the right one.

Andy Kim - "Be My Baby" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #75, Peaked #17, 11 Weeks on chart)

"Be My Baby" was a remake of a song that hit #2 in 1963 for The Ronettes and was an example of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound." It was written by the husband-and-wife team of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, and Barry was the producer of Andy Kim's version of the song. Kim's take does little to supplant the immediacy of the original (in fact, his voice was sped up on tape to make him sound younger), but it's the highest-charting version among the dozens of versions cut over the years.

"Be My Baby" followed another Kim-recorded remake of a Barry/Greenwich/Spector song that had originally been a hit for The Ronettes, after "Baby, I Love You" was a #9 hit early in the year. For a singer who was also known as a songwriter, those two hits might have seemed odd if it weren't for Kim's connection to Jeff Barry (they co-wrote the 1969 Archies hit "Sugar, Sugar"). Fortunately, Kim manged to notch his own self-penned #1 hit later in the decade.

Neil Diamond - "Do it" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #78, Peaked #36, 10 Weeks on chart)

Originally recorded in 1966, "Do It" was one of three chart hits Bang records pulled from its archives after Neil Diamond became a star on Uni Records. Its first appearance was on the B-side of his first Bang single (also re-released in 1970) "Solitary Man." Bang would continue to release songs from Diamond's back catalog well into the decade.

At the time Diamond was writing and recording "Do It," it was during that period where he was writing big hits for other artists ("I'm a Believer," "Kentucky Woman," "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind"). He was becoming better-known as a songwriter than a singer, but he kept on plying his trade. Considering there were two Diamond songs debuting this week, the two show his evolution as a performer.

Clarence Carter - "It's All In Your Mind"

(Debuted #79, Peaked #51, 9 Weeks on chart)

"It's All in Your Mind" was Clarence Carter's followup to his #4 hit "Patches"and had a very similar structure, with a spoken intro and the discussions with a parent. This time, however, the parent wasn't dying. Instead, it was Mama giving advice about how to deal with a broken heart and that there were other fish in the sea.

Carter performs the song with a horn section backing him up, along with a backing chorus. The advice in the chorus is sung with enough conviction, you figure he was ready to ask one of the ladies providing supporting vocals to accompany him out the door.

Fantasy - "Stoned Cowboy" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #82, Peaked #77, 6 Weeks on chart)

Fantasy was a Miami-based band whose only national hit was "Stoned Cowboy," a trippy instrumental. It was climbing the chart for the second time after falling off the previous month, and the second push took it higher up the chart -- but not much farther -- than it achieved in its first run.

"Stoned Cowboy" was nearly six minutes long on the album, but was cut down to less than three for the single. The fuzzy guitar interacting with the organ give it a 1970 "feel" and having the melody to "Shortenin' Bread" (I swear that's what it sounds like) interspersed makes for an interesting listen.

The Crystal Mansion - "Carolina In My Mind"

(Debuted #84, Peaked #73, 6 Weeks on chart)

Before he became a renowned singer/songwriter, some of James Taylor's songs were on the charts by other acts before he could hit with them. This blog has already chronicled two versions of "Fire and Rain" (by R.B. Greaves and Johnny Rivers) from earlier in 1970, and this version of "Carolina in My Mind" beat Taylor to the Hot 100 by a week. Taylor's version would pass the The Crystal Mansion's rendition the week in peaked at #73, and is the better-remembered version today.

Taylor had a number of future hits, but "Carolina in My Mind" would be the last single The Crystal Mansion would chart. The Crystal Mansion was a band based in Philadelphia, led by Johnny Caswell and driven by psychedelic sensibilities. Although "Carolina in My Mind" showed a pop-oriented direction, the band turned back toward psychedelia and light funk for their next LP. That didn't get much attention and the band soon split.

As for "Carolina in My Mind," James Taylor wrote the song during his late 60s residence in London, where he was an artist on the Apple Records roster. Homesickness got the better of him, and he channeled it into a song. It has since become one of the tunes most associated with him.

Ray Stevens - "Sunset Strip"

(Debuted #87, Peaked #81, 4 Weeks on chart)

Ray Stevens is best-known for his novelty songs, but he's adequately served as a performer of straight-laced songs as well. He's also been a songwriter and producer, and served in those capacities for the song "Sunset Strip." Despite sounding like it was a relic from an earlier time, "Sunset Strip" was an original composition that led off Stevens' LP Unreal!!!

Considering that Stevens was a Georgia boy who worked in Nashville, it may have seemed odd to have him singing about a road in the Los Angeles area. However, he does it with a voice that hearkens back to the Western "singing cowboy" films of the 1930s and 40s.

Gene Chandler - "Simply Call It Love" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #89, Peaked #75, 5 Weeks on chart)

Gene Chandler's followup to "Groovy Situation"probably suffered from its musical similarity to the earlier hit, which is a shame because it is a decent song in its own right. Majestic in its orchestration and capable in Chandler's delivery, it expresses the euphoria of falling in love.

Despite its short trip on the pop chart, "Simply Call it Love" managed to reach #24 on the R&B survey, where Chandler would enjoy more success throughout the decade.

Redeye - "Games" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #90, Peaked #27, 14 Weeks on chart)

Redeye was a four-man bad from Los Angeles that enjoyed two hits on the Billboard Hot 100 before disappearing into the mist of history. Singer and guitarist Douglas "Red" Mark had previously been in The Sunshine Company, the first act to record Jimmy Webb's song "Up, Up and Away."

"Games" is the better-known of the band's two chart singles. It sounds like a product of its time, from the harmonies that sound like they came from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to the fuzz box that is used on the guitar solo.

Dunn and McCashen - "Alright in the City" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #91, Peaked #91, 2 Weeks on chart)

There really isn't a lot to be found about the duo of Don Dunn and Tony McCashen. Their only chart hit was "Alright in the City," another song that sounds like a product of 1970. The song features a guitar solo with plenty of reverb (to give it an adequately "heavy" groove) and features a brass section that was obviously influenced by Blood, Sweat and Tears.

The Mike Curb Congregation - "Burning Bridges " (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #93, Peaked #89, 2 Weeks on chart)

"Burning Bridges" was the opening title track from the film Kelly's Heroes. Though set in World War II, the war weariness of the soldiers in it could be seen as analogous to the country's view of the conflict in Vietnam, much in the same way as M*A*S*H; oddly, both were set in different wars, and probably because the nation wasn't yet ready to get into a meaningful dialogue about the War. Not while the soldiers were still over there, and not with the memory of Kent State still fresh.

In any case, such a movie was an interesting place to find Mike Curb, given his notoriety for straight-laced behavior. It was short-lived on the Hot 100 (falling off after two weeks), but would reappear a month later and rise into the Top 40.

The Flame - "See The Light"

(Debuted #95, Peaked #95, 2 Weeks on chart)

While "See the Light" would appear to be a perfect title for a single by a group called The Flame, it was the only hit for this South African group that was discovered by Beach Boy Carl Wilson. Wilson produced the single and two of their members (Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar) would play on the Beach Boys' records as associate group members later in the 1970s.

The group was tagged with the "Beatlesque" label that has been ubiquitous ever since that band was still together, but it actually sounds apt in the case of "See the Light"because it sounds like it might have fit in with some of the material on Abbey Road or the recordings that led up to Let it Be even if it may not have made either of those albums. The song has a guitar-based rock foundation as well as pop sensibilities. It makes me wonder what they may have come up with in the future had two members not been co-opted by The Beach Boys.

Later in the decade, band member Ricky Fataar would revisit his "Beatlesque" roots by playing Stig O'Hara in Eric Idle and Neil Innes's parody film The Rutles.

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas- "I Gotta Let You Go"

(Debuted #98, Peaked #93, 3 Weeks on chart)

In addition to the fact that Motown Records was focusing on other acts, Martha and the Vandellas went through a bunch of tribulations in the late 1960s: infighting between the members took its toll, Motown officially added Martha Reeve's last name to the group's billing, and then Reeves had issues related to a nervous breakdown that caused her to step away from the group. With the issues facing the group, Motown chose to simply bide their time by releasing a song that was recorded in 1965 and sat in their archives.

While "I Gotta Let You Know" may have sounded dated by 1970 -- for good reason -- it served two purposes for the label. It kept a group in the public eye while they were suffering from personnel issues, and it was a reminder that Motown was able to draw from its vast archives (and did) when it needed to. Fortunately for the label, 1965 was a good vintage; on the other hand, that wasn't helpful in the case of this song as it sang quickly off the pop and R&B charts.

Ringo Starr - "Beaucoups Of Blues"

(Debuted #100, Peaked #87, 5 Weeks on chart)

When The Beatles were together, Ringo Starr wasn't considered in the same league as his three bandmates. However, when the group split in 1970, he was the one who released two solo albums during the year. Each of those LPs represented a separate musical interest: the first was Sentimental Journey, an album of standards, and the second was Beaucoups of Blues, which reflected an interest in country that Starr had shown during his days in The Fab Four.

The album's title song was Starr's debut chart single as a solo artist -- he declined to release any singles for Sentimental Journey -- and showed the same affinity for country and western that he showed on his Beatles songs "Act Naturally," "Honey Don't" and "What Goes On" was not an act. The song is performed well, with Ringo being accompanied by some of Nashville's best session players and The Jordanaires. For some odd reason, the record didn't sell well and Ringo moved on to acting and other interests until getting back into the recording studio in 1973.

This Week's Review -- November 2, 1974

2011-11-05T20:30:00.317-04:00

Nine singles took their first bow in Billboard this week, with five reaching the Top 40. Two of those would find their way into the Top 10 as well. Those two Top 10 hits would also also appear on the earliest Disco charts Billboard would feature as that style became more pervasive. The other Top 40 songs would feature a soul song about a cheating man, a progressive FM hit and a remake of a 1950s hit. Finally, there are some gems in the songs that missed the Top 40, with a reissue of a song that had stiffed in 1971, a R&B song that should have been a bigger hit and a song that was typical of Ike & Tina Turner. The last song was a "break-in" single that tried to celebrate the icon that was Evel Knievel.

There are a number of past issues of Billboard magazine over at Google Books, including the November 2, 1974 edition. The full Hot 100 can be found on page 58.An article on page 20 discusses the DJ known as Dr. Demento (whose real name is Barry Hansen) and features his then-current Top 10 list. One of the songs listed was "Shaving Cream," a song that would chart in the Top 40 the following year. Another article on page 66 explains that some things have been with us for a while; it says how a large number of records on that week's album chart are either compilations of live sets.

Barry White - "You're The First, The Last, My Everything"

(Debuted #60, Peaked #2, 15 Weeks on chart)

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything" has become one of the most recognizable songs Barry White ever did as a solo artist. It would go to #2 on the pop chart, was his third #1 on the R&B chart and was a #2 disco hit. It started out as a country song, of all things. Peter Radcliffe had written it during the 1950s as "You're the First, the Last, My In-Between" but was never able to get it recorded. White rewrote the lyrics and cut it as a dance tune.

During the 1990s, "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" was frequently used in the show Ally McBeal, as the motivation for John Cage (Peter MacNichol's character) whenever he needed to draw on his inner strength.

Shirley Brown - "Woman To Woman"

(Debuted #68, Peaked #22, 14 Weeks on chart)

"Woman To Woman" begins with a spoken-word intro setting up the song. See, Shirley has gone through her man's wallet and found the number for a woman named Barbara. Calling Barbara up on the phone, Shirley stakes her claim and says in no uncertain terms that the man is hers and she's ready to do what she needs to in order to keep him. He's a lucky man; if that were me, my wife would have made sure nobody found my body.

"Barbara" is a reference to Barbara Mason, whose songs had frequently covered the topic of adultery. Mason followed up with a "response" record called "From His Woman to You" soon afterward. Not letting go of the fact that an adultery song would be great for the country audience, another Barbara -- Mandrell -- remade it in 1978.

Eric Clapton - "Willie And The Hand Jive"

(Debuted #78, Peaked #26, 9 Weeks on chart)

"Hand jiving" is a name for a type of dance that involved hitting and clapping against various body parts in a simulation of percussion. It probably had its heyday in the 1950s. "Willie and the Hand Jive" was a song originally written and recorded by Johnny Otis in 1958. When Eric Clapton remade it a generation later, he stayed fairly true to the original, probably out of respect. Fans of Grease probably recognize the term from a song featured in the stage show as well as the movie.

Clapton's version was one of the tunes that came off his LP 461 Ocean Boulevard, which was a collection that showcased his various interests and influences. The bluesy feel of the song fit in nicely with the latter.

The Doobie Brothers - "Nobody"

(Debuted #80, Peaked #58, 6 Weeks on chart)

The recording in the YouTube video above is a newly recorded version -- but still true to its original form -- from 2010, but "Nobody" was still an "old" song by the standards of 1974. It had originally been the first track of their first LP and their debut single in 1971, but failed to chart. It was brought back to life by the band's later success. Despite being an early track for the group, it captures the sound that they would become known for quite nicely.

"Nobody" is one of Tom Johnston's contributions, recorded at a time when there were only four members in the band: Johnston, Patrick Simmons, drummer John Hartman (when there was only one drummer in the band) and original bassist Dave Shogren, who left the group as they laid down their second album.

Jethro Tull - "Bungle In The Jungle"

(Debuted #82, Peaked #12, 16 Weeks on chart)

After two concept albums that were essentially long-form stories that contained one song that spanned the two sides of the record, Jethro Tull returned to a more standard convention for their War Child LP. The album was originally intended as a more grandiose statement (a double-LP set that was also a movie soundtrack), but eventually saw light as a ten-song, single LP. Of those songs, "Bungle in the Jungle" was the one that generated the most attention.

When frontman Ian Anderson began writing "Bungle in the Jungle," he was working on an album project after Thick as a Brick that he eventually scrapped in favor of A Passion Play. He wrote it during a period where he was interested in psychology and the human condition, and used the animal kingdom as a metaphor. The lyrics use animals to describe the actions of people ("I'm a tiger when I want love, I'm a snake when we disagree") and equate the concept of a Supreme Being ("He who made kittens put snakes in the grass") as a chess master who is playing a game.

Grand Canyon - "Evil Boll-Weevil" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #88, Peaked #72, 5 Weeks on chart)

Evel Knievel was an icon in the 1970s. Kids on bicycles pretended to be him in the same way kids of the 1950s stood up with a stick and pretended to be Mickey Mantle. He had his own action figure, complete with a stunt cycle that could be wound up.

"Evil Boll Weevil" is a "break-in" record parodying Evel Knievel and his jump over the Snake River canyon on September 8, 1974. Featuring a jock doing an impression of Ed Sullivan (as "Ed Peachtree"), the song features a mix of bits from current songs and sound effects that shouldn't have been mistaken for a project from Dickie Goodman, who popularized the style.

Gloria Gaynor - "Never Can Say Goodbye" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #89, Peaked #9, 17 Weeks on chart)

Gloria Gaynor's debut chart single was "Never Can Say Goodbye," which was a high-energy version of a song The Jackson Five had taken into the Top 10 in 1971. However, Gaynor took the song and made it her own with her rendition. It was part of her first LP (which was also named Never Can Say Goodbye), which was among the first aimed at disco clubs in that it eliminated breaks between the songs. It might have been considered Gaynor's signature hit, but she would come back strong with an even bigger single in the late days of the Disco era.

Its place in history is secure, though: when Billboard included its first Disco chart in its magazine in 1975, the #1 song on that list was Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Ike & Tina Turner - "Sexy Ida (Part 1)"

(Debuted #90, Peaked #65, 7 Weeks on chart)

"Sexy Ida" was recorded during what eventually became the end of Ike and Tina Turner's personal and professional partnership. Due to Tina's book and the movie, that era is famous for its excess and abuse, but that wasn't known to fans in 1974, nor did it seem apparent in the Soul Train performance shown in the video above.

"Sexy Ida" boasted a funky rhythm and a typically sassy performance by Tina warning to stay away from another woman, but it failed to reach the Top 40. It was also a low-carting song on the R&B survey, reaching #29.

The Dynamic Superiors - "Shoe Shoe Shine"

(Debuted #92, Peaked #68, 7 Weeks on chart)

The Dynamic Superiors were a soul band based in Washington, D.C. The had formed in 1963 but never reached a level that contemporary groups from Detroit and Philadelphia achieved at the time. Their lead singer was named Tony Washington, who was very flamboyant and occasionally dressed in drag onstage. Perhaps the fact that he was open about his lifestyle was one reason they never reached a bigger stage, but it points to the fact that the group may have been ahead of its time.

Their only pop hit was "Shoe Shoe Shine," which has much of the feeling of hit songs from groups like The Stylistics and the Spinners even as it failed to catch on. It's a shame, since the song -- written by Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson -- is a beautifully-done slice of 1970s pre-disco soul, complete with a magnificent brass section. As a song whose lyrics express the way mony didn't go as far as it once did, it's appropriate that the song is now considered a classic "old school" performance. Unfortunately, further success eluded the group, so they split up around 1977.

This Week's Review -- October 27, 1979

2011-10-29T20:30:00.172-04:00

There were six new singles debuting in this week's Billboard Hot 100, with three making the Top 40. Also, two of those would peak in 1980, both reaching the same #18 position. Although disco was considered to be dying at the time, it didn't stop two of the songs from charting. Another song is a funk classic that has provided an entire generation of hip hop and rap artists with samples. A former member of Poco shows up, as does a duo who would go on to become one of the biggest acts of the next decade. As for another duo, they would soon split, with one half moving on to country music.

Among the archive of past Billboard issues over at Google Books is the October 27, 1979 edition. The full Hot 100 can be found on Page 92. An article on page 20 mentions that a group was fighting against an effort to get rid of the brass-lined doors at the Brill Building (It seems to have worked, as the doors are still there today). A sociologist on page 6 gives his dissertation about how the Disco juggernaut screwed up the music business.

England Dan & John Ford Coley - "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart"

(Debuted #78, Peaked #50, 6 Weeks on chart)

It's a shame that "What Can I Do With This Broken Heart" missed the Top 40. It's too good a song to be forgotten. Yes, it fits the overall format laid down in the duo's previous hits, but doesn't come across as derivative. Instead, it follows the path that the earlier hit "Love is the Answer" pointed out. However, the slight disco sheen in the background accompaniment may have detracted from the overall composition, but it was a solid song.

For all intents and purposes, this was the end of the line for the duo. There was one more low-charting single in the new decade and a movie soundtrack (Just Tell Me You Love Me) but that was quickly forgotten. By then, "England" Dan was recording as a solo artist and added his last name (Seals) to his record before dropping the "England" part altogether.

Isaac Hayes - "Don't Let Go"

(Debuted #81, Peaked #18, 20 Weeks on chart)

Nobody was going to tell Isaac Hayes that Disco was dead. In a way, it was ironic that an artist who was so influential in the early direction of disco wasn't able to enjoy many hit singles during the genre's heyday. Then, when he finally got the chance to show a wider audience the way he could lay down a dance groove, the sound was dropping from prominence.

Just as Hayes had done a decade earlier, he turned to a song from the past. "Don't Let Go" was a remake of the 1957 Roy Hamilton hit but had been given an extreme makeover. The words were the same, but delivered in a totally different style. Using his trademark smooth, low delivery that sound like he's trying to seduce, he lets his female backing chorus handle the song title in a breathy manner. It was his best shot at a disco hit, and was good enough to break through the barrier many listeners had set up against the genre by late 1979.

Funkadelic - "(Not Just) Knee Deep (Part 1)" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #82, Peaked #77, 4 Weeks on chart)

The YouTube video above contains the 15-minute version of "(Not Just) Knee Deep" from the LP Uncle Jam Wants You but the single version was edited down to fit on two sides of the record. The record's A-side was heavily abridged and clocked in at four and a half minutes. Although its pop chart life was short, it would rise to #1 on the R&B chart.

Featuring the regular P-Funk stars (George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Michael Hampton, et. al.), the song also featured the talents of former Spinners singer Phillippe Wynn and ex-Ohio Players keyboard player "Junie" Morrison.

With its classic funk groove and distinctive vocals, "(Not Just) Knee Deep" has been sampled by several hip hop and rap artists over the years. The most obvious of these is De La Soul's "Me, Myself & I" from 1989, but the sample has found itself into the work of Tone Loc, LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, MC Hammer, The Black Eyed Peas and Bobby Brown.

Cory Daye - "Pow Wow" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #84, Peaked #76, 3 Weeks on chart)

(Warning: there is a word written in the YouTube video above that can be considered offensive. If you're watching it at work or around kids, it might be a good idea to hide it as it plays.)

"Pow Wow" was the first hit for Cory Daye, but not her first time her voice graced a hit single. She was a former singer in Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, where she was the voice behind "Cherchez La Femme." While "Pow Wow" was a solid and fun disco single that really needs to be heard if you're into the style, the backlash that sent disco underground as the 1970s came to an end also affected the song even more than the American Indian imagery of the tune (complete with war cries).

In the 1980s, Daye would sing backup for Kid Creole & the Cocoanuts, which was headed by former bandmates August Darnell and Coati Mundi.

Richie Furay - "I Still Have Dreams" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #85, Peaked #39, 10 Weeks on chart)

Richie Furay was a former member of Buffalo Springfield, Poco and The Souther Hillman Furay Band, and eventually moved toward Christian rock after his religious conversion in the mid 1970s. Despite the religious outlook of his personal life, he assured his label that his music would avoid the preachiness that often follows that new direction. One of those forward-looking and inspirational tunes was "I Still Have Dreams," which briefly returned him to the Top 40 one last time before devoting his time to his family and church.

"I Still Have Dreams" sounds like it could have fit right in on a Poco album. It shows the country-rock influence of the band's earlier records, mixed with a slicker late-70s production quality.

Daryl Hall and John Oates - "Wait For Me"

(Debuted #87, Peaked #18, 18 Weeks on chart)

After getting some attention in the mid 1970s with tunes such as "Sara Smile," "She's Gone" and "Rich Girl," Daryl Hall and John Oates went through a "down" period that seemed like a waning before their early 1980s resurgence that eclipsed everything they had done before it. In essence, the period was marked by the duo trying to find its sound, rather than simply coming up with more variations of their hits. In the end, it worked; but the years between 1977 and 1980 were rather lean hit-wise.

One other factor that helped their success was two "missing" pieces: guitarist G.E. Smith and bass player Tom "T-Bone" Wolk. I find it to be little coincidence that the duo's biggest hits came with those two musicians supporting them. Smith was already on board beginning with X-Static (the LP that includes "Wait For Me"), and Wolk was still a couple of years away.

"Wait For Me" was written by Daryl Hall, and while it brought them their first Top 40 hit of the new decade, their breakthrough would come much later in the year in the form of their next LP Voices.

This Week's Review -- October 21, 1972

2011-10-22T20:30:00.060-04:00

This week's review is another one that will require extra time to read all the way through. There were 16 new singles listed in the Billboard Hot 100 this week, and seven of them worked their way into the Top 40. Additionally, four would get into the Top 10. Any list of 16 songs is bound to show some diversity, and this is no exception. A hit by America that recalls California shows up on the list, as well as a song by Albert Hammond about trying to make it in the same state. There was a Presidential election a few weeks away, which inspired a "break-in" novelty record. Isaac Hayes does a TV soundtrack theme and The Osmonds do a single that flies in the face of their "bubblegum" image. New songs appear by Melanie, Harry Chapin, and Tower of Power that have a different vibe to them, as well as a Sammy Davis, Jr. song that sounds exactly like "The Candy Man" did. The Supremes do a song from Pippin, Joe Simon does a song that will be a bigger hit later on and The Raiders try to appeal to their promotion guys.

The October 21, 1972 edition of Billboard is missing from the archive at Google Books, so I'll once again offer a shameless plug for my other music-related blog 80s Music Mayhem. Last week, the focus was music from 1983 and many of the songs I featured were ones that missed the Top 40 altogether. One was a TV theme that many may not have even realized was a single. If you're a fan of 80s music as well, check it out.

America - "Ventura Highway"

(Debuted #63, Peaked #8, 12 Weeks on chart)

America's third straight Top 10 hit is one that I can definitely relate to. In the lyrics, a man finds himself in a snow-covered area and really wishes he was somewhere warmer. As a kid who grew up in northern New York -- where we certainly had a lot of white stuff and freezing cold every winter -- I remember being ready for the day I could find myself in a location where hard winters were little more than a memory.

"Ventura Highway" was written by Dewey Bunnell, who also sings the lead vocals. As a military brat, he did his share of moving around. One year, he was living in Omaha, Nebraska and remembered being in California several years before that. The images in the song came from those memories.

One of the more memorable features of the song is the way the two acoustic guitars harmonize in the intro. Also, the lyrics "Alligator lizards in the air" have made some listeners wonder what the heck Bunnell may have been smoking when he wrote the words, but I always assumed he was describing a cloud formation.

Albert Hammond - "It Never Rains In Southern California"

(Debuted #65, Peaked #5, 16 Weeks on chart)

There's a story in the lyrics of "It Never Rains in Southern California." A man heads to Hollywood in search for fame and fortune but finds neither. Instead, he gets rejection as he tries to get his big break (a common result, as my friends there have told me). At the same time, he's dealing with homesickness, which doesn't help his feelings of inadequacy at all. In the song, the title is soon followed by the rest of the saying: "It pours. Man, it pours."

Albert Hammond was born in London during World War II after his parents evacuated Gibraltar when the Germans approached. They returned after the war and Hammond grew up there. Before charting in the U.S. as a singer, Hammond wrote material that charted for others, including Leapy Lee's "Little Arrows" and the Top 10 Pipkins hit "Gimme Dat Ding." "It Never Rains in Southern California" would be his biggest American hit as a singer, but he continued to chart minor hits as a solo artist through the decade and continued writing hit singles well into the 1990s.

Isaac Hayes - "Theme From The Men"

(Debuted #73, Peaked #38, 9 Weeks on chart)

"Theme From The Men" is a song that sounds like it would be perfect in one of those prototypical 1970s chase scenes. Not just the ones involving cars, but the ones where an antagonist is getting away on foot as well. Not surprisingly, it was composed as the theme to a TV series.

The Men wasn't a show in the stricter sense we know today; rather, it was a rotating slot of three different shows (Assignment Vienna, Jigsaw and The Delphi Bureau) with a common thread of having a single individual who was able to get his job done with little outside help. The series didn't prove to be popular and was canceled before the 1972-'73 TV season was over.

Despite that, the theme is a great example of 1970s soundtrack work.

The Delegates - "Convention '72" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #80, Peaked #8, 8 Weeks on chart)

As you may have guessed from the title and the name of the artist, "Convention '72" was a politically-themed record. Using the "break-in" style that was pioneered by Dickie Goodman, there was probably some confusion that Goodman had actually been behind the record even though his distinctive voice was nowhere to be heard on it. Instead, it was a bit done by Pittsburgh-area DJ Bob DeCarlo with a couple of record company executives to cash in on the election cycle.

Using the guise of a joint convention between both parties, the record features bits of other hit singles as "responses" to questions posed by reporters. While the newsmen were given altered names -- Walter Klondike, David Stinkley, Larry Reasoning -- the politicians were public figures and weren't afforded the same courtesy.

"Convention '72" is a glimpse into political discourse in 1972, even if it is a little long at five minutes. Plus, the coming election would give the single a short run on the chart. Finally, calling it a "break-in" record is pretty funny, considering what happened with Watergate that year.

Donny Hathaway - "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know"

(Debuted #87, Peaked #60, 6 Weeks on chart)

It's tough to review a Donny Hathaway song without focusing on his tragic story. Instead, I'll offer a suggestion that if you (or someone you know) exhibits signs of mental illness, get help. There is no longer the same stigma attached to it as there once was, and treatment is often sensible. While taking your own life -- as Hathaway did -- is often seen as the "easy way out," it's still a burden your loved ones will deal with and agonize over for the rest of their lives. I'm seeing that with a good friend of mine whose 20-year old son killed himself over the summer. His questions can only be answered by one person, who's no longer able to explain what he was going through. No matter what we say about being there for him, there is no way to bring back what he really wants: his son.

Somehow, "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" is appropriate here. Even after I've gone in a different tangent. My friend has been saying that ever since that tragic day that changed him forever. Hathaway's family likely said it, too. So please get help if you think you're at the end of your rope and that nobody cares. Because you're wrong.

Melanie - "Together Alone"

(Debuted #88, Peaked #86, 4 Weeks on chart)

Melanie's career had its share of highlights, with an appearance at Woodstock and a resulting Top 10 song about that experience called "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" that showed depth. At one time, she even had three songs in the Top 40 at the same time. Unfortunately, one of those songs was "Brand New Key," a smash hit that also sunk her credibility.

In 1972, she came up with an album called Stoneground Words, a record that showed her maturity, but the double entendre of "Brand New Key" would overshadow the sincerity of that entire LP. "Together Alone" was the first track, a song about two people preparing to walk through life together. It's a little slow but that helps set the mood of the song. Melanie's music has often been something of an acquired taste, so those who aren't already open to her message likely wouldn't care to hear it.

There's a lesson to be taken away from this: when you're trying to build up a reputation as a serious artist, a one-shot novelty hit with a sexual double meaning might cause people to pay less attention to your later work regardless of its sincerity.

Harry Chapin - "Sunday Morning Sunshine"

(Debuted #89, Peaked #75, 6 Weeks on chart)

One thing for certain with a Harry Chapin song is that it will tell a story. In "Sunday Morning Sunshine," he takes the persona of a man who feels the need to get away and see the world, but he's drawn back to home by a woman's love. The "Sunday morning sunshine" in the title is the antidote to his "Monday morning rain" and the reason he feels compelled to return to her.

It's not nearly as memorable as "Taxi" was or compelling as WOLD," which explains its low peak position. However, "Sunday Morning Sunshine" also leaves out the sometimes grating manner Chapin exhibits in those hits. In the end, it's a very pleasant folk-based tune and will be well-received by fans of his.

The Osmonds - "Crazy Horses"

(Debuted #90, Peaked #14, 12 Weeks on chart)

I was born too late to experience "Osmondmania" when it first swept the country. As a result, I've really never gotten around to hearing much of their material, and what I've paid attention to was colored by the later material Donny and Marie did, as well as the bubblegum label handed to the brothers after their biggest hit "One Bad Apple."

In short, I wasn't expecting "Crazy Horses" when I first heard it a few years back. The song is a solid rocker, complete with what can only be described as an unsettling keyboard wail, gruff backing vocals on the chorus and a brass section barrage. While it's not exactly what I'd expect from The Osmonds, I'm guessing that any other act handling this song would have gotten a different look from critics.

One thing I do notice, though: Donny Osmond isn't singing on this song. The vocals are done by Alan, with Merrill coming in just before the chorus.

Al Green - "You Ought To Be With Me"

(Debuted #91, Peaked #3, 15 Weeks on chart)

Al Green was at the peak of his game late in 1972. "You Ought to Be With Me" would be his fourth Top 10 pop hit in the year and his third #1 R&B single. While his smooth delivery of the song could arguably be considered quite close to a "formulaic" manner, it was a formula that was definitely working for him.

Al the elements you'd expect in an Al Green song are here: the solid Memphis brass section, Green's method of singing that got the ladies in the right mood, the polished production. Call it going back to the well, but it sounds great.

Mouth and McNeil - "Hey, You Love" (Not Available on iTunes)

(Debuted #92, Peaked #87, 3 Weeks on chart)

The followup to "How Do You Do" isn't going to make anybody forget the earlier hit. Actually, in Europe, "Hey, You Love" was released first but wasn't issued in the U.S. until after "How Do You Do" was a surprise hit in the Summer of '72. After its disappointing showing, the duo never returned to the American chart again despite more success in their native Holland.

Tower of Power - "Down To The Nightclub"

(Debuted #94, Peaked #66, 8 Weeks on chart)

"Down to the Nightclub" uses Tower of Power's signature horn section and funky rhythms, but there are some times where they sound a lot like Rare Earth vocally. It was a track from the groups Bump City LP, and the words "Bump City" are interjected into the lyrics. Rick Stevens handles the lead vocal, as Lenny Williams had not yet joined the band at the time.

The YouTube video above has a 1976 live version, with a different lineup of the band.

Joe Simon - "Misty Blue"

(Debuted #95, Peaked #91, 5 Weeks on chart)

"Misty Blue" is best-known for its version by Dorothy Moore, but it was written a decade earlier as a country song. Originally meant for Brenda Lee, she turned it down and it was recorded both by Wilma Burgess and Eddy Arnold in 1966. Joe Simon was the first R&B artist to chart with it.

Simon was noted as a "country soul" performer early in his career, so the tune was well-suited to his talent. However, the rendition Dorothy Moore turned in four years later made many forget his own, even though he was the artists who likely laid the groundwork for her single.

Sammy Davis Jr. with the Mike Curb Congregation - "The People Tree"

(Debuted #96, Peaked #92, 5 Weeks on chart)

Sammy Davis, Jr. received a great deal of flak for his version of "The Candy Man." It was the biggest hit of his career, took him to #1 on the pop chart and reiterated his position as one of the most popular entertainers. However, the song was foisted on him by his record company (MGM) and its head Mike Curb and Davis had to grudgingly accept the fact that the song would become a signature tune.

As a result of the goodwill (and the river of cash that flowed in) because of that song, MGM brought in "Candy Man" songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for his next album Portrait of Sammy Davis, Jr. and had The Mike Curb Congregation provide the backing vocals as they had for the hit song. The followup single was "The People Tree," a song about brotherhood that sounded a lot like "The Candy Man" did.

Fortunately for those who felt "The Candy Man" was a waste of Davis's incredible talent, the followup stiffed and he wasn't forced to bring out retreads of the song by his label anymore.

The Raiders - "Song Seller"

(Debuted #98, Peaked #96, 3 Weeks on chart)

"Song Seller" was another try at sustaining the momentum The Raiders picked up from "Indian Reservation." Rather than appealing to DJs as other groups might have, they directly asked their A&R people "can you help me get this record played?" Ironically, their own record company's song sellers didn't promote the band as much as they did acts like The Blue Oyster Cult and Aerosmith and the song never managed to get out of the lower reaches of the pop chart.

There were changes on the horizon for The Raiders. Guitarist Freddy Weller, who'd been recording country music as a solo artist, and drummer Mike Smith left the band for the second time. Before long, the group was being relegated to the "oldies circuit" that eventually led to singer Mark Lindsay's departure. Later, Lindsay became something of a "song seller" himself, working as an executive for the United Artists record label.

Dennis Yost and the Classics IV - "What Am I Crying For"

(Debuted #99, Peaked #39, 13 Weeks on chart)

"What Am I Crying For" was the last of the Top 40 hits by The Classics IV, after a string of hits in the late 1960s. This time around, Dennis Yost had been given top billing, which often portends that the cohesive group concept was falling apart. Soon afterward, the group soon splintered, with several members forming The Atlanta Rhythm Section in 1974 even as Yost was still touring under the band's name with different musicians.

Yost had been called the originator of the "Southern Soft Rock" sound because of the way he used emotion in his voice as he sang. This quality can clearly be heard in "What Am I Crying For." Sadly, Yost passed away in 2008 from respiratory failure, two years after sustaining brain trauma during a fall down a flight of stairs.

The Supremes - "I Guess I'll Miss The Man"

(Debuted #100, Peaked #85, 7 Weeks on chart)

"I Guess I'll Miss the Man" was a song from the show Pippin, which also produced the Jackson 5 single "Corner of the Sky." With Jean Terrell taking the lead duties, it was done in a style that would be more understated even while it sounded like it could have been a great version if Diana Ross was still with the group. However, like much of Terrell's material with the group, it was overlooked despite its inner beauty and the song wasn't much of a hit on the pop chart. It was a modest adult contemporary hit ( reaching #17) and didn't chart at all on the R&B survey.