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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jun 11, 2017 22:13:51 GMT -5
June 16, 1979Falling off: Beach Boys - Good Timin' (40) - wtf did this sound like again? Nigel Olsson - Little Bit Of Soap (34) - wtf did this sound like again? Alton McClain & Destiny - It Must Be Love (32) - wtf did this sound like again? Barbara Mandrell - ... I Don't Want To Be Right (31) - wtf did this sound like again? England Dan & John Ford Coley - Love Is The Answer (26) - FINALLY something I know. Great song - one of their absolute best! 40. New England - Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya (debut) - this was alright but faceless 39. Atlanta Rhythm Section - Do It Or Die (debut) - good song but I prefer their 1977-78 hits 38. Blondie - Heart Of Glass (27) - great song! One of their best 37. Foxy - Hot Number (21) - I like this but prefer "Get Off" 36. Rod Stewart - Ain't Love A Bitch (22) - good song but he's had better 35. KISS - I Was Made For Lovin' You (debut) - great song! One of their best, I don't care if it's disco-TASTIC 34. Jay Ferguson - Shakedown Cruise (38) - not bad but "Thunder Island" is better 33. ABBA - Does Your Mother Know (37) - great song, nice to hear the guys on lead for once 32. Raydio - You Can't Change That (39) - great song! One of their best! 31. Poco - Heart Of The Night (debut) - great song! One of their best! 30. Gerry Rafferty - Days Gone Down (debut) - not bad but I prefer his 1978 hits 29. Olivia Newton-John - Deeper Than The Night (11) - great song! One of her most underrated! 28. Peter Frampton - I Can't Stand It No More (36) - another great underrated song! 27. McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (35) - great disco classic! 26. Dr. Hook - When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman (33) - great song! One of my favourites from them 25. Village People - In The Navy (17) - another cheesy as hell but I like it guilty pleasure 24. John Stewart - Gold (30) - great song! Nice folk rock tune 23. Van Halen - Dance The Night Away (29) - great song! One of their best 22. Styx - Renegade (16) - great song, another classic rock staple! 21. Roger Voudouris - Get Used To It (23) - LOL it's the 70's version of Kanye West Good song, but it's fun making fun of his ego. 20. ELO - Shine A Little Love (25) - great song! 19. Cheap Trick - I Want You To Want Me (24) - great song, one of their best 18. David Naughton - Makin' It (20) - good song, but kinda odd it came from a flop TV show 17. Wings - Goodnight Tonight (13) - great song, one of their most underrated! 16. Doobie Brothers - Minute By Minute (18) - great song! One of their best 15. GQ - Disco Nights (12) - I like this 14. The Jacksons - Shake Your Body (9) - great song, one of their best! 13. Bad Company - Rock & Roll Fantasy (14) - great song, my favourite from them 12. Rex Smith - You Take My Breath Away (15) - I like this one as cheesy as it is 11. Donna Summer - Bad Girls (28) - great song! Definitely destined for #1! 10. Earth, Wind & Fire and The Emotions - Boogie Wonderland (19) - great song! 9. Peaches & Herb - Reunited (4) - great song, my favourite from them 8. Kenny Rogers - She Believes In Me (10) - No. Just no. 7. Rickie Lee Jones - Chuck E's In Love (8) - great song! 6. Supertramp - The Logical Song (7) - great song, despite the overplay 5. Bee Gees - Love You Inside Out (1) - great song! One of their best 4. Randy Vanwarmer - Just When I Needed You Most (5) - another good but cheesy song 3. Anita Ward - Ring My Bell (6) - great song, another disco classic! 2. Sister Sledge - We Are Family (3) - great song, yet another disco classic! 1. Donna Summer - Hot Stuff (2) - another great song, and yes, another great disco classic! Chicago update: They were just about to release "Chicago 13". Next week: 1971 and 1977. I will listen to the latter.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 12, 2017 13:28:02 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - June 10, 2017 This week's presentation - June 16, 1979 DROPPERS: GOOD TIMIN' - THE BEACH BOYS (40) - wtf did this sound like again? LITTLE BIT OF SOAP - BATH TIME EXPLOSION NIGEL OLSSON (34) - I don't remember how this went either, but I seem to remember that I liked this song better than his hit from earlier in the year, "Dancin' Shoes". IT MUST BE LOVE - ALTON McCLAIN & DESTINY (32) - I vaguely remember this song - it was nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. (IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG) I DON'T WANT TO BE RIGHT - BARBARA MANDRELL (31) - Of course, this was a cover of the old Luther Ingram song. I liked it, but preferred the original. LOVE IS THE ANSWER - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (24) - . Their last of six Top 40 hits, four of them Top Tens, including this one, it is one of my favorites of the bunch. In fact, I don't think there were any songs that I didn't like (though I'd have to listen to "Gone Too Far" to be able to tell for sure, as that is the only song from them that I don't remember). LW#3: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE LW#2: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER LW#1: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT – THE BEE GEES 40: DON’T EVER WANNA LOSE YOU – NEW ENGLAND (debut) - I was busy finishing my critique for the 6/30/79 show, which I'd just realized I had only gotten half done when it was run last year, so I forget how this one went. I seem to remember it wasn't anything exceptional. 39: DO IT OR DIE – ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (debut) - Though I preferred their two Top Ten hits, this one was also a good one. 38: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (27) - This band has sort of an odd chart history - they either hit #1 or missed the Top 20 entirely with their eight hits. This was the first of four #1s. It was good, but I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture". LDD: I WILL STILL LOVE YOU - STONEBOLT - This song has been used as a LDD at least twice, that I know of. Had it been a big Top Ten hit, it might have become one of the most popular LDD requests, due to its subject matter (similar to "Still" by the Commodores, which did go on to be a frequent request. I really liked this song - heard it many a time on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. 37: HOT NUMBER - FOXY (21) - Well, this isn't really a hot number to me, as I'm not into this type of music (but you already know that, right?) 36: AIN’T LOVE A BEEOTCH – ROD STEWART (22) - Sorry; I know that's not how it's spelled, but if I spelled it correctly, it would end up being "pregnant dog". Anyway, this was Rod's follow-up to one of his biggest hits ever, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy". However, it was nowhere near as successful, as it ran out of gas before it even hit the Top 20. It was pretty good, but definitely far from being his best. 35: I WAS MADE FOR LOVIN’ YOU - KISS (debut) - They seemed to have jumped on the disco bandwagon at this point (not a good move, as this was just before Steve Dahl's infamous Disco Demolition). This would be their last Top 40 hit for over ten years - they finally returned in early 1990 with what would be their second Top Ten hit - like the first one, it was a ballad. 34: SHAKEDOWN CRUISE – JAY FERGUSON (38) - The second of two Top 40 hits for this man from the San Fernando Valley. I preferred the first one, "Thunder Island", which charted the year before. ARCHIVES: SUNDOWN – GORDON LIGHTFOOT - OK, I am indeed a Gordon Lightfoot fan, and I like a lot of his songs, but this ain't one of them. So many of his great songs went unreleased. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN - Who knew that this song would take until October to hit #1 on the charts! It tied "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder for the record for the slowest climb to the top. I'm glad it made it, though, as it was a great song. 33: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - ABBA (37) - This was Abba's first charted singles that featured Björn Ulvaeus on lead vocals instead of Agnetha Faltskog and Frida. It was a pretty good song, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "The Winner Takes It All". 32: YOU CAN’T CHANGE THAT - RAYDIO (39) - This song and their 1981 song "A Woman Needs Love" sounded very similar. I slightly prefer this one though (but both of them are great songs. 31: HEART OF THE NIGHT - POCO (debut) - The second of their two 1979 hits - I liked it about the same as "Crazy Love". Still, I think their best hit ever was "Nothing To Hide", from early 1990. 30: DAYS GONE DOWN – GERRY RAFFERTY (debut) - I must say, it was quite refreshing to hear a song by him besides the grossly overplayed "Baker Street" (though I did hear "Right Down The Line" on the oldies station last weekend). This one was actually a good song - too bad this one didn't go Top Ten. 29: DEEPER THAN THE NIGHT – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (11) - Her second of two hits from 1979. I personally preferred her other one, "A Little More Love", but this wasn't far behind at all, as it was also a great song! 28: I CAN’T STAND IT NO MORE – PETER FRAMPTON (36) - Well, try he might, he just couldn't come close to equaling the success of his Frampton Comes Alive album. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred a few songs from said album, as well as the title track from his second album I'm In You. 27: AIN’T NO STOPPIN’ US NOW – McFADDEN AND WHITEHEAD (35) - The only Top 40 hit by the founders of Philly soul music, this was one of the best Philly soul hits of all time, IMO! I remember this one quite well. 26: WHEN YOU’RE IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN – DR. HOOK (33) - As we all know, my favorite song from them was "Better Love Next Time", but this was a good one too - and it became one of their most successful hits. 25: IN THE NAVY – VILLAGE PEOPLE (17) - As we all know, their biggest hit was one of my "No. Just no" songs (and sometimes it would get a rating even worse than that). This one, on the other hand, I actually really like. Probably because there wasn't a goofy, overdone dance to go along with it (they could have easily done that with the "They want you! They want you! They want you as a new recruit!" chant, but to my best of knowledge, that has not materialized - yet). 24: GOLD – JOHN STEWART (30) - Here's one of several R&R-only #1 songs on this week's chart (there are several of those on this week's chart, I believe). This one featured Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham on background vocals - making an already great song even better! 23: DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY – VAN HALEN (29) - I generally prefer the Van Hagar area, but this was actually one of my favorite songs of theirs before 1986. ARCHIVES: ROCK THE BOAT – THE HUES CORPORATION - Where did I get the notion to rock the boat? It just came randomly to my mind, that's where! OPTIONAL EXTRA: GOOD TIMES - CHIC - Well, I do prefer this over the grossly overrated song "Le Freak", but I preferred their hit that came in between that and this one, "I Want Your Love'", which was a Top Ten hit in the spring of 1979. 22: RENEGADE - STYX (16) - I'm surprised that this song only got as high was #16, given all the airplay it received back in the day. It is also a classic rock staple. I liked it, but preferred "Blue Collar Man", from the same album, Pieces of Eight. 21: GET USED TO IT – ROGER VOUDOURIS (23) - The only Top 40 hit from this Sacramento native, but what a great song it was! 20: SHINE A LITTLE LOVE – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (25) - Here's another R&R-only #1 song. This would peak at #8 on the AT40 chart. It was a great song - one of their best! 19: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME – CHEAP TRICK (24) - Now here's one I remember quite well from the summer of 1979, as I heard it regularly on the jukebox at the beach house that I went to a lot that summer, plus WLS played it regularly. I liked this song a lot. 18: MAKIN’ IT – DAVID NAUGHTON (20) - This one hit the Top Five on the Hot 100, but only reached #25 on the R&R chart. As for my opinion on this song, it was OK, but a little gimmicky. 17: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (13) - This was the last of their Top Ten hits from the 70s (they would have one more, which would end up becoming one of their biggest hits of all-time, a year later). This was a great song, but I preferred a few others, including said 1980 #1). 16: MINUTE BY MINUTE – DOOBIE BROTHERS (18) - The title track from their #1 album, which had topped the chart back in April/May. The Doobies would replace themselves on the chart the following week - this one would move in as "What A Fool Believes" stepped off the chart. Of course, that was the song that I preferred of the two. LDD: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN - This song definitely fit the dedication - even Casey said they'd earned it, as it was from a girl to her swimming team, who always fell short of winning the state title - until now, that is. As for the song, I loved it - one of my favorite Queen songs. 15: DISCO NIGHTS – G.Q. (12) - This was the first of two hits (from the same year, no less) from this soul group from the Bronx. This was one of several songs sampled in Kon Kan's 1989 hit "I Beg Your Pardon". I seem to recall that I preferred their other hit, "I Do Love You", which charted later that summer. 14: SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) - JACKSONS (9) - Meh, not one of their best by any means. As I've said several times before, I preferred their earlier songs. 13: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY – BAD COMPANY (14) - Here's one that I definitely associate with the summer of 1979 - I heard this one many times on the beach house juke box that I mentioned earlier. 12: YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY – REX SMITH (15) - Another song that I heard a lot back in the summer of '79 (though I'm not sure if the juke box had it - I generally heard this on the radio). This song was from the TV movie Sooner Or Later, in which Rex himself was the star. I loved this song when it was on the charts and still love it today! ARCHIVES: ROCK YOUR BABY – GEORGE McRAE - I believe this was said to be the very first disco hit. Or was it the first disco song to reach #1? I keep forgetting - my brain cells ain't what they used to be anymore. As for the song, I like it. I guess disco ain't so bad - it's just if you listen to it too long, it all starts sounding the same. 11: BAD GIRLS – DONNA SUMMER (28) - Wow! What a jump! It was clear that this was headed to #1 and I'm sure that many fans were thinking that it was entirely possible that she would succeed herself at #1 (though, as it turned out, that didn't happen - more on that in awhile). 10: BOOGIE WONDERLAND – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (19) - A one-time team-up between these two acts. The song was OK, but I preferred most of EW+F's other material (and the only other song I've heard by the Emotions was "Best Of My Love" - yes, I preferred that one too). 9: REUNITED – PEACHES AND HERB (4) - This was by far their biggest hit ever, spending the entire month of May at the top. It is also my favorite song from them - one of the best love songs of all time! 8: SHE BELIEVES IN ME – KENNY ROGERS (10) - Here's one that I remember quite well from '79! This one would peak at #5 for on AT40, but on the R&R chart, it managed to sneak in a week at #1. 7: CHUCK E’S IN LOVE – RICKIE LEE JONES (8) - Another R&R #1, this song would peak at #4 a few weeks later. The song wasn't bad, but definitely not one I'd want to hear all the time. 6: THE LOGICAL SONG - SUPERTRAMP (7) - Hey, three R&R #1 songs in a row, how about that! I just heard this song on my car radio when I was having my car washed this past week. Anyway, this was my favorite song in the world back in the summer of 1979. WLS played this song all the time, starting around the beginning of the summer and pretty much straight through to the early fall - at which time I finally decided to buy the Breakfast In America album. 5: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT – BEE GEES (1) - Ah, the song that was said to have been artificially moved to #1 so as not to interrupt their streak at #1. Whether or not that is true I have no idea, but regardless, it is still a good song! 4: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST – RANDY VANWARMER (5) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away eleven years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. 3: RING MY BELL – ANITA WARD (6) - If she'd just stuck to her job as a schoolteacher, Donna Summer would have succeeded herself at #1, as this was the song that hit #1 in between her two big summer hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GETTING CLOSER - WINGS (debut) - Musically, this is a pretty decent song, but what the hell does Paul mean by "my salamander"? Is that a British term of endearment or something? 2: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE (3) - This song looked like this might hit #1, but due to the competition at #1, the song fell a spot short. This song has definitely stood the test of time - still receives quite a lot of airplay 36 years later! I myself think it's a good song, which says a lot, considering I'm not much for disco music. 1: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER (2) - How fast this went to #1, plus the fact that it rebounded to #1 this week is what makes people suspicious about this being a legit #1 song. I liked this song - my second favorite of her 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows".
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jun 20, 2017 1:39:34 GMT -5
June 25, 1977Falling off: Rufus & Chaka Khan - Hollywood (32) - wtf did this sound like again? Eagles - Hotel California (30) - great song! One of their best but at least they have another in the chart Hall & Oates - Back Together Again (28) - wtf did this sound like again? 40. 10cc - People In Love (debut) - not bad but I prefer their other hits 39. The Commodores - Easy (debut) - great song! Definitely the prototype for Lionel Richie's later hit ballads 38. Boston - Peace Of Mind (38) - great song! One of their best! 37. Climax Blues Band - Couldn't Get It Right (24) - great song! 36. The Carpenters - All You Get From Love Is A Love Song (40) - I like this but they had better 35. England Dan & John Ford Coley - It's Sad To Belong (39) - great song! One of their most underrated! 34. Bay City Rollers - You Made Me Believe In Magic (debut) - I like this but they had better 33. Leo Sayer - When I Need You (26) - great song! 32. Waylon Jennings - Luckenbach, Texas (36) - No. Just no. 31. Helen Reddy - You're My World (34) - No. Just no. 30. Joe Tex - Ain't Gonna Bump No More (12) - this was just ok 29. Alice Cooper - You And Me (37) - great song, his ballads are good but I like his rockers more 28. Maynard Ferguson - Gonna Fly Now (29) - it's alright, but I'll comment on the other version later 27. ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You (31) - great song! One of their best 26. Dean Friedman - Ariel (27) - not bad 25. Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke (9) - great song, one of his best 24. Pablo Cruise - Whatcha Gonna Do? (35) - great song! They had a few good ones back in the day 23. Rita Coolidge - Higher And Higher (33) - this was ok, but she's had better 22. Kenny Nolan - Love's Grown Deep (22) - not bad but "I Like Dreamin'" was better 21. The Sylvers - High School Dance (23) - not bad but I prefer their other hits 20. Addrisi Brothers - Slow Dancin' Don't Turn Me On (20) - this was alright 19. KC & the Sunshine Band - I'm Your Boogie Man (8) - great song, one of their best! 18. Peter Frampton - I'm In You (25) - great song! I feel this doesn't get the attention it deserves these days 17. Marshall Tucker Band - Heard It In A Love Song (14) - good song, nice southern rock tune 16. Peter McCann - Do You Wanna Make Love (19) - great song, memorable one hit wonder 15. Andy Gibb - I Just Want To Be Your Everything (21) - great song! Deserving of being the #1 of the year 14. Barbra Streisand - My Heart Belongs To Me (18) - No. Just no. 13. Barry Manilow - Looks Like We Made It (15) - No. Just no. 12. Jimmy Buffett - Margaritaville (17) - great song, perfect for the summer! 11. Eagles - Life In The Fast Lane (13) - great song! One of the ultimate road trip anthems! 10. Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner (11) - great song! 9. Hot - Angel In Your Arms (10) - not bad but there's better on the chart 8. Shaun Cassidy - Da Doo Ron Ron (16) - it's teen idol karaoke but I like this one, a guilty pleasure 7. Andrew Gold - Lonely Boy (7) - great song! 6. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (1) - great song, glad it was a #1 hit! 5. Kenny Rogers - Lucille (5) - great song! I don't like a lot of his slower songs but this is a huge exception 4. Foreigner - Feels Like The First Time (4) - great song! One of their best! 3. Alan O'Day - Undercover Angel (6) - great song! 2. Bill Conti - Gonna Fly Now (3) - I like this, classic movie theme 1. Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up (2) - great song! Very easy to tell this inspired "Blurred Lines" Chicago update: They didn't release anything until September. JessieLou: Heart was #41 with "Barracuda". Next week: 1974, which means, since it aired 3 years ago, we get recycled commentary!
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jun 23, 2017 23:02:51 GMT -5
Recycling my commentary from 3 years ago... June 29, 1974This was the week that AT40 used a fake chart as Casey was going to be away for 3 weeks; the 2 weeks after this were a special and a guest-hosted show. So they estimated the chart positions for this week in advance. Falling off: Chicago - (I've Been) Searchin' So Long (38) - good song, shame to see it fall off Aretha Franklin - I'm In Love (37) - wtf did this sound like again? Stevie Wonder - Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing (36) - good song, even if the intro is kinda odd. The Carpenters - I Won't Last A Day Without You (35) - wtf did this sound like again? Eddie Kendricks - Son OF Sagittarius (33) - wtf did this sound like again? Three Dog Night - The Show Must Go On (32) - not bad, but not their best... shouldn't have fallen off according to Billboard though! Cat Stevens - Oh Very Young (30) - great song, one of his best! Also shouldn't have fallen off 40. Wet Willie - Keep On Smilin' (debut) - not bad, though it debuted too early! 39. Grand Funk - The Loco-Motion (29) - great song, one of their best! 38. Jimmy Buffett - Come Monday (debut) - not bad, but I prefer his other hits 37. The Impressions - Finally Got Myself Together (debut) - it's alright, but I prefer "It's Alright"! 36. Jim Croce - Workin' At The Carwash Blues (debut) - not bad, but he had better 35. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care Of Business (debut) - great song! One of their best 34. Elvis Presley - If You Talk In Your Sleep (debut) - it's ok, but I prefer his 50's and 60's stuff 33. ZZ Top - La Grange (debut) - great song! This one never should've been there as it didn't actually make top 40 on Billboard (though it did chart on R&R) 32. Joni Mitchell - Help Me (23) - great song! One of her best! 31. Jim Stafford - My Girl Bill (22) - No. Just no. 30. Eagles - Already Gone (34) - great song! Definitely underrated, I'm surprised it peaked so low 29. ABBA - Waterloo (39) - great song! One of their best 28. Golden Earring - Radar Love (40) - great song! I prefer "Twilight Zone" though 27. Ozark Mountain Daredevils - If You Want To Get To Heaven (28) - not bad, but "Jackie Blue" is better 26. Blue Magic - Sideshow (26) - good song! 25. Marvin Hamlisch - The Entertainer (10) - good song, though I still find it kinda odd that a cover of a song from 1902 was a hit in 1974. 24. Cher - Train Of Thought (31) - good song, but she's had many better 23. Anne Murray - You Won't See Me (16) - not bad, though I prefer many others from her 22. Maria Muldaur - Midnight At The Oasis (11) - good song! 21. The DeFranco Family - Save The Last Dance For Me (18) - this was alright 20. Steely Dan - Rikki Don't Lose That Number (25) - great song! One of their best 19. The Spinners - I'm Coming Home (20) - not bad, but they had better 18. Mac Davis - One Hell Of A Woman (19) - meh 17. Carly Simon - Haven't Got Time For The Pain (14) - good song, but I prefer some others from her 16. John Denver - Annie's Song (27) - as cheesy as this is, I actually don't mind this 15. The O'Jays - For The Love Of Money (13) - good song, but they had better 14. Righteous Brothers - Rock And Roll Heaven (24) - good song! Indeed, Casey is in good company in rock & roll heaven. 13. The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe (21) - good song, but "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" is better 12. Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (8) - great song! One of their best 11. Gladys Knight & the Pips - On And On (17) - good song, but they had better 10. Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run (6) - great song! One of his best 9. Ray Stevens - The Streak (4) - No. Just no. 8. Kool & the Gang - Hollywood Swingin' (9) - great song! I prefer their 80's stuff though 7. Olivia Newton-John - If You Love Me Let Me Know (7) - good song, but she's had better, especially from 1978-83 6. George McCrae - Rock Your Baby (15) - good song! 5. Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat (12) - good song, would become the first disco #1 4. The Stylistics - You Make Me Feel Brand New (2) - good song, one of their best 3. William DeVaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got (5) - not bad, pretty typical R&B for this era 2. Bo Donaldson & the Haywoods - Billy Don't Be A Hero (1) - good song! 1. Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown (3) - great song! The top 2 were actually guessed correctly, so at least we got to hear this at #1. Chicago update: "Call On Me" was up to #69. Prediction for next week: I'll say 1973, as we had 1977 recently.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jul 2, 2017 23:56:52 GMT -5
June 30, 1973Falling off: Sweet - Little Willy (37) - The British glam rock band's first hit, and what a great one it was! Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You (35) - A song that has lived forever in movie soundtracks... great song! It's held up very well Stevie Wonder - You Are The Sunshine Of My Life (32) - Some may find this Motown legend's hit kinda cheesy but I really like it myself. The Independents - Leaving Me (26) - wtf did this sound like again? 40. The O'Jays - Time To Get Down (debut) - One of the 70's greatest soul groups... songs like this are right in line with what I like to hear from them. Good song! 39. The Intruders - I'll Always Love My Mama (debut) - this was ok but kinda repetitive 38. Alice Cooper - No More Mr. Nice Guy (34) - One of the original artists involved with "shock rock", this song summed up his image very well. Great song! 37. Focus - Hocus Pocus (19) - This Dutch rock band's only hit, this was one of my favourite instrumentals of the 70's! 36. Jeanne Pruett - Satin Sheets (39) - No. Just no. 35. The Raspberries - Let's Pretend (36) - I usually like their stuff (As well as Eric Carmen's solo hits), and this was pretty good - right in line with their other work. 34. The Dells - Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation (38) - No. Just no. 33. Skylark - Wildflower (25) - The Canadian rock band's only top 40 hit, and one of the first projects by multi-producer David Foster. This was a good one. 32. Foster Sylvers - Misdemeanor (debut) - He beat his family band to reaching the top 40 - this was ok but I prefer "Boogie Fever" and "Hot Line". 31. Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers (re-entry) - wow, what weird timing for this to come back! Great song - a timeless classic that will live on forever every Halloween! 30. J. Geils Band - Give It To Me (30) - I like this but I feel they really got good in the 80's 29. Perry Como - And I Love You So (31) - No. Just no. 28. Fred Wesley & the JB's - Doing It To Death (40) - this was ok but, as with James Brown's 70's output, kinda samey 27. Dobie Gray - Drift Away (22) - His hits were rather sporadic, but this was easily his biggest. Great song, though I prefer Uncle Kracker's remake that he appeared on. 26. Pink Floyd - Money (33) - "Dark Side Of The Moon" is one of the biggest selling albums of all time; these guys were mostly an AOR band but had a few pop hit singles, this included. Great song, with a very different time signature! 25. Tony Orlando & Dawn - Tie A Yellow Ribbon... (18) - The eventual #1 song of 1973 - this was alright but I prefer others from them 24. Tower Of Power - So Very Hard To Go (27) - Their biggest hit, and a nice, funky tune! 23. The Stylistics - You'll Never Get To Heaven (23) - One of their more obscure hits, this was nice enough but they had better 22. Gladys Knight & the Pips - Daddy Could Swear, I Declare (24) - not bad, but I prefer most of their other hits 21. Seals & Crofts - Diamond Girl (29) - They were one of the biggest duos of the 70's and songs like this showed off their harmonies very well! Great song! 20. Charlie Rich - Behind Closed Doors (28) - No. Just no. 19. New York City - I'm Doin' Fine Now (17) - A very memorable one hit wonder - good song! 18. Bette Midler - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy (21) - A bit out of place to hear an Andrews Sisters remake here, but she pulled it off quite well. 17. Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water (20) - Another band who was primarily AOR but had the occasional pop hit. Great song - one of the most recognizeable opening riffs ever! 16. Edgar Winter Group - Frankenstein (13) - 1973 must've really had some good rock instrumentals! This was pretty good too. 15. Elton John - Daniel (8) - One of many hits he had through the 70's, this had a bit of a story to it. Great song! 14. Bloodstone - Natural High (15) - meh 13. The Carpenters - Yesterday Once More (16) - Another of the 70's biggest acts, Karen's sweet voice really was perfect for the radio mix then. Great song, like most of their hits. 12. Jim Croce - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (14) - A popular singer-songwriter who sadly died at the peak of his fame. Great song - still sounds fantastic today! 11. The Spinners - One Of A Kind (Love Affair) (12) - Another soul group with many winning songs, this was another of their best! 10. Three Dog Night - Shambala (11) - These guys were on a hot streak, and this showed their strengths. Great song! 9. Dr. John - Right Place Wrong Time (10) - His only top 40 hit, this Louisiana musician crafted a memorable song here! Clearly it was in the right place at the right time! 8. Doobie Brothers - Long Train Runnin' (9) - These rockers from San Jose sure had a lot of rock classics! This was one of their biggest and for good reason - great song! 7. Clint Holmes - Playground In My Mind (2) - This song may be kinda creepy but I actually don't mind it - you could say it's a guilty pleasure as I know a lot of people hate this. 6. Sylvia - Pillow Talk (6) - see my comment above 5. Paul Simon - Kodachrome (7) - great song! His solo career was sure in full swing, and songs like this carried on the hit streak! 4. Barry White - I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby (3) - This was ok, but honestly, kinda disturbing given its sexual content! 3. Billy Preston - Will It Go Round In Circles (4) - He may not have quite hit #1 as an instrumental, but he did have some vocal #1 hits, this included. Great song - possibly his best solo hit! 2. Paul McCartney & Wings - My Love (1) - Their first #1 and Paul's second post-Beatles #1. Great song - I usually like their stuff. 1. George Harrison - Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth) (5) - Wow, one Beatle kicks another out of #1! Great song though - one of his best solo songs! Chicago update: "Feelin' Stronger Ever Day" was #63. Next week: 1972 and 1978. I'll recycle my commentary for 1978.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jul 7, 2017 13:38:16 GMT -5
July 15, 1978I'm recycling my commentary from 2 years ago. Falling off: Seals & Crofts - You're The Love (40) - great song, one of their best! Tuxedo Junction - Chattanooga Choo Choo (32) - wtf did this sound like again? (And unless I listen to the previous week's AT40 - which was guest hosted - I will never hear this on AT40.) Patti Smith Group - Because The Night (19) - good song but the 10,000 Maniacs did it better 40. Wings - I've Had Enough (debut) - I like this but prefer most of their others 39. Dave Mason - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (39) - meh, I actually prefer the original, which for an early 60's song is rather rare. 38. Kenny Rogers - Love Or Something Like It (debut) - this wasn't a borefest 37. Billy Joel - Only The Good Die Young (24) - great song! One of his best 36. Todd Rundgren - Can We Still Be Friends (37) - it's ok but he's had better 35. Bruce Springsteen - Prove It All Night (debut) - it's ok but he's had better 34. Sweet - Love Is Like Oxygen (15) - good song! 33. John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want (14) - great song, one of the ultimate musical hits 32. Jackson Browne - Stay (38) - good song, but I prefer his 80's stuff 31. Bob Welch - Hot Love, Cold World (33) - I like this but prefer his bigger hits 30. Steve Martin - King Tut (35) - this was pretty funny, comedy records are usually hit or miss for me but I like this one 29. Barbra Streisand - Songbird (34) - No. Just no. I thought she was boring, but this was more boring than usual! 28. Atlanta Rhythm Section - I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight (36) - good song but the Stevie Nicks song is better 27. Carly Simon - You Belong To Me (10) - great song! One of her best 26. Walter Egan - Magnet and Steel (31) - great song! 25. Roberta Flack - If Ever I See You Again (27) - No. Just no. 24. Love and Kisses - Thank God It's Friday (25) - good song! 23. Steely Dan - FM (No Static At All) (28) - good song but they've had better 22. Toby Beau - My Angel Baby (29) - great song! 21. The Commodores - Three Times A Lady (22) - great song, one of their best! 20. Foreigner - Hot Blooded (30) - great song! One of their best 19. Joe Walsh - Life's Been Good (23) - great song, but I prefer him in the Eagles 18. Eruption - I Can't Stand The Rain (18) - good song! 17. Barry Manilow - Copacabana (22) - great song, one of his best 16. Eric Clapton - Wonderful Tonight (17) - great song, one of his best! 15. Jefferson Starship - Runaway (20) - great song! Definitely one of JessieLou's favourites 14. Pablo Cruise - Love Will Find A Way (21) - great song, one of their best! 13. Meat Loaf - Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad (11) - great song! One of his best though I actually prefer his 90's comeback 12. Michael Johnson - Bluer Than Blue (12) - good song! 11. Frankie Valli - Grease (16) - great song! The Grease soundtrack was one of the best ever 10. Donna Summer - Last Dance (13) - great song, one of her best! 9. Bonnie Tyler - It's A Heartache (6) - great song, one of her best! 8. Peter Brown - Dance With Me (8) - good song! 7. Heatwave - The Groove Line (9) - good song, even if it's "Boogie Nights" part 2. 6. Rolling Stones - Miss You (7) - great song! One of their best, shame it was their last #1 5. Bob Seger - Still The Same (5) - great song, one of his best! 4. The O'Jays - Use Ta Be My Girl (4) - good song! 3. ABBA - Take A Chance On Me (3) - great song, one of their best! 2. Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street (2) - great song, one of the best saxophone riffs ever 1. Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing (1) - great song, one of his best, possibly even his best! Chicago update: They were working on "Hot Streets". Prediction for next week: At this rate, probably 1976 again.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 15, 2017 12:05:59 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't been posting in this thread lately - I'll try not to be a stranger...
American Top 40: The 70s - July 15, 2017
This week's presentation - July 17, 1976
40: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (21) - She had two number one hits in 1976, amd the first one, "Theme From Mahogany" would easily be my favorite of them. This one just never did anything for me. 39: ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK - CHICAGO (debut) - This was the first single from their tenth album, but radio stations were ignoring this song in favor of "If You Leave Me Now", compelling Columbia to stop promoting this song and rush-release IYLMN instead. As a result, this song only got as high as #32. It was a good one, but I preferred the second single. 38: TODAY'S THE DAY - AMERICA (23) - This song peaked at #23 the week before and nearly falls out of the Top 40 this week. I'm surprised it peaked so low, as WLS played this one all the time back in the day. 37: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (debut) - Frampton Comes Alive was having an on-again, off-again relationship with the #1 spot on the album chart. This was the second single from the album, which would go on to become the top album of the entire year. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the two other singles from what would become the top album of the year. 36: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (40) - The brother of half of the duo that we'll be hearing later was en route to peaking at #2 with the first hit for him, along with his "sidekick". This was my favorite song from them. (Please, don’t even get me started on how Barry Manilow totally messed this song up about 20 years later with his dance remake...) 35: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (39) - While it's true that I'm no fan of R&B disco, I actually kind of liked this song. 34: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY (36) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart at this point. Little did anyone know that this song would eventually pick up steam and go all the way to #1. 33: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN (35) - I don't remember this song back in the day - the first version of this one that I heard was En Vogue's remake from the summer of 1992. That one would be more successful, hitting the Top Ten while this version would peak at #28 a few weeks later. This one wasn't bad, but sounds kind of dated - I preferred said remake. 32: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS (37) - This song would just miss hitting #1, which is a shame, since this was a great song! At least it did hit the Top Five and was Rawls' biggest hit ever. 31: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON (debut) - A nice, mellow chill-out type song, as was his next release, the instrumental "Breezin'". Too bad the latter didn't hit the Top 40. 30: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (19) - This was one of those songs that Casey mentioned it looked like it could hit #1 in the near future. Well, the song did manage to squeeze up to #2, but the #1 song was just too strong for it (it had to be a strong one to become the top song of the entire year!) 29: SOPHISTICATED LADY - NATALIE COLE (31) - I was taking a shower when this song was playing, so I don't remember how this one goes. I do vaguely recall that it wasn't anything exceptional, and that I preferred her material from the '80s and '90s. 28: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (30) - The tenth and last (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO. 27: I NEED TO BE IN LOVE - CARPENTERS (29) - They weren't quite as big as they were earlier in the decade, but their songs were still great, like this one, which peaked at #25 a week later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUMMER - WAR - I always thought this one was released a little too late - it should have been put out in May so it would hit the chart in time for summer. The song had debuted on the Hot 100 the week before and would hit the AT40 chart two weeks later. The song peaked at #7 on the weekend after the fall equinox. I wonder if the song would have done any better if released earlier. No matter; it did hit the Top Ten. 26: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (28) - Here's one I remember hearing from time to time back in the day. Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits 25: YOU SHOULD BE DANCIN' - BEE GEES (debut) - They were in the midst their second wave of popularity at this point, as this song, like "Jive Talkin'" the year before, would end up hitting #1. It was so/so, but I preferred other hits from them, especially from Saturday Night Fever. 24: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (26) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore. EXTRA: JUMPIN' JACK FLASH - ROLLING STONES - Actually, the song played as the second Optional Extra (tie-in story about the Rolling Stones becoming the loudest rock band in history) was "Brown Sugar". 23: DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART - ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE (debut) - Believe it or not, the Bee Gees' latest was not the highest debut. Oddly enough, neither was this one, which was the first of two duets from Elton and Kiki. This great song wasted absolutely no time hitting the #1 spot, where it would hold for the entire month of August (it was even bigger on R&R, spending seven weeks on top, which was a record at the time). This song was all over the radio back in the summer of 1976, but I never got tired of it. 22: LET HIM IN - PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS (debut) - Now THIS was the highest debut this week. Oddly enough, while the two other debuts in the 20s were #1 songs, this one would not be. It would peak at #3 in August, which still wasn't too shabby. Anyway, this was the first of three songs in this week's survey represented by Paul McCartney. Not sure whether I prefer this song or the one by the Beatles. Either way, I prefer many other songs featuring McCartney. 21: SARA SMILE - HALL & OATES (9) - The first of a whole slew of Top 40 hits from the duo. This one definitely had a lot of mileage, as it had been on the chart since early April. The song is not bad, but definitely not one of their best, IMO. 20: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN (11) - Darn, the song just barely missed hitting the Top Ten! This was Carmen's second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever! 19: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (22) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer. 18: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (20) - You know what, I can’t believe this song didn’t hit the Top Ten - it sure got a lot of airplay. Although that depends on the radio stations in your area. I listened to WLS a lot and that song peaked at #4 on their station’s playlist. I still hear this on oldies station every now and then, which is good, because this is one of my favorites from Queen. 17: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (24) - Gerardo sampled this song - or was it a remake? I never really paid much attention to that song, so it was kind of hard to tell. As for this song, it pretty much blends in with all the faceless disco music during this era. 16: GET CLOSER - SEALS & CROFTS (18) - This was the song I mentioned earlier by England Dan's brother, Jim Seals, who sort of sounded like he had a runny nose in this song 15: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (7) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but nothing exceptional. 14: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (17) - This song has sort of a theatrical sound to it, as if Jim Steinman had produced it. I liked this song, but there are a few other songs from Diamond that I prefer. 13: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN - THIN LIZZY (16) - Here's another one of my personal faves from back in 1976 (yes, I liked hard rock when I was as young as four years old, lol!) 12: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN - STEVE MILLER BAND (14) - The first of three Top Twenty hits from Miller's Fly Like An Eagle album. This one narrowly missed hitting the Top Ten. This song was OK, IMO, but I preferred the other two singles from said album. 11: LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (12) - He currently had a gig as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, but he showed his second talent on this week's chart with his debut hit. It was a good one and would hit the Top Ten the following week. 10: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (15) - This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! 9: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (6) - This was the aforementioned song that prevented Silver Convention from collecting their second number one hit. The song wasted no time hitting the top, but dropped out after only one week up there. The only thing is, it wasn't over for this song - after a two-week hiatus, the song would return to #1 for an additional four weeks and, as stated earlier, would become the top song of 1976. The song's OK, but I prefer many other songs from them, my favorite being "With A Little Luck", which would also hit #1. 8: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - BEATLES (10) - Here's one I remember quite well, since it was #1 on the station I listened to back in 1976 - WLS in Chicago, so I heard it all the time that summer. It was a great song! Casey mentioned that this was the first time that an artist was back-to-back on the charts singing in different bands. 7: SHOP AROUND - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (4) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by the Miracles. 6: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (8) - 1976 was a great year for Mr. Wright, as he had two hits, both of which would peak at #2. I prefer this one, as "Dream Weaver" is a little overplayed, yet you don't really hear this one very much anymore, outside of countdown shows. 5: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (13) - This was the biggest mover of the week, the first of Starbuck's two Top 40 hit, and clearly the biggest of them. I preferred this one over "Everybody Be Dancin'", which charted the following year. 4: MORE, MORE, MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONECTION (5) - Of their two Top 40 hits, I preferred this song. The Canadian alternative rock band Len apparently liked it as well, as they sampled it in their big 1999 hit "Steal My Sunshine". 3: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - BROTHERS JOHNSON (3) - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROOTS, ROCK, REGGAE - BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS Odd that this renowned reggae artist never hit the Top 40, but his kid, Ziggy and his grandkid, Skip did make it. What's even more baffling is that this was Bob's only Hot 100 appearance. The song was pretty good IMO. 2: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (2) - This song looked like it would hit #1 this week, with its huge jump into the runner-up spot the week before. As we all know, I find this song depressing, especially the spoken part at the beginning. There were a few weeks that they skipped over that part, but. unfortunately, this wasn't one of those weeks. No - give me their other Top Ten hit "Shining Star" any day. 1: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (1) - At least this is a more cheerful song - one about engaging in a quickie with your significant other during your lunch break. This is another song I remember quite well (needless to say, I had no idea what it was really about, though, being only four years old and all).
Predictions for next week - As of yet, this hasn't been posted, so I'll make a prediction for the first time in God only knows how long - I sure hope I remember how to do it. Anyway, it's been awhile since the last 1975 show, and I'm thinking that surely we'll hear one of the three yet-unaired songs by them sometime in the next few weeks. I'll make July 26, 1975 my first guess (unless they go with that one next week), with July 22, 1978 as my back-up, since it's been longest since we've heard that year as an "A" show, though I'm hoping they hold off on that year until August 19, since that show has yet to air, but I don't know - I'm thinking that we'll be hearing a show from 1978 before then. We'll have to see what happens.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jul 15, 2017 13:47:03 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't been posting in this thread lately - I'll try not to be a stranger... American Top 40: The 70s - July 15, 2017 This week's presentation - July 17, 1976 Falling off: The Four Seasons - Silver Star (38) - wtf did this sound like again? Todd Rundgren - Good Vibrations (34) - I'd say the catch phrase, but as I know this is a Beach Boys remake, and I recall it sounding a lot like the original... I didn't mind this but prefer said original Johnnie Taylor - Somebody's Gettin' It (33) - wtf did this sound like again? ABBA - Mamma Mia (32) - great song! While none of the droppers made the top 20, this song has endured like a top 5 hit (it also helps that pretty much their entire back catalogue due to the musical of the same title has stood the test of time!) The Brotherhood Of Man - Save Your Kisses For Me (27) - wtf did this sound like again? Cyndi Grecco - Making Our Dreams Come True (25) - not bad, typical 70's TV theme song 40: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (21) - She had two number one hits in 1976, amd the first one, "Theme From Mahogany" would easily be my favorite of them. This one just never did anything for me. I really like this one myself, I like how it suddenly changes tempo in the middle of the song, feels like a medley. Appropriately enough, both parts of the song were sampled in totally different hits by Monica and Will Smith over 20 years later. 39: ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK - CHICAGO (debut) - This was the first single from their tenth album, but radio stations were ignoring this song in favor of "If You Leave Me Now", compelling Columbia to stop promoting this song and rush-release IYLMN instead. As a result, this song only got as high as #32. It was a good one, but I preferred the second single. Great song, one of their most underrated! I do prefer "If You Leave Me Now" as well. 38: TODAY'S THE DAY - AMERICA (23) - This song peaked at #23 the week before and nearly falls out of the Top 40 this week. I'm surprised it peaked so low, as WLS played this one all the time back in the day. I really like this one, another underrated song from them. Unfortunately, this would be their last hit for 6 years until their big comeback with "You Can Do Magic". 37: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (debut) - Frampton Comes Alive was having an on-again, off-again relationship with the #1 spot on the album chart. This was the second single from the album, which would go on to become the top album of the entire year. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the two other singles from what would become the top album of the year. I really like this one but prefer Big Mountain's remake. I'm sure JessieLou will say that Will To Power should go to hell for ruining this and making it sound basic. 36: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (40) - The brother of half of the duo that we'll be hearing later was en route to peaking at #2 with the first hit for him, along with his "sidekick". This was my favorite song from them. (Please, don’t even get me started on how Barry Manilow totally messed this song up about 20 years later with his dance remake...) They didn't have that many hits (just 6), but were generally all top-notch. This was likely my favourite from them. 35: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (39) - While it's true that I'm no fan of R&B disco, I actually kind of liked this song. I like several of their songs, but this is likely my favourite though "It Only Takes A Minute" and "More Than A Woman" aren't far behind. 34: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY (36) - This song was taking baby steps up the chart at this point. Little did anyone know that this song would eventually pick up steam and go all the way to #1. Interesting disco remake of a classical composition - I think it worked quite well. 33: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN (35) - I don't remember this song back in the day - the first version of this one that I heard was En Vogue's remake from the summer of 1992. That one would be more successful, hitting the Top Ten while this version would peak at #28 a few weeks later. This one wasn't bad, but sounds kind of dated - I preferred said remake. This was nice, but I do agree En Vogue's remake was better. 32: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS (37) - This song would just miss hitting #1, which is a shame, since this was a great song! At least it did hit the Top Five and was Rawls' biggest hit ever. Yeah this was a great song - glad it was as big as it was! 31: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON (debut) - A nice, mellow chill-out type song, as was his next release, the instrumental "Breezin'". Too bad the latter didn't hit the Top 40. I tend to prefer his uptempos but this was a nice song too. Good jazzy tune here. 30: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (19) - This was one of those songs that Casey mentioned it looked like it could hit #1 in the near future. Well, the song did manage to squeeze up to #2, but the #1 song was just too strong for it (it had to be a strong one to become the top song of the entire year!) Great song, as repetitive as it is. 29: SOPHISTICATED LADY - NATALIE COLE (31) - I was taking a shower when this song was playing, so I don't remember how this one goes. I do vaguely recall that it wasn't anything exceptional, and that I preferred her material from the '80s and '90s. I like this one, but it's not one of my favourites from her. 28: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (30) - The tenth and last (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO. Yeah I really like this one too... a true disco classic! 27: I NEED TO BE IN LOVE - CARPENTERS (29) - They weren't quite as big as they were earlier in the decade, but their songs were still great, like this one, which peaked at #25 a week later. I like this but prefer their stuff from 1970-73. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SUMMER - WAR - I always thought this one was released a little too late - it should have been put out in May so it would hit the chart in time for summer. The song had debuted on the Hot 100 the week before and would hit the AT40 chart two weeks later. The song peaked at #7 on the weekend after the fall equinox. I wonder if the song would have done any better if released earlier. No matter; it did hit the Top Ten. Yeah, this was pretty good. I do prefer a few others from them though. 26: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (28) - Here's one I remember hearing from time to time back in the day. Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits Agreed, I like this but prefer their comeback era. 25: YOU SHOULD BE DANCIN' - BEE GEES (debut) - They were in the midst their second wave of popularity at this point, as this song, like "Jive Talkin'" the year before, would end up hitting #1. It was so/so, but I preferred other hits from them, especially from Saturday Night Fever. Great song! It was no surprise, given their superstar power, that this made a big debut and would go all the way to #1. Still sounds great today! 24: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (26) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore. No. Just no. EXTRA: JUMPIN' JACK FLASH - ROLLING STONES - Actually, the song played as the second Optional Extra (tie-in story about the Rolling Stones becoming the loudest rock band in history) was "Brown Sugar". I think the early 70's was a great period for them as songs like this show. Great song - one of their best! 23: DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART - ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE (debut) - Believe it or not, the Bee Gees' latest was not the highest debut. Oddly enough, neither was this one, which was the first of two duets from Elton and Kiki. This great song wasted absolutely no time hitting the #1 spot, where it would hold for the entire month of August (it was even bigger on R&R, spending seven weeks on top, which was a record at the time). This song was all over the radio back in the summer of 1976, but I never got tired of it. Yeah this is one song I can never get tired of. Great song, as cheesy as it is! However, the less said about the ODB and Macy Gray remake (yes, this exists!), the better... 22: LET HIM IN - PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS (debut) - Now THIS was the highest debut this week. Oddly enough, while the two other debuts in the 20s were #1 songs, this one would not be. It would peak at #3 in August, which still wasn't too shabby. Anyway, this was the first of three songs in this week's survey represented by Paul McCartney. Not sure whether I prefer this song or the one by the Beatles. Either way, I prefer many other songs featuring McCartney. I really like this one, as I do of most of McCartney's Wings stuff. 21: SARA SMILE - HALL & OATES (9) - The first of a whole slew of Top 40 hits from the duo. This one definitely had a lot of mileage, as it had been on the chart since early April. The song is not bad, but definitely not one of their best, IMO. I really like this one, but ultimately, I feel they really hit their stride in the 80's. 20: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN (11) - Darn, the song just barely missed hitting the Top Ten! This was Carmen's second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever! Yeah, this was really good, like most of his stuff. 19: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (22) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer. Same here. 18: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (20) - You know what, I can’t believe this song didn’t hit the Top Ten - it sure got a lot of airplay. Although that depends on the radio stations in your area. I listened to WLS a lot and that song peaked at #4 on their station’s playlist. I still hear this on oldies station every now and then, which is good, because this is one of my favorites from Queen. Great song! One of their best. 17: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (24) - Gerardo sampled this song - or was it a remake? I never really paid much attention to that song, so it was kind of hard to tell. As for this song, it pretty much blends in with all the faceless disco music during this era. I tend to like a lot of 70's funk music... this song is right up there for me. 16: GET CLOSER - SEALS & CROFTS (18) - This was the song I mentioned earlier by England Dan's brother, Jim Seals, who sort of sounded like he had a runny nose in this song I like pretty much all of their big hits - this is no exception, one of their best songs ever! 15: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (7) - This song was written in the mid-sixties, which definitely shows, as it sounds like a song from that era. The song's OK, but nothing exceptional. No. Just no. 14: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (17) - This song has sort of a theatrical sound to it, as if Jim Steinman had produced it. I liked this song, but there are a few other songs from Diamond that I prefer. No. Just no. 13: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN - THIN LIZZY (16) - Here's another one of my personal faves from back in 1976 (yes, I liked hard rock when I was as young as four years old, lol!) A song that has endured well on classic rock stations. Great song! 12: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN - STEVE MILLER BAND (14) - The first of three Top Twenty hits from Miller's Fly Like An Eagle album. This one narrowly missed hitting the Top Ten. This song was OK, IMO, but I preferred the other two singles from said album. I really like this one but I do prefer the other two singles too. Of course, all three still get a lot of classic rock play. 11: LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (12) - He currently had a gig as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, but he showed his second talent on this week's chart with his debut hit. It was a good one and would hit the Top Ten the following week. This wasn't bad but I prefer his Grease stuff. 10: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (15) - This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! I liked the medley that Casey played of all three well known versions of this song. Not sure which I prefer - I like them all about the same. 9: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (6) - This was the aforementioned song that prevented Silver Convention from collecting their second number one hit. The song wasted no time hitting the top, but dropped out after only one week up there. The only thing is, it wasn't over for this song - after a two-week hiatus, the song would return to #1 for an additional four weeks and, as stated earlier, would become the top song of 1976. The song's OK, but I prefer many other songs from them, my favorite being "With A Little Luck", which would also hit #1. Great song! A lot of cheesefests could go either way, but this is definitely one of the good ones. 8: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - BEATLES (10) - Here's one I remember quite well, since it was #1 on the station I listened to back in 1976 - WLS in Chicago, so I heard it all the time that summer. It was a great song! Casey mentioned that this was the first time that an artist was back-to-back on the charts singing in different bands. Another great song - glad that this was given a chance as a single, and IMO it doesn't sound out of place for 1976 (probably given how well Paul McCartney continued to do throughout the 70's as he had three songs on this week) 7: SHOP AROUND - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (4) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by the Miracles. Yeah I prefer the original too. Still, as far as Captain & Tennille songs go, this was easily the best release from that album - let's just forget about their next top 40 hit. 6: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (8) - 1976 was a great year for Mr. Wright, as he had two hits, both of which would peak at #2. I prefer this one, as "Dream Weaver" is a little overplayed, yet you don't really hear this one very much anymore, outside of countdown shows. I still hear both from time to time - both are great songs. 5: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (13) - This was the biggest mover of the week, the first of Starbuck's two Top 40 hit, and clearly the biggest of them. I preferred this one over "Everybody Be Dancin'", which charted the following year. This is the only song of theirs I can recall how it goes off the top of my head - it was a good one. 4: MORE, MORE, MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONECTION (5) - Of their two Top 40 hits, I preferred this song. The Canadian alternative rock band Len apparently liked it as well, as they sampled it in their big 1999 hit "Steal My Sunshine". Another great disco classic! Still love this one. 3: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - BROTHERS JOHNSON (3) - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990. I do prefer "Strawberry Letter 23" and "Stomp" but this was pretty good too. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROOTS, ROCK, REGGAE - BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS Odd that this renowned reggae artist never hit the Top 40, but his kid, Ziggy and his grandkid, Skip did make it. What's even more baffling is that this was Bob's only Hot 100 appearance. The song was pretty good IMO. wtf did this sound like again? (Kinda weird how I know A LOT of Bob Marley's signature tunes, yet a song I don't even know was his only Hot 100 appearance?) 2: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (2) - This song looked like it would hit #1 this week, with its huge jump into the runner-up spot the week before. As we all know, I find this song depressing, especially the spoken part at the beginning. There were a few weeks that they skipped over that part, but. unfortunately, this wasn't one of those weeks. No - give me their other Top Ten hit "Shining Star" any day. I actually really like this one - easily my favourite out of their top 10 hits. 1: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (1) - At least this is a more cheerful song - one about engaging in a quickie with your significant other during your lunch break. This is another song I remember quite well (needless to say, I had no idea what it was really about, though, being only four years old and all). Another 70's cheesefest that I unashamedly love. Great song! JessieLou - Carly moved up to #46 with "It Keeps You Runnin'". Heart debuted at #85 with "Magic Man". Grace was one week away from the Hot 100 with "With Your Love". Also of note: This was the week that one of the worst token bad songs ever featured on the Book Club, "Hey Shirley (This Is Squirrely)", debuted on the Hot 100, at #91, and 40 years away from becoming a running joke. Predictions for next week - As of yet, this hasn't been posted, so I'll make a prediction for the first time in God only knows how long - I sure hope I remember how to do it. Anyway, it's been awhile since the last 1975 show, and I'm thinking that surely we'll hear one of the three yet-unaired songs by them sometime in the next few weeks. I'll make July 26, 1975 my first guess (unless they go with that one next week), with July 22, 1978 as my back-up, since it's been longest since we've heard that year as an "A" show, though I'm hoping they hold off on that year until August 19, since that show has yet to air, but I don't know - I'm thinking that we'll be hearing a show from 1978 before then. We'll have to see what happens. 1975 would be good for next week.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jul 21, 2017 11:34:12 GMT -5
July 23, 1977Recycling my commentary from 3 years ago! Falling off: KC & the Sunshine Band - I'm Your Boogie Man (38) - great song! Shame to see it fall off C.J. & Co. - Devil's Gun (36) - wtf did this sound like again Kenny Rogers - Lucille (35) - I actually like this, one of my favourites from him Kenny Nolan - Love's Grown Deep (28) - wtf did this sound like again? Foreigner - Feels Like The First Time (27) - great song! One of their best The Eagles - Life In The Fast Lane (24) - great song! One of their best 40. Cat Stevens - (Remember The Days Of) The Old School Yard (debut) - good song but he's had better 39. Slave - Slide (debut) - it's alright 38. Ram Jam - Black Betty (debut) - great song! 37. Stephen Bishop - On And On (debut) - great song, one of his best 36. Elvis Presley - Way Down (40) - good song! Shame he'd be dead shortly after this 35. Sanford-Townsend Band - Smoke From A Distant Fire (39) - I like this, seems like there's a lot of smoke from a distant fire in the air here right now though. (2017 update: There still is, from the BC wildfires) 34. Leo Sayer - How Much Love (debut) - good song, though he's had better 33. Dean Friedman - Ariel (37) - good song, nice story song 32. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams (22) - great song! One of their best 31. Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop (debut) - great song! One of their best 30. Rod Stewart - The Killing Of Georgie (32) - I like this but he's had better 29. Electric Light Orchestra - Telephone Line (33) - good song, very Beatles-esque 28. Meri Wilson - Telephone Man (30) - No. Just no. She just can't sing! 27. Supertramp - Give A Little Bit (31) - great song, but the Goo Goo Dolls did it better 26. James Taylor - Handy Man (34) - I normally don't mind him, but this was rather boring 25. Waylon Jennings - Luchenbach, Texas (25) - No. Just no. 24. Crosby, Stills & Nash - Just A Song Before I Go (29) - good song but I prefer their early 70's stuff 23. Heart - Barracuda (26) - great song! One of my favourites on the chart, and one I'm sure JessieLou was glad to hear too 22. The Sylvers - High School Dance (17) - not bad but "Boogie Fever" was better 21. England Dan & John Ford Coley - It's Sad To Belong (23) - good song, but they had better 20. Marvin Gaye - Got To Give It Up (19) - great song! Of course, it's pretty much the same as "Blurred Lines". 19. Bill Conti - Gonna Fly Now (11) - good song, one of the most classic movie themes! 18. Helen Reddy - You're My World (20) - No. Just no. 17. The Commodores - Easy (21) - great song! One of their best 16. Bay City Rollers - You Made Me Believe In Magic (18) - good song, a definite guilty pleasure 15. Steve Miller Band - Jet Airliner (8) - good song, but very overplayed 14. ABBA - Knowing Me, Knowing You (16) - great song! One of their best 13. Alice Cooper - You And Me (15) - great song! I normally prefer his hard rockers, but this was a nice ballad 12. Pablo Cruise - Whatcha Gonna Do (14) - great song! My favourite from them 11. Rita Coolidge - (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher (13) - good song, but I prefer Jackie Wilson's version 10. The Emotions - Best Of My Love (12) - great song! I do slightly prefer Mariah Carey's song though 9. Peter McCann - Do You Wanna Make Love (10) - I like this 8. Jimmy Buffett - Margaritaville (9) - great song! 7. Alan O'Day - Undercover Angel (3) - great song! R.I.P. 6. Hot - Angel In Your Arms (6) - I like this 5. Barbra Streisand - My Heart Belongs To Me (7) - No. Just no. 4. Peter Frampton - I'm In You (5) - great song, but I prefer his earlier stuff 3. Shaun Cassidy - Da Do Ron Ron (1) - good song, another guilty pleasure 2. Andy Gibb - I Just Want To Be Your Everything (4) - great song! One of his best 1. Barry Manilow - Looks Like We Made It (2) - No. Just no. Chicago update: Still a couple months before "Baby, What A Big Surprise", which we will hopefully hear on a 1977 show later this year. Prediction for next week: I'll say 1975 with 1979 also possible.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 23, 2017 22:01:43 GMT -5
And here is my brand-new commentary for the above show!
American Top 40: The 70s - July 22, 2017
This week's presentation - July 23, 1977
Droppers: I'M YOUR BOOGIE MAN - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (38) - One of two Top Five hits from them in 1977. I preferred the other one, which just narrowly missed hitting #1 several months later. DEVIL'S GUN - CJ & CO (36) - This song may have only gotten two weeks in the Top 40, but, due to its yo-yo style chart run, it was on the Hot 100 for an amazing 29 weeks. I forget how it goes, but I seem to remember it wasn't anything special. LUCILLE - KENNY ROGERS (35) - 400 children and crap in the field? Oh wait, that's something else... Anyway, this was pretty good, but I prefer many others from him. LOVE'S GROWN DEEP - KENNY NOLAN (28) - A two-hit wonder, although I imagine that most people don't remember this one, as it has fallen into obscurity. Not sure if I prefer this or "I Like Dreamin'", though the latter tends to get stuck in my mind. FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME - FOREIGNER (27) - The first of many hits for this legendary band, and a great one at that - both the song and the band! LIFE IN THE FAST LANE - THE EAGLES (24) - This song just barely missed the Top Ten, ending the streak that they had going (though the streak would have been broken anyway in early 1979, as "Please Come Home For Christmas" wasn't on the chart long enough to hit the Top Ten, as it was a seasonal hit). As for this song, I liked it, but preferred their two other "Hotel California" hits.
40: (REMEMBER THE DAYS OF) THE OLD SCHOOL YARD – CAT STEVENS (debut) - Stevens had clearly already had his day in the sun back in the early half of the 1970s, so that would explain why this song didn't do as well as his earlier hits. That's too bad, as it was a great song, IMO. 39: SLIDE - SLAVE (debut) - The only Top 40 entry from this funk band from Dayton, Ohio. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. 38: BLACK BETTY – RAM JAM (debut) - Meh, not a fan of this one. Way too repetitive and besides, I don't really like southern rock. 37: ON AND ON – STEPHEN BISHOP (debut) - This was his second chart entry and clearly my favorite of his two 1977 hits, as well as one of my favorites from him of all time. 36: WAY DOWN – ELVIS PRESLEY (40) - This was pretty good, but I preferred his other 1977 hit, his rendition of the Frank Sinatra classic "My Way". 35: SMOKE FROM A DISTANT FIRE - THE SANFORD-TOWNSEND BAND (39) - I just vaguely remember hearing this song on the radio back in the day, but Sunny 101.5 used to play this song occasionally back in 1990 and it became one of my favorite songs. Still sounds great today. 34: HOW MUCH LOVE – LEO SAYER (debut) - The first two hits from Leo's Endless Flight album hit #1 and it looked like this one could do the same but, as a matter of fact, it didn't even hit the Top Ten. That's too bad, as it was my favorite song from the album. 33: ARIEL – DEAN FRIEDMAN (37) - This song appeared to be getting a second wind, as it had peaked at #26 several weeks before and had fallen out of the Top 40, but the previous week, it returned to the chart and was moving up this week. It would hit #32 two weeks later before disappearing for good. The song ranked at #69 on Billboard's Top 100 of 1977; kind of a surprise that it didn't make an appearance on the AT40 version of the chart. Anyway, this was a great song - too bad it didn't do any better than it did. 32: DREAMS – FLEETWOOD MAC (22) - Not a bad song, but its melody was a little repetitive - throughout the song, only two chords were used intermittently. 31: DON’T STOP – FLEETWOOD MAC (debut) - The third of four hit singles from their Rumors album. Possibly my least favorite from the album as well, since it is so overplayed. My favorite single from the album would be their next one,. "You Make Lovin' Fun". 30: THE KILLING OF GEORGIE – ROD STEWART (32) - This song was kind of depressing. I can see why it only got as high as #30. 29: TELEPHONE LINE – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (33) - They had four songs that charted in 1977, and this was my favorite of those songs. It turned out to be their biggest as well! 28: TELEPHONE MAN – MERI WILSON (30) - No. Just no. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STAR WARS (MAIN TITLE) - LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - The first of two versions of this song to chart. This song did quite well on the charts, but when Meco's disco version came along, this one was pretty much left for dead, which is too bad, as it was my favorite of the two. 27: GIVE A LITTLE BIT - SUPERTRAMP (31) - This song was heavily edited at the beginning and near the end, but the main part of the song was left intact, which is good, since it's one of my favorite Supertramp songs ever! 26: HANDY MAN – JAMES TAYLOR (34) - I actually associate this more with 1978, since that’s when my Mom played his JT album a lot (plus, she was really good at playing this song on her guitar). Definitely one of his best and I prefer this over the original by a fairly wide margin. 25: LUCKENBACH, TEXAS (BACK TO THE BASICS OF LOVE) – WAYLON JENNINGS & WILLIE NELSON (25) - This was Jennings' second of three Top 40 hits. I seem to recall that it was a good song, but not quite as good as his "Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard". 24: JUST A SONG BEFORE I GO – CROSBY, STILLS & NASH (29) - After being absent from the chart for nearly seven years, this was their comeback hit, and it turned out to be their biggest, peaking at #7 a month later. It was a great one - one of their all-time best hits, IMO. 23: BARRACUDA - HEART (26) - This is a song that I used to think was just OK, but I've recently gotten to like it a lot recently (sort of like "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen, which was on this week's 1985 show). 22: HIGH SCHOOL DANCE – THE SYLVERS (17) - Interesting high school dance story leading into this song, which was pretty good, but I preferred "Boogie Fever" from the year before. 21: IT’S SAD TO BELONG – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (23) - A song about a guy who is bored with his marriage and meets someone that he feels is his soul mate. The lyric that doesn't make sense to me is how, if he had a time machine, he'd go back to the day he was born. How about just going back as far as the day you met the girl who you'd end up marrying? Anyway, I actually liked this song and felt this should have gotten higher than #21. 20: GOT TO GIVE IT UP PART 1 – MARVIN GAYE (19) - I'm generally not a huge fan of Marvin Gaye, but for some reason, I like this one. Kind of a surprise, as this one has been compared to "Blurred Lines", which I hate with a passion. 19: GONNA FLY NOW (THEME FROM “ROCKY”) – BILL CONTI (11) - This song actually charted twice in 1977 - besides this one, there was the Maynard Ferguson version, which I actually preferred over this one, which was a good song as well. 18: YOU’RE MY WORLD – HELEN REDDY (20) - This song reminds me a little of Joni James' 1955 hit "How Important Can It Be". The song is quite cheesy, like most of Reddy's songs, but still pretty good. 17: EASY – THE COMMODORES (21) - This was when their musical quality began to improve, as their first few hits were mediocre. This remains one of my favorite Commodores songs of all time! 16: YOU MADE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (18) - Their third and final Top Ten hit (in fact, after this, they'd have one last Top 40 hit before fading into obscurity. Anyway, this is about the only song by them that I like. 15: JET AIRLINER – THE STEVE MILLER BAND (8) - Another act that had four hits during 1977, like ELO. This, however, was my second favorite of the four - my favorite was the one that was actually the last release from their previous album, the title track from Fly Like An Eagle. 14: KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU - ABBA (16) - Their second of two hits from 1977 ("The Name Of The Game" doesn't count, as it wasn't even heard on AT40 until 1978). Though I preferred "Dancing Queen", this one was a great song as well! OPTIONAL EXTRA: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER - They also had two hits in 1977. This was their second one - and there was a lot more where that came from! This would probably be my favorite of their 1977 hits/ (though "Feels Like The First Time" was also a great one, as I mentioned earlier). 13: YOU AND ME – ALICE COOPER (15) - He was more famous for his loud, hard-rocking songs, but he had a few slow ones as well, which I preferred. My favorite song from him is "Only Women", but this one would be a close second - it's a great song! 12: WHATCHA GONNA DO – PABLO CRUISE (14) - This was their very first hit, and it became their biggest ever, peaking at #6 and lasting a half a year on the Hot 100! Very deservedly so, as it was a great song - one of their best IMO. 11: (YOUR LOVE HAS LIFTED ME) HIGHER AND HIGHER – RITA COOLIDGE (13) - This was an interesting disco rendition of the Jackie Wilson classic. It is also my favorite version, and possibly my favorite of Rita Coolidge's six Top 40 hits (though I'm not sure I've ever heard her early 1980 hit "I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love"). 10: BEST OF MY LOVE – THE EMOTIONS (12) - Casey mentioned how this song had recently dropped out of #1 on the Soul chart, but returned this week. Little did anyone know that the song would do the same here on AT40. Anyway, I thought it was a great song! Mariah Carey apparently thought so as well, as the bass line for her song "Emotions" was very similar to this. 9: DO YOU WANNA MAKE LOVE – PETER MCCANN (10) - Of course, I have mentioned how this song sounds a lot like "Goodbye Girl" by David Gates (and that I prefer the latter). There is also a similarity between the piano intro to this song and that of the "Greatest American Hero Theme" by Joey Scarbury, which we heard on this week's 1981 show. 8: MARGARITAVILLE – JIMMY BUFFETT (9) - This song's not bad, but quite overplayed. I preferred other songs from him, such as "Cheeseburger In Paradise" and "Fins". They usually butchered this one, cutting out the instrumental bridge, as well as the ending (when he repeats the last two lines of the chorus) and this week was no exception. Did they ever play this song intact during its chart run? 7: UNDERCOVER ANGEL – ALAN O’DAY (3) - This was O'Day's only Top 40 entry, but a great song it was! One of my favorite of 1977's #1 songs! 6: ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT (6) - A case where someone in a similar situation as "It's Sad To Belong" actually caved into temptation. I'm not as crazy about this song as I used to be. 5: MY HEART BELONGS TO ME – BARBRA STREISAND (7) - Casey mentioned that this was the first time that she had consecutive Top Ten hits. Not true; "The Way We Were" was her last Top 40 before "Evergreen" and, of course, that song hit #1. Well anyway, of her two 1977 hits, I'm not sure which one I prefer, as both are great! 4: I’M IN YOU – PETER FRAMPTON (5) - This song hit #1 on the R&R chart this week, and looked like it could do the same on Billboard, but didn't quite make it. It still became his biggest hit ever, and deservedly so, since it's my favorite song of his. 3: DA DO RON RON – SHAUN CASSIDY (1) - Here's an interesting number configuration. This week's #3 song was a remake of a song by the Crystals, which hit #3 in 1963, when Cassidy was only three (and a half) years old. How about that? Anyway, of the two versions of this song, I definitely prefer this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BOOGIE NIGHTS - HEATWAVE - Meh, I was never a big fan of this one, or part 2 of this song, which would chart the following summer (I did like "Always And Forever", though). 2: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING – ANDY GIBB (4) - This was the song that kept Frampton from having his first Billboard #1. But that's all good, because this song was just as good, if not better. It was my favorite song from him (although "An Everlasting Love" was a close second). 1: LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT – BARRY MANILOW (2) - This was his third and final #1 hit. No matter; he'd have many more big hits. This was by far my favorite of his #1 songs.
Coming up next week: July 26, 1975 - the first of three consecutive 1975 shows not yet played in the series.
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Post by Hervard on Aug 1, 2017 8:50:47 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - July 29, 2017 This week's presentation - July 26, 1975 Droppers: GET DOWN, GET DOWN (GET ON THE FLOOR) - JOE SIMON (39) - This was his eighth and final Top 40 hit, but it turned out to be his biggest, having peaked at #8 the previous month. I thought it was OK, but nothing exceptional. IT'S ALL DOWN TO GOODNIGHT VIENNA - RINGO STARR (31) - I don't remember this song, but I know that I've heard it before, since it was on the July 12 show - the only other weekly show that I've heard with that song on it (I wasn't yet listening to the '70s version (on a regular basis) when the 7/19 song was featured. Anyway, I do recall that it was a pretty good song. HEY YOU - BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE (29) - This one was pretty much "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet Part 2". Like that song, it was a great one IMO. LOVE WON'T LET ME WAIT - MAJOR HARRIS (26) - This was your typical 70s R&B love ballad. I liked it - nice and mellow. WHEN WILL I BE LOVED - LINDA RONSTADT (23) - She just barely missed getting two #1 songs in a row, as this song was blocked out of #1. This was a great one - my favorite of her 1975 hits. 40: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS (debut) - This was the first chart run for this song - and both runs started off the same, with the song moving 40-36. That was all the further the song got this time around, but in its second run, in late 1977, it made it into the Top 20. I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like it, although I prefer a few other songs from her. 39: I'M NOT LISA - JESSIE COLTER (27) - CHEEEEESE-fest... 38: THIRD-RATE ROMANCE - AMAZING RHYTHM ACES (debut) - Another one-hit wonder on this week's chart, like Jessi Colter, but this song, on the other hand, was a good one. 37: BLUEBIRD - HELEN REDDY (debut) - This was the first time for this Leon Russell-penned song to be heard on the AT40: The 70s series (Russell himself would hit the chart with another song containing the word "blue"). As for this song, it was a little on the cheesy side, like many of her hits, but the melody itself was good. 36: SWEET EMOTION - AEROSMITH (36) - Hard to believe that this is all the further this song got on the chart, given all the recurrent airplay it receives today. Then again, it was their first hit, so they weren't really an established act at the time. 35: THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (debut) - Their second hit of the year and by far the best - as well as one of my favorites from them of all time! Anyone notice a resemblance between this and Lenny Kravitz' debut single "It's Not Over 'Til It's Over"? 34: COULD IT BE MAGIC - BARRY MANILOW (40) - His third of many big hits. Based on the melody of Chopin's Prelude In C Minor. This was by far my favorite of his three 1975 hits 33: FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE - BAD COMPANY (debut) - One of two Top Ten hits from them. It was a good one, IMO. 32: WASTED DAYS AND WASTED NIGHTS - FREDDY FENDER (38) - Meh, I didn't care much for this one - his voice was kind of annoying. 31: HOLDING ON TO YESTERDAY - AMBROSIA (37) - Their breakthrough hit. Not one of my favorites for them - I preferred their three Top 20 hits from the late-70s/early 80s. 30: JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (34) - This was his last hit for the next four years, but then, of course, he came back much bigger than ever then. This song was OK, but definitely not one of his best. 29: SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL - LYNYRD SKYNYRD (35) - This one sure didn't last long - it only climbed a spot higher, then fell out of the Top 40. It was a good song, but I preferred a few others by them. 28: DISCO QUEEN - HOT CHOCOLATE (28) - Not one of their most successful hits. It was pretty good, but I preferred their first hit "Emma". OPTIONAL EXTRA: FAME - DAVID BOWIE - We heard his "China Girl" on this week's 1983 show. That was the follow-up to "Let's Dance", his second #1. This song, of course, was his first chart topper. The song wasn't bad, but quite overplayed IMO 27: FALLING IN LOVE - HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS - Their second and biggest hit, reaching #1 just a few weeks later. I thought this was a good song. Canadian rapper Drake must have thought so too, for he sampled it in his first Top 40 hit "Best I Ever Had" from 2009. 26: MISTY - RAY STEVENS (14) - Known mainly for his novelty songs, he had a few (somewhat) serious songs as well, like this one. It was a good 'un. 25: AT SEVENTEEN - JANIS IAN (32) - I know several people who dislike this song, due to the "cheese factor", but I actually thought it was a great one - I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure! 24: FIGHT THE POWER - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (30) - I believe that this was one of the weeks where the word "bullsh--" was unedited (of course, it was censored on this remastered version of the show). Even though this one was the roof-raising R&B music that I generally hate, this one was actually not bad. 23: MAGIC - PILOT (6) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO (who themselves had a "magic" song the following year). 22: SLIPPERY WHEN WET - THE COMMODORES (25) - I generally wasn't a big fan of their upbeat hits - this one included. Casey made a slight error when outro-ing this song, saying it was "sliding from 25 to 22", implying that it was dropping when, in fact, the song was still climbing. 21: WILDFIRE - MICHAEL MURPHEY (21) - This song was pausing on its way down. Anyway, Murphey was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one - one of my favorites from him - in fact, it's my second favorite behind "What's Forever For" (and I seem to recall that "Carolina In The Pines" from later on in 1975 was a great one as well). 20: MORNING BEAUTIFUL - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (24) - Their last song made it all the way to #1. This song didn't fare quite as well, but it did peak at #14. I preferred this one over said #1 hit. 19: EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH ME I GET HIGH - CHARLIE RICH (22) - His final Top 40 hit. I rather liked this one. 18: I'M ON FIRE - THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND (18) - One hit wonders abounded here - this was the only song by this band, consisting of Dwight Twilley himself, and Phil Seymour - both of whom each had one Top 40 single on their own in the 80s. This song was pretty good 17: HOW SWEET IT IS (TO BE LOVED BY YOU) - JAMES TAYLOR (20) - I still hear this one from time to time on oldies stations - it is indeed a great one - very upbeat and positive sounding. I preferred this over the two previous charted versions, which Casey played drop-pieces of going in to this song. 16: RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL (19) - This song was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of the entire year, and worthily so, as it was one of Campbell's best. 15: ROCKFORD FILES - MIKE POST (17) - The theme from the TV show of the same name and the first of three instrumentals on this week's chart. My parents used to watch this show, so I've been familiar with the theme for years. It's a good one - one of many great TV show themes from the great Mike Post! 14: WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS - WAR (16) - The song with possibly the shortest verses ever! It would have been a better song and not as repetitive had they linked two or three verses together. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - TAVARES - Well, as they say, third time's a charm, as this was their third hit and their first (and only) Top Ten. It was actually pretty good, though I'm not generally a big fan of them. 13: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (8) - In a year that featured more one-week number one songs than any other year, this one somehow managed to spend a month on top, although I'm not sure why, as this was definitely not their best hit. Its saving grace is that it's not as bad as their hit from the fall of the following year, "Muskrat Fungus Love". 12: THE WAY WE WERE/TRY TO REMEMBER - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (12) - Interesting interpretation of the Barbra Streisand classic from the year before (with a spoken word part at the beginning), though I preferred the original. 11: DYNOMITE - BAZUKA (13) - This was OK - the "DYNOMITE!" shout became a catchphrase on the TV sitcom Good Times. 10: ROCKIN' CHAIR - GWEN McRAE (10) - Of course, we all know that she was the wife of George McCrae, whom had charted the year before with "Rock Your Baby". I preferred that song; this one was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. 9: MIDNIGHT BLUE - MELISSA MANCHESTER (11) - Her very first hit, and a great one it was! I liked most of her Top 40 hits, especially her ballads, like this one. 8: SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT - ELTON JOHN (15) - This was one of my all-time faves from him! Sort of a bittersweet listen anymore, as it was a special song between myself and a girl I used to date. No, not because she found someone else, but she died in a car wreck back in 1999. 7: JIVE TALKIN' - THE BEE GEES (9) - Their very first disco hit, and it wasted no time hitting #1. 6: SWEARIN' TO GOD - FRANKIE VALLI (7) - Valli was still doing double duty, performing solo as well as with the Four Seasons (as the latter would chart later on in the summer). This was a good song - one of his best solo hits. 5: LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID - WINGS (1) - This was when their songs started improving vastly. Their 1974 songs were mediocre at best (though Junior's Farm was pretty good). From 1975 on, I liked all of their Top Ten hits (well, except for "Silly Love Songs", but that was due to overplay - I did like that song when it was on the charts). This song was one of their best IMO. 4: PLEASE MR. PLEASE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (5) - Ah, a song about being unable to hear a song that reminded you of a lost love. It was a good one, though I preferred "Have You Never Been Mellow". 3: ONE OF THESE NIGHTS - THE EAGLES (4) - This is the song that spent the most weeks in the Top Ten during 1975 - ten weeks in all. Oddly enough, only one of those weeks were spent at #1. Anyway, of their two #1 during 1975, this was my favorite. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DAISY JANE - AMERICA - I've mentioned how much "Let's Wait Awhile" by Janet Jackson and "Heart Hotels" remind me of this song, and there is a third song but, for the life of me, I can't remember which one. Anyway, this is my second favorite of their three 1975 hits, behind "Sister Goldenhair". A fairly close second, I might add, because I really like the song. 2: I'M NOT IN LOVE - 10CC (3) - I felt sorry for this song, as it spent three weeks in the runner-up position, as two other songs leapfrogged over it into the #1 spot. Anyway, this was a great song, but I actually preferred Will To Power's dance remake of it from early 1991. 1: THE HUSTLE - VAN McCOY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY (2) - This was the first of the three hits responsible for locking 10cc out of the top spot. But I'm glad it made it to #1, as it was one of my favorite disco instrumentals. Coming up next week - As of yet, we have yet to know what's on deck for next week, but it has been longest since we've gotten an "A" show from 1977, and since August 6 of that year hasn't been run since 2009, it's an excellent candidate. There will likely be a "B" show to go along with it - most likely the August 7, 1971 show. My back-up prediction will be those two shows reversed (though it wouldn't really make sense, since that would make 1977 the "B" show, which it was two weeks ago).
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Aug 1, 2017 10:15:56 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - July 29, 2017 This week's presentation - July 26, 1975 Droppers: GET DOWN, GET DOWN (GET ON THE FLOOR) - JOE SIMON (39) - This was his eighth and final Top 40 hit, but it turned out to be his biggest, having peaked at #8 the previous month. I thought it was OK, but nothing exceptional. Agreed, I was never a big fan of his stuff. This was just ok. IT'S ALL DOWN TO GOODNIGHT VIENNA - RINGO STARR (31) - I don't remember this song, but I know that I've heard it before, since it was on the July 12 show - the only other weekly show that I've heard with that song on it (I wasn't yet listening to the '70s version (on a regular basis) when the 7/19 song was featured. Anyway, I do recall that it was a pretty good song. This was alright but I prefer the other singles from the same album. HEY YOU - BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE (29) - This one was pretty much "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet Part 2". Like that song, it was a great one IMO. Yeah, the homage to their past hits was intentional. Great song though! LOVE WON'T LET ME WAIT - MAJOR HARRIS (26) - This was your typical 70s R&B love ballad. I liked it - nice and mellow. Agreed, this was a nice song. WHEN WILL I BE LOVED - LINDA RONSTADT (23) - She just barely missed getting two #1 songs in a row, as this song was blocked out of #1. This was a great one - my favorite of her 1975 hits. Great song! I like most of her big hits, this included. 40: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS (debut) - This was the first chart run for this song - and both runs started off the same, with the song moving 40-36. That was all the further the song got this time around, but in its second run, in late 1977, it made it into the Top 20. I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like it, although I prefer a few other songs from her. It's no "Both Sides Now" but this was alright. 39: I'M NOT LISA - JESSIE COLTER (27) - CHEEEEESE-fest... Totally agreed - this has "No. Just no." written all over it. Easily one of my most hated songs of the 70's. 38: THIRD-RATE ROMANCE - AMAZING RHYTHM ACES (debut) - Another one-hit wonder on this week's chart, like Jessi Colter, but this song, on the other hand, was a good one. It's neither amazing nor third rate... it's somewhere between those options. 37: BLUEBIRD - HELEN REDDY (debut) - This was the first time for this Leon Russell-penned song to be heard on the AT40: The 70s series (Russell himself would hit the chart with another song containing the word "blue"). As for this song, it was a little on the cheesy side, like many of her hits, but the melody itself was good. No. Just no. 36: SWEET EMOTION - AEROSMITH (36) - Hard to believe that this is all the further this song got on the chart, given all the recurrent airplay it receives today. Then again, it was their first hit, so they weren't really an established act at the time. Yeah, given how much airplay this continues to get today, I'm shocked that this peaked so low! Great song, like most of their stuff. 35: THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (debut) - Their second hit of the year and by far the best - as well as one of my favorites from them of all time! Anyone notice a resemblance between this and Lenny Kravitz' debut single "It's Not Over 'Til It's Over"? Love this one! I pretty much enjoy all of Earth, Wind & Fire's big hits, this included. 34: COULD IT BE MAGIC - BARRY MANILOW (40) - His third of many big hits. Based on the melody of Chopin's Prelude In C Minor. This was by far my favorite of his three 1975 hits As much as I don't like most of his stuff, I actually enjoy all three of his big 1975 hits! Great song - easily one of his best! 33: FEEL LIKE MAKIN' LOVE - BAD COMPANY (debut) - One of two Top Ten hits from them. It was a good one, IMO. Yeah, I like pretty much all of Bad Company's hits, and this is one of my favourites! Still deserving of continued classic rock airplay. 32: WASTED DAYS AND WASTED NIGHTS - FREDDY FENDER (38) - Meh, I didn't care much for this one - his voice was kind of annoying. Agreed, he just couldn't sing! Because of that, I can't stand any of his stuff. 31: HOLDING ON TO YESTERDAY - AMBROSIA (37) - Their breakthrough hit. Not one of my favorites for them - I preferred their three Top 20 hits from the late-70s/early 80s. I like this, but I prefer said top 20 hits, all of which are excellent. 30: JUST A LITTLE BIT OF YOU - MICHAEL JACKSON (34) - This was his last hit for the next four years, but then, of course, he came back much bigger than ever then. This song was OK, but definitely not one of his best. Yeah, it's easy to forget he had solo hits prior to "Off The Wall", as I associate his career prior to that with his Jackson 5 hits. This was good but I prefer his 80's and 90's stuff. 29: SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL - LYNYRD SKYNYRD (35) - This one sure didn't last long - it only climbed a spot higher, then fell out of the Top 40. It was a good song, but I preferred a few others by them. Yeah this was alright, but I prefer their other top 40 hits. 28: DISCO QUEEN - HOT CHOCOLATE (28) - Not one of their most successful hits. It was pretty good, but I preferred their first hit "Emma". Yeah, this was alright but I prefer their top 10 hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: FAME - DAVID BOWIE - We heard his "China Girl" on this week's 1983 show. That was the follow-up to "Let's Dance", his second #1. This song, of course, was his first chart topper. The song wasn't bad, but quite overplayed IMO Great song - one of his best! I can see why this was a #1 hit, very radio-friendly unlike a lot of his 70's stuff, which, while it could get weird, was still very good. 27: FALLING IN LOVE - HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS - Their second and biggest hit, reaching #1 just a few weeks later. I thought this was a good song. Canadian rapper Drake must have thought so too, for he sampled it in his first Top 40 hit "Best I Ever Had" from 2009. Yeah, this was a great song. Not sure whether I prefer this or "Don't Pull Your Love". 26: MISTY - RAY STEVENS (14) - Known mainly for his novelty songs, he had a few (somewhat) serious songs as well, like this one. It was a good 'un. I never got into this, though it was different to hear something that wasn't an annoying novelty song from him. 25: AT SEVENTEEN - JANIS IAN (32) - I know several people who dislike this song, due to the "cheese factor", but I actually thought it was a great one - I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure! I know Casey liked this one due to the lyrics... very deep song lyrically. Great song! 24: FIGHT THE POWER - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (30) - I believe that this was one of the weeks where the word "bullsh--" was unedited (of course, it was censored on this remastered version of the show). Even though this one was the roof-raising R&B music that I generally hate, this one was actually not bad. I like a lot of their funk stuff, and this is definitely no exception. Great song! 23: MAGIC - PILOT (6) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO (who themselves had a "magic" song the following year). Great song! And I do like ELO's "Strange Magic" too. 22: SLIPPERY WHEN WET - THE COMMODORES (25) - I generally wasn't a big fan of their upbeat hits - this one included. Casey made a slight error when outro-ing this song, saying it was "sliding from 25 to 22", implying that it was dropping when, in fact, the song was still climbing. This was alright but I prefer their 1977 hits. 21: WILDFIRE - MICHAEL MURPHEY (21) - This song was pausing on its way down. Anyway, Murphey was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one - one of my favorites from him - in fact, it's my second favorite behind "What's Forever For" (and I seem to recall that "Carolina In The Pines" from later on in 1975 was a great one as well). Great song! Not a fan of a lot of country stuff from this era but this was very good. 20: MORNING BEAUTIFUL - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (24) - Their last song made it all the way to #1. This song didn't fare quite as well, but it did peak at #14. I preferred this one over said #1 hit. This was ok, but like most of their stuff, very cheesy. 19: EVERY TIME YOU TOUCH ME I GET HIGH - CHARLIE RICH (22) - His final Top 40 hit. I rather liked this one. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SICKO. DON'T TOUCH ME. Seriously, I found this song very disgusting and boring. I actually can't stand ANY Charlie Rich songs but this has to be the worst! 18: I'M ON FIRE - THE DWIGHT TWILLEY BAND (18) - One hit wonders abounded here - this was the only song by this band, consisting of Dwight Twilley himself, and Phil Seymour - both of whom each had one Top 40 single on their own in the 80s. This song was pretty good Yeah, this was a good one. 17: HOW SWEET IT IS (TO BE LOVED BY YOU) - JAMES TAYLOR (20) - I still hear this one from time to time on oldies stations - it is indeed a great one - very upbeat and positive sounding. I preferred this over the two previous charted versions, which Casey played drop-pieces of going in to this song. As classic as the Marvin Gaye version is, I actually prefer this one. Great song - rather odd that James Taylor, who is known as a singer-songwriter, hit with so many remakes! 16: RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL (19) - This song was on its way to becoming one of the biggest hits of the entire year, and worthily so, as it was one of Campbell's best. Agreed, still love this one. 15: ROCKFORD FILES - MIKE POST (17) - The theme from the TV show of the same name and the first of three instrumentals on this week's chart. My parents used to watch this show, so I've been familiar with the theme for years. It's a good one - one of many great TV show themes from the great Mike Post! This wasn't bad but there was better on the chart. 14: WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS - WAR (16) - The song with possibly the shortest verses ever! It would have been a better song and not as repetitive had they linked two or three verses together. I really like this one, one of my favourites from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - TAVARES - Well, as they say, third time's a charm, as this was their third hit and their first (and only) Top Ten. It was actually pretty good, though I'm not generally a big fan of them. Yeah, this was a great one, one of their best! 13: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (8) - In a year that featured more one-week number one songs than any other year, this one somehow managed to spend a month on top, although I'm not sure why, as this was definitely not their best hit. Its saving grace is that it's not as bad as their hit from the fall of the following year, "Muskrat Fungus Love". Great song - easily my favourite from them, as I am not normally a fan of theirs but I really like this one. 12: THE WAY WE WERE/TRY TO REMEMBER - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (12) - Interesting interpretation of the Barbra Streisand classic from the year before (with a spoken word part at the beginning), though I preferred the original. I never liked Streisand's version, but this was marginally better. 11: DYNOMITE - BAZUKA (13) - This was OK - the "DYNOMITE!" shout became a catchphrase on the TV sitcom Good Times. Yeah, this was alright. 10: ROCKIN' CHAIR - GWEN McRAE (10) - Of course, we all know that she was the wife of George McCrae, whom had charted the year before with "Rock Your Baby". I preferred that song; this one was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. I like this one but prefer her husband's hits. 9: MIDNIGHT BLUE - MELISSA MANCHESTER (11) - Her very first hit, and a great one it was! I liked most of her Top 40 hits, especially her ballads, like this one. Yeah, she had plenty of good songs, and this was one of her best! 8: SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT - ELTON JOHN (15) - This was one of my all-time faves from him! Sort of a bittersweet listen anymore, as it was a special song between myself and a girl I used to date. No, not because she found someone else, but she died in a car wreck back in 1999. Great song! Elton could do no wrong at this point in the 70's as judged by the album containing this song debuting at #1 when very few albums did that. 7: JIVE TALKIN' - THE BEE GEES (9) - Their very first disco hit, and it wasted no time hitting #1. Great song! Going disco was possibly their best career move, as it led to a streak of classics. 6: SWEARIN' TO GOD - FRANKIE VALLI (7) - Valli was still doing double duty, performing solo as well as with the Four Seasons (as the latter would chart later on in the summer). This was a good song - one of his best solo hits. Agreed, this was a great song! 5: LISTEN TO WHAT THE MAN SAID - WINGS (1) - This was when their songs started improving vastly. Their 1974 songs were mediocre at best (though Junior's Farm was pretty good). From 1975 on, I liked all of their Top Ten hits (well, except for "Silly Love Songs", but that was due to overplay - I did like that song when it was on the charts). This song was one of their best IMO. I like most of the Wings hits, and this was no exception. Great song! 4: PLEASE MR. PLEASE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (5) - Ah, a song about being unable to hear a song that reminded you of a lost love. It was a good one, though I preferred "Have You Never Been Mellow". This was ok but I never really got into it. I prefer most of her other big hits, especially from the later 70's-early 80's. 3: ONE OF THESE NIGHTS - THE EAGLES (4) - This is the song that spent the most weeks in the Top Ten during 1975 - ten weeks in all. Oddly enough, only one of those weeks were spent at #1. Anyway, of their two #1 during 1975, this was my favorite. Same here, though I do love "Best Of My Love" too. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DAISY JANE - AMERICA - I've mentioned how much "Let's Wait Awhile" by Janet Jackson and "Heart Hotels" remind me of this song, and there is a third song but, for the life of me, I can't remember which one. Anyway, this is my second favorite of their three 1975 hits, behind "Sister Goldenhair". A fairly close second, I might add, because I really like the song. Yeah, this was a great one - and I definitely see the Janet Jackson similarity. Between this and "Ventura Highway" sampled in "Someone To Call My Lover", she must've been a big America fan! 2: I'M NOT IN LOVE - 10CC (3) - I felt sorry for this song, as it spent three weeks in the runner-up position, as two other songs leapfrogged over it into the #1 spot. Anyway, this was a great song, but I actually preferred Will To Power's dance remake of it from early 1991. Great song - I like this version the best though the Pretenders also did a good remake around 1993 or so. 1: THE HUSTLE - VAN McCOY & THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY (2) - This was the first of the three hits responsible for locking 10cc out of the top spot. But I'm glad it made it to #1, as it was one of my favorite disco instrumentals. Agreed - great song! One of my favourite disco classics. Coming up next week - As of yet, we have yet to know what's on deck for next week, but it has been longest since we've gotten an "A" show from 1977, and since August 6 of that year hasn't been run since 2009, it's an excellent candidate. There will likely be a "B" show to go along with it - most likely the August 7, 1971 show. My back-up prediction will be those two shows reversed (though it wouldn't really make sense, since that would make 1977 the "B" show, which it was two weeks ago). Well, we do get 1971... but accompanied with 1974. I'll listen to, and recycle my commentary for, the 1974 show.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Aug 4, 2017 12:34:35 GMT -5
Recycling my commentary from 2 years ago: August 3, 1974Falling off: Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run (40) - great song! One of their best Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods - Billy, Don't Be A Hero (39) - great song, glad this got to #1 Jimmy Buffett - Come Monday (35) - wtf did this sound like again? Kool & the Gang - Hollywood Swinging (33) - good song but I prefer their 80's stuff Anne Murray - You Won't See Me (29) - this was alright, one of her best Olivia Newton-John - If You Love Me (Let Me Know) (27) - good song, but I prefer her later 70's-80's stuff 40. Curtis Mayfield - Kung Fu (debut) - it's ok, not a huge fan of his 39. Billy Preston - Nothing From Nothing (debut) - great song! A very deserving future #1 38. Dionne Warwicke & The Spinners - Then Came You (debut) - great song! Glad this would get to #1 and prove that the psychic who suggested to add the "e" to Dionne Warwicke paid off with a #1 hit here. 37. James Brown - My Thang (debut) - it's ok, sounds like pretty much all his other 70's hits. 36. Lamont Dozier - Fish Ain't Bitin' (26) - not bad, but I prefer the stuff he wrote for all those Motown artists. 35. Jim Croce - Workin' At The Car Wash Blues (37) - good song! One of my favourites from him 34. Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff (debut) - great song! Glad this would hit #1, though I'm surprised it was his only #1! 33. Gene Redding - This Heart (24) - it's ok 32. Fancy - Wild Thing (debut) - meh, the original was better 31. The Impressions - Finally Got Myself Together (17) - to quote another better song of theirs, "it's alright" 30. Billy "Crash" Craddock - Rub It In (38) - it's ok, kinda sounds like a commercial 29. Johnny Bristol - Hang On In There Baby (36) - it's ok 28. The Commodores - Machine Gun (22) - good song, very odd considering Lionel Richie did best on ballads that they started out doing funk, even in an instrumental style! 27. Mac Davis - One Hell Of A Woman (16) - meh 26. Donny & Marie Osmond - I'm Leaving It All Up To You (32) - also meh, I'm not a fan of their remake duets 25. Helen Reddy - You And Me Against The World (31) - No. Just no. This was just way too sappy, easily one of her worst! 24. Andy Kim - Rock Me Gently (30) - great song! 23. Paul Anka - (You're) Having My Baby (34) - No. Just no. 22. Grand Funk - Shinin' On (28) - I like this one! 21. Three Dog Night - Sure As I'm Sittin' Here (25) - good song but not their best 20. Gladys Knight & the Pips - On And On (12) - this was alright, I prefer a few others from them 19. Rufus - Tell Me Something Good (23) - great song! One of their best 18. Golden Earring - Radar Love (13) - great song! One of the best driving songs ever 17. Elvis Presley - If You Talk In Your Sleep (21) - it's ok, still I prefer his 50's and 60's hits 16. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Takin' Care Of Business (20) - great song! A classic that deservingly still gets airplay 15. Wet Willie - Keep On Smilin' (19) - I like this 14. Jim Stafford - Wildwood Weed (18) - No. Just no. He must've smoked weed when he wrote this. 13. Hues Corporation - Rock The Boat (8) - great song! The seeds of disco were already planted. 12. George McCrae - Rock Your Baby (4) - ...clearly as this shows as this was also a #1! Great song! 11. ABBA - Waterloo (15) - great song! One of their best 10. Blue Magic - Sideshow (11) - good song! 9. Chicago - Call On Me (10) - good song, and that was so nice of them to visit their fans who couldn't see their concert in the hospital! 8. Dave Loggins - Please Come To Boston (9) - nice song! 7. Righteous Brothers - Rock And Roll Heaven (3) - great song, but I prefer their 60's hits 6. The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe (7) - great song, one of their best! 5. Paper Lace - The Night Chicago Died (14) - great song! 4. Steely Dan - Rikki, Don't Lose That Number (5) - great song, possibly my favourite from them though it's a toss-up 3. Roberta Flack - Feel Like Makin' Love (6) - good song, easily one of her best 2. Elton John - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (2) great song, but I actually prefer it with George Michael 1. John Denver - Annie's Song (1) - it's ok, one of his more tolerable ones for me, but still doesn't feel like a #1 Chicago update: They were #9. Prediction for next week: I think it'll be 1976 because they love to overplay 1976.
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Post by Hervard on Aug 12, 2017 11:30:25 GMT -5
And 1976 it is!! American Top 40: The 70s - August 12, 2017 This week's presentation - August 14, 1976 Droppers: I'M GONNA LET MY HEART DO THE WALKIN' - THE SUPREMES (40) - This, the Supremes' final Top 40 hit, will never be heard on the series, as it spent a single week in the Top 40, and that week happened to be guest-hosted (by Sonny Melendrez). I myself have never heard this song (that I know of anyway), so maybe when I get a chance, I'll see if I can find the song on YouTube. C'MON MARIANNE - DONNY OSMOND (38) - I vaguely remember hearing this song on the July 31 show several years back and that I liked it. I'll have to check this one out too to refresh my memory. MORE MORE MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (34) - Of their two Top 40 hits, I preferred this song. The Canadian alternative rock band Len apparently liked it as well, as they sampled it in their big 1999 hit "Steal My Sunshine". ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK CITY - CHICAGO (32) - This was the first single from their tenth album, but radio stations were ignoring this song in favor of "If You Leave Me Now", compelling Columbia to stop promoting this song and rush-release IYLMN instead. As a result, this song only got as high as #32. It was a good one, but I preferred the second single. I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (28) - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990. SOPHISTICATED LADY - NATALIE COLE (25) - Her first Top 40 hit made the Top Ten, then she had a pair of mid-charters. This was the second of them - not a bad song, but I preferred her 80s and 90s songs. 40: STREET SINGING - LADY FLASH (debut) - The only hit for Barry Manilow's back-up singers. It was a good song but, of course, I preferred most of Barry's big hits. 39: SHE'S GONE - HALL & OATES (debut) - This was their second hit, and the best was definitely yet to come for this dynamic duo! This song was so/so, but definitely not their best. 38: STILL THE ONE - ORLEANS (debut) - They had three Top 20 hits, and I really liked all three of them about the same, but this one would be my favorite by a thin margin over the other two. 37: GETAWAY - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (debut) - Indeed, one of the biggest R&B acts of the 1970s! Though this wasn't quite as good as "That's The Way Of The World" and "September", it was still a good song nevertheless. 36: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (15) - Gerardo sampled this song - or was it a remake? I never really paid much attention to that song, so it was kind of hard to tell. As for this song, it pretty much blends in with all the faceless disco music during this era. 35: SHOWER THE PEOPLE - JAMES TAYLOR (39) - This is a song that has aged quite well - still sounds great 40 years later! 34: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD (debut) - Casey mentioned that this as Cliff's first Top 40 hit in over a decade. It's a good one, but I generally preferred his 80s hits. first hit in well over a decade. 33: WHAM BAM (SHANG-A-LANG) - SILVER (37) - Track 11 on Volume 2 of Barry Scott Presents: Lost 45s of the 70's & 80's, a CD I've listened to many a time, so I've heard this song many times as a result. It's a good one! 32: WITH YOUR LOVE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (debut) - A high point in the show for JessieLou, especially since it was the highest debut. This one sounded very much like their big hit "Miracles", from the year before. I liked it, but I preferred their two 1978 hits when Marty Balin was still lead singer. 31: LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (31) - He currently had a gig as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, but he showed his second talent on this week's chart with his debut hit. It was a good one - hit the Top Ten a few weeks back. 30: WHO'D SHE COO - OHIO PLAYERS (33) - Meh, I think we all know why I don't care much for this song... 29: A LITTLE BIT MORE - DR. HOOK (35) - I don't like this song either, which is weird, as it used to be one of my favorite Dr. Hook songs. I guess that certain songs just lose their luster *Getting up and going to the kitchen to make breakfast* 28: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN (29) - The first version of this one that I heard was En Vogue's remake from the summer of 1992. That one would be more successful, hitting the Top Ten while this version would peak at #28 a few weeks later. This one wasn't bad, but sounds kind of dated - I preferred said remake. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK'N ME - Here's one I remember from back in the day! Glad this one got to sneak in a week at the top before Rod Stewart began his marathon run up there. 27: LOWDOWN - BOZ SCAGGS (36) - And look here - Steve Miller's former bandmate (in the Marksmen Combo). He had a few low charters in the early-70s and a minor Top 40 hit earlier in 1976, but this is that song that really put him on the map. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his other hits that charted after this. 26: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (11) - This song has sort of a theatrical sound to it, as if Jim Steinman had produced it. This song was OK, but there are many other songs from Diamond that I prefer. 25: SUMMER - WAR (30) - I always thought this one was released a little too late - it should have been put out in May so it would hit the chart in time for summer. The song had debuted on the AT40 chart two weeks prior, when summer was just about half over. The song peaked at #7 on the weekend after the fall equinox. I wonder if the song would have done any better if released earlier. No matter; it did hit the Top Ten. 24: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (16) - You know what, I can’t believe this song didn’t hit the Top Ten - it sure got a lot of airplay. Although that depends on the radio stations in your area. I listened to WLS a lot and that song peaked at #4 on their station’s playlist. I still hear this on oldies station every now and then, which is good, because this is one of my favorites from Queen. 23: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (27) - While it's true that I'm no fan of R&B disco, I actually kind of liked this song. 22: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (23) - The tenth and last (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO. 21: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (21) - Here's one I remember hearing from time to time back in the day. Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits 20: SAY YOU LOVE ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (24) - Their self-titled album had been out for over a year and would finally hit #1 on the album chart a few weeks later, setting a record for the slowest climb to #1 on that chart. As for this song, I thought it was good, though I slightly preferred "Rhiannon". 19: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - BEATLES (7) - Here's one I remember quite well, since it was #1 on the station I listened to back in 1976 - WLS in Chicago, so I heard it all the time that summer. It was a great song! 18: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (3) - Wow, what a big drop! People sure got tired of this one fast, didn't they? Anyway this was the first of Starbuck's two Top 40 hit, and clearly the biggest of them. I preferred this one over "Everybody Be Dancin'", which charted the following year. 17: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (17) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore. 16: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (18) - Frampton Comes Alive was having an on-again, off-again relationship with the #1 spot on the album chart. This was the second single from the album, which would go on to become the top album of the entire year. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the two other singles from what would become the top album of the year. 15: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY (22) - Ever since Vanilla Ice went and messed up this song in early 1991, I never was able to look at this song in the same light ever again! 14: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY (20) - In the first few weeks this song was on the chart, it was taking baby steps, but it eventually began to pick up the pace, like this week, moving up six spots. The song, an interesting rendition of this well-known classical piece, would eventually go all the way to the top. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAGIC MAN - HEART - Another high point for JessieLou! This was their second Top 40 hit, and it made the Top Ten, unlike the first. Both songs still get regular airplay on classic rock and oldies stations (and I remember both from back in the day, since WLS played them constantly). 13: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (10) - Ah, a song about engaging in a quickie with your significant other during your lunch break. This is another song I remember quite well (needless to say, I had no idea what it was really about, though, being only four years old and all). 12: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON (14) - A nice, mellow chill-out type song, as was his next release, the instrumental "Breezin'". Too bad the latter didn't hit the Top 40. 11: GET CLOSER - SEALS AND CROFTS (13) - They appeared to be getting a second wind this week. They had hit the Top Ten several weeks prior, making a huge move to #6, held there another week, then fell back to #13. The week after this, it would re-enter the Top Ten, so I guess there were a few stations that were slow in adding this song (not sure what caused its odd chart movement a few weeks before, though). This song was OK, but Jim Seals sounded like he had a runny nose in this song. 10: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (12) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer. 9: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (8) - As we all know, I find this song depressing, especially the spoken part at the beginning. There were a few weeks that they skipped over that part, but. unfortunately, this wasn't one of those weeks. No - give me their other Top Ten hit "Shining Star" any day! 8: (SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY - K.C. AND THE SUNSHINE BAND (26) - WOW!!! Now that's a huge chart jump there! Casey indeed correctly predicted this song to hit #1. I sort of liked this, but it wasn't quite my favorite song from them. 7: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN AND JOHN FORD COLEY (19) - Wow, another big move (though somewhat dwarfed by the one right below it)! Looked like this song might hit #1, but was shut out of the top by "Play That Funky Music", which was a shame, since this was a great song - my favorite of their six Top 40 hits. The following week, as "Get Closer" moved back into the Top Ten, it made for a rare occurrence with two brothers in the Top Ten simultaneously. 6: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (2) - 1976 was a great year for Mr. Wright, as he had two hits, both of which would peak at #2, and I remember both of them quite well - I even remember the first time I heard this song, I asked, "Is this Gary Wright?" And indeed it was - pretty good guess for a four-year old. Anyway, this was my favorite of Gary's two 1976 hits by a fair margin, as "Dream Weaver" is somewhat overplayed, yet this one doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. 5: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (6) - This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! 4: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS (9) - Casey mentioned that this song might go all the way. Unfortunately, the song would just miss hitting #1, which is a shame, since this was a great song! At least it did hit the Top Five and was Rawls' biggest hit ever. 3: LET 'EM IN - WINGS (4) - Possibly the only song I've ever heard that opens with a Westminster chime doorbell. As for the song, it is my favorite of Wings' two Top Five hits from 1976. I still preferred a few others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - This is that song that caused the band to more or less steal their own thunder. I heard this song at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it would hit #1 on Halloween weekend). 2: YOU SHOULD BE DANCIN' - BEE GEES (5) - They were in the midst their second wave of popularity at this point, as this song, like "Jive Talkin'" the year before, would end up hitting #1. It was so/so, but I preferred other hits from them, especially from Saturday Night Fever. 1: DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART - ELTON JOHN AND KIKI DEE (1) - This great song, Elton & Kiki's first of two duets, wasted absolutely no time hitting the #1 spot, where it would hold for the entire month of August (it was even bigger on R&R, spending seven weeks on top, which was a record at the time). This song was all over the radio back in the summer of 1976, but I never got tired of it. Coming up next week: I'm thinking that it'll be a twofer, with two different shows from each end of the 1970s. I think that it was just found out that August 19, 1978, a brand-new show, is next week's "A" show (it has not yet been discussed in the 1970s thread, but that show has been removed from the "not yet played" list in anticipation of airing the weekend of August 19, 2017). The question is, what would be the "B" show? 1972 would be a logical guess if not for the fact that August 19 of that year also has yet to air. Perhaps one of the two adjacent shows might be chosen. 1971 might be out as well, since the two mid-August shows from that year are also yet-unaired (August 28 would be a little far-removed from next weekend, but stranger things have happened). I'm thinking that, if next weekend is indeed a twofer, 1970 might be the best bet for the "B" show, as all August shows from that year have already been played at least once. We'll find out for sure probably later this weekend.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Aug 12, 2017 16:28:49 GMT -5
And 1976 it is!! American Top 40: The 70s - August 12, 2017 This week's presentation - August 14, 1976 Droppers: I'M GONNA LET MY HEART DO THE WALKIN' - THE SUPREMES (40) - This, the Supremes' final Top 40 hit, will never be heard on the series, as it spent a single week in the Top 40, and that week happened to be guest-hosted (by Sonny Melendrez). I myself have never heard this song (that I know of anyway), so maybe when I get a chance, I'll see if I can find the song on YouTube. wtf did this sound like again? C'MON MARIANNE - DONNY OSMOND (38) - I vaguely remember hearing this song on the July 31 show several years back and that I liked it. I'll have to check this one out too to refresh my memory. wtf did this sound like again? MORE MORE MORE - ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (34) - Of their two Top 40 hits, I preferred this song. The Canadian alternative rock band Len apparently liked it as well, as they sampled it in their big 1999 hit "Steal My Sunshine". Yeah, this was a great one - a "true" disco classic! ANOTHER RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK CITY - CHICAGO (32) - This was the first single from their tenth album, but radio stations were ignoring this song in favor of "If You Leave Me Now", compelling Columbia to stop promoting this song and rush-release IYLMN instead. As a result, this song only got as high as #32. It was a good one, but I preferred the second single. I like this and feel it should've been a bigger hit, but I do prefer "If You Leave Me Now". I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (28) - The first Top 40 hit for this soul duo from Los Angeles. This is my favorite song by them, which isn't saying much, as I disliked their three other hits. I preferred the cover by Quincy Jones featuring Chaka Khan and Ray Charles, which hit the charts in early 1990. I prefer the cover but this was good too. SOPHISTICATED LADY - NATALIE COLE (25) - Her first Top 40 hit made the Top Ten, then she had a pair of mid-charters. This was the second of them - not a bad song, but I preferred her 80s and 90s songs. I like this, but prefer most of her other hits. 40: STREET SINGING - LADY FLASH (debut) - The only hit for Barry Manilow's back-up singers. It was a good song but, of course, I preferred most of Barry's big hits. This was ok, a nice throwback to the doo-wop era. 39: SHE'S GONE - HALL & OATES (debut) - This was their second hit, and the best was definitely yet to come for this dynamic duo! This song was so/so, but definitely not their best. I really like this one but prefer their 80's stuff generally. 38: STILL THE ONE - ORLEANS (debut) - They had three Top 20 hits, and I really liked all three of them about the same, but this one would be my favorite by a thin margin over the other two. Yeah this is my favourite from them too, but I like their other hits as well. 37: GETAWAY - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (debut) - Indeed, one of the biggest R&B acts of the 1970s! Though this wasn't quite as good as "That's The Way Of The World" and "September", it was still a good song nevertheless. I like this but yeah, they've had better. 36: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (15) - Gerardo sampled this song - or was it a remake? I never really paid much attention to that song, so it was kind of hard to tell. As for this song, it pretty much blends in with all the faceless disco music during this era. I like this one, there's a lot of funk from this era I enjoy, this included. 35: SHOWER THE PEOPLE - JAMES TAYLOR (39) - This is a song that has aged quite well - still sounds great 40 years later! It's not one of my absolute favourites from him but it's still pretty good. 34: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD (debut) - Casey mentioned that this as Cliff's first Top 40 hit in over a decade. It's a good one, but I generally preferred his 80s hits. first hit in well over a decade. Great song - quite possibly my favourite from him. 33: WHAM BAM (SHANG-A-LANG) - SILVER (37) - Track 11 on Volume 2 of Barry Scott Presents: Lost 45s of the 70's & 80's, a CD I've listened to many a time, so I've heard this song many times as a result. It's a good one! Yeah, this was pretty good - one of my favourite faceless 70's hits. 32: WITH YOUR LOVE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP (debut) - A high point in the show for JessieLou, especially since it was the highest debut. This one sounded very much like their big hit "Miracles", from the year before. I liked it, but I preferred their two 1978 hits when Marty Balin was still lead singer. Great song, but I prefer all of their other 70's top 40 hits. 31: LET HER IN - JOHN TRAVOLTA (31) - He currently had a gig as Vinnie Barbarino on Welcome Back, Kotter, but he showed his second talent on this week's chart with his debut hit. It was a good one - hit the Top Ten a few weeks back. I didn't really like this when I first started hearing it on AT40 when I started listening to the 70's shows, but now I enjoy it. 30: WHO'D SHE COO - OHIO PLAYERS (33) - Meh, I think we all know why I don't care much for this song... I prefer their #1's but this was still pretty decent. 29: A LITTLE BIT MORE - DR. HOOK (35) - I don't like this song either, which is weird, as it used to be one of my favorite Dr. Hook songs. I guess that certain songs just lose their luster *Getting up and going to the kitchen to make breakfast* I prefer their 1978-79 hits but this was still pretty good. 28: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN (29) - The first version of this one that I heard was En Vogue's remake from the summer of 1992. That one would be more successful, hitting the Top Ten while this version would peak at #28 a few weeks later. This one wasn't bad, but sounds kind of dated - I preferred said remake. I like this but prefer the remake. OPTIONAL EXTRA: ROCK'N ME - Here's one I remember from back in the day! Glad this one got to sneak in a week at the top before Rod Stewart began his marathon run up there. Great song! Despite the overplay, it's held up quite well. 27: LOWDOWN - BOZ SCAGGS (36) - And look here - Steve Miller's former bandmate (in the Marksmen Combo). He had a few low charters in the early-70s and a minor Top 40 hit earlier in 1976, but this is that song that really put him on the map. The song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his other hits that charted after this. I like this one, but prefer a few others from him, including his next top 40 hit. 26: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (11) - This song has sort of a theatrical sound to it, as if Jim Steinman had produced it. This song was OK, but there are many other songs from Diamond that I prefer. No. Just no. 25: SUMMER - WAR (30) - I always thought this one was released a little too late - it should have been put out in May so it would hit the chart in time for summer. The song had debuted on the AT40 chart two weeks prior, when summer was just about half over. The song peaked at #7 on the weekend after the fall equinox. I wonder if the song would have done any better if released earlier. No matter; it did hit the Top Ten. I like this one but prefer their 1975 hits. 24: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (16) - You know what, I can’t believe this song didn’t hit the Top Ten - it sure got a lot of airplay. Although that depends on the radio stations in your area. I listened to WLS a lot and that song peaked at #4 on their station’s playlist. I still hear this on oldies station every now and then, which is good, because this is one of my favorites from Queen. I really like this but there are several other songs from them I prefer. 23: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES (27) - While it's true that I'm no fan of R&B disco, I actually kind of liked this song. Yeah this was a good one. 22: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (23) - The tenth and last (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO. This is the only song I know from her, and I like it. 21: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (21) - Here's one I remember hearing from time to time back in the day. Good song, but I generally prefer their 80s and 90s hits Agreed. 20: SAY YOU LOVE ME - FLEETWOOD MAC (24) - Their self-titled album had been out for over a year and would finally hit #1 on the album chart a few weeks later, setting a record for the slowest climb to #1 on that chart. As for this song, I thought it was good, though I slightly preferred "Rhiannon". Agreed. 19: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - BEATLES (7) - Here's one I remember quite well, since it was #1 on the station I listened to back in 1976 - WLS in Chicago, so I heard it all the time that summer. It was a great song! Agreed, it was good to have one of their deep tracks released in 1976. 18: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (3) - Wow, what a big drop! People sure got tired of this one fast, didn't they? Anyway this was the first of Starbuck's two Top 40 hit, and clearly the biggest of them. I preferred this one over "Everybody Be Dancin'", which charted the following year. I only remember this one from them and I like it. 17: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (17) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore. No. Just no. 16: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON (18) - Frampton Comes Alive was having an on-again, off-again relationship with the #1 spot on the album chart. This was the second single from the album, which would go on to become the top album of the entire year. This song was pretty good, but I preferred the two other singles from what would become the top album of the year. I like this but prefer Big Mountain's remake. 15: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY (22) - Ever since Vanilla Ice went and messed up this song in early 1991, I never was able to look at this song in the same light ever again! LOL @ his version! This is still one of my favourite 70's songs. 14: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY (20) - In the first few weeks this song was on the chart, it was taking baby steps, but it eventually began to pick up the pace, like this week, moving up six spots. The song, an interesting rendition of this well-known classical piece, would eventually go all the way to the top. Yeah I like this one, weird to hear disco and classical mix. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MAGIC MAN - HEART - Another high point for JessieLou! This was their second Top 40 hit, and it made the Top Ten, unlike the first. Both songs still get regular airplay on classic rock and oldies stations (and I remember both from back in the day, since WLS played them constantly). Great song! I still enjoy hearing it whenever I get to. 13: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (10) - Ah, a song about engaging in a quickie with your significant other during your lunch break. This is another song I remember quite well (needless to say, I had no idea what it was really about, though, being only four years old and all). Yeah, this had some innuendo! Good song - a true guilty pleasure for me. 12: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON (14) - A nice, mellow chill-out type song, as was his next release, the instrumental "Breezin'". Too bad the latter didn't hit the Top 40. Not a big fan of a lot of jazz but this was pretty good. 11: GET CLOSER - SEALS AND CROFTS (13) - They appeared to be getting a second wind this week. They had hit the Top Ten several weeks prior, making a huge move to #6, held there another week, then fell back to #13. The week after this, it would re-enter the Top Ten, so I guess there were a few stations that were slow in adding this song (not sure what caused its odd chart movement a few weeks before, though). This song was OK, but Jim Seals sounded like he had a runny nose in this song. Great song - definitely one of my favourites from them! 10: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKI SUE ROBINSON (12) - There definitely is not much difference between this and Gloria Estefan's cover 18 years later. That said, I don't know which version I prefer. Both versions sound alike to me so therefore I like them both about the same. 9: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS (8) - As we all know, I find this song depressing, especially the spoken part at the beginning. There were a few weeks that they skipped over that part, but. unfortunately, this wasn't one of those weeks. No - give me their other Top Ten hit "Shining Star" any day! I really like this one - easily my favourite from them. 8: (SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE) SHAKE YOUR BOOTY - K.C. AND THE SUNSHINE BAND Great song! Glad this would become their third straight #1. 7: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN AND JOHN FORD COLEY (19) - Wow, what a big move! Looked like this song might hit #1, but was shut out of the top by "Play That Funky Music", which was a shame, since this was a great song - my favorite of their six Top 40 hits. The following week, as "Get Closer" moved back into the Top Ten, it made for a rare occurrence with two brothers in the Top Ten simultaneously. Yeah, I really like this one too. Easily one of their best! 6: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (2) - 1976 was a great year for Mr. Wright, as he had two hits, both of which would peak at #2, and I remember both of them quite well - I even remember the first time I heard this song, I asked, "Is this Gary Wright?" And indeed it was - pretty good guess for a four-year old. Anyway, this was my favorite of Gary's two 1976 hits by a fair margin, as "Dream Weaver" is somewhat overplayed, yet this one doesn't get much in the way of recurrent airplay. It's close for me - I like both versions of this. 5: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - BEACH BOYS (6) - This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! And ironically enough it was a cover of a 50's classic that brought them back! Good song but I prefer their 60's stuff plus "Kokomo". 4: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS (9) - Casey mentioned that this song might go all the way. Unfortunately, the song would just miss hitting #1, which is a shame, since this was a great song! At least it did hit the Top Five and was Rawls' biggest hit ever. Yeah this was a great song - easily my favourite from him. 3: LET 'EM IN - WINGS (4) - Possibly the only song I've ever heard that opens with a Westminster chime doorbell. As for the song, it is my favorite of Wings' two Top Five hits from 1976. I still preferred a few others from them. I like this but prefer many others from them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - This is that song that caused the band to more or less steal their own thunder. I heard this song at least once a day back in the fall of 1976! But I don't think I ever got tired of it. Has a very haunting melody to it (so I guess it was fitting that it would hit #1 on Halloween weekend). Great song - one of my favourites from them! 2: YOU SHOULD BE DANCIN' - BEE GEES (5) - They were in the midst their second wave of popularity at this point, as this song, like "Jive Talkin'" the year before, would end up hitting #1. It was so/so, but I preferred other hits from them, especially from Saturday Night Fever. I really like this one but prefer the "Saturday Night Fever" singles. 1: DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART - ELTON JOHN AND KIKI DEE (1) - This great song, Elton & Kiki's first of two duets, wasted absolutely no time hitting the #1 spot, where it would hold for the entire month of August (it was even bigger on R&R, spending seven weeks on top, which was a record at the time). This song was all over the radio back in the summer of 1976, but I never got tired of it. Great song! One of my favourites from him. Coming up next week: I'm thinking that it'll be a twofer, with two different shows from each end of the 1970s. I think that it was just found out that August 19, 1978, a brand-new show, is next week's "A" show (it has not yet been discussed in the 1970s thread, but that show has been removed from the "not yet played" list in anticipation of airing the weekend of August 19, 2017). The question is, what would be the "B" show? 1972 would be a logical guess if not for the fact that August 19 of that year also has yet to air. Perhaps one of the two adjacent shows might be chosen. 1971 might be out as well, since the two mid-August shows from that year are also yet-unaired (August 28 would be a little far-removed from next weekend, but stranger things have happened). I'm thinking that, if next weekend is indeed a twofer, 1970 might be the best bet for the "B" show, as all August shows from that year have already been played at least once. We'll find out for sure probably later this weekend. The 1978 show should be a good one!
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