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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Apr 4, 2018 1:50:15 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - March 31, 2018 This week's presentation - April 3, 1976 DROPPERS: INSEPARABLE - NATALIE COLE (32) - I'll have to check this one on YouTube, since I don't remember this one at all. This was alright but she had better. SLOW RIDE - FOGHAT (31) - As I've said many times before, this is a classic rock staple! I sort of remember this one from its chart run, though it wasn't really one of my favorites. Great song, one of their best! 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER - PAUL SIMON (29) - Simon's first #1 hit after parting ways with Art Garfunkel (who, sadly, never hit #1 on his own). I liked this song, but preferred his next hit, the title track from his album Still Crazy After All These Years. Great song, love the attitude in this one! THEME FROM S.W.A.T. - RHYTHM HERITAGE (28) - I'll bet JessieLou was glad that this song dropped out this week! 1976 was definitely the year for TV show themes on the chart, and this was indeed one of the biggest, topping the chart back in February. Kind of fitting that the song dropped out this week, seeing that the series finale of S.W.A.T. aired on this very day back in 1976! This was alright but especially for a #1, so faceless. CUPID - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (22) - One of three remakes of the Sam Cooke classic to hit the Top 40 - I don't believe I've ever heard the first one, which was by Johnny Nash. My favorite remake is by the Spinners, but this one isn't bad either. I prefer the Sam Cooke and Spinners versions (and Boyz II Men's too from one of their more recent cover albums) but this was alright too. 40: HIT THE ROAD JACK – THE STAMPEDERS (debut) - A cover of the song made famous by Ray Charles. Not one of my favorite songs, so I wasn't disappointed that this ran out of gas here at #40. This was a pretty interesting cover, I liked it. 39: SARA SMILE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - Their very first Top 40 hit, and it sure got a lot of mileage, spending seventeen weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #4. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. Great song! I like basically all of their hits, and this was one of the best! 38: WE CAN’T HIDE IT ANYMORE – LARRY SANTOS (debut) - Like the Stampeders song, this song didn't stay around for long, although it did get a little higher, peaking at #36 the following week. It was a good song that I've heard many times on my Barry Scott's Lost 45s CD. This was ok but faceless. EXTRA: I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE – MARVIN GAYE - This song was played as the second Optional Extra, which sat on the shelf for about a year while Gladys Knight & The Pips. But the original version of the song, as if aging like fine wine being shelved for so long, became one of Motown's biggest hit ever, spending seven weeks at #1 as of mid-December, 1968. It was a good song - a true R&B classic! Great song, and interesting backstory. One of the best Motown hits ever! 37: FOPP – OHIO PLAYERS (40) - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of this type of music, although this song actually wasn't too bad. I like this but prefer their #1 hits. 36: HE’S A FRIEND – EDDIE KENDRICKS (38) - Formerly a member of the Temptations, he did have a few solo hits. This was the last time he'd see chart action until his collaboration with fellow Temptations member David Ruffin and Hall & Oates nearly ten years later. This was alright but I prefer "Keep On Truckin'" and "Boogie Down". 35: LORELEI - STYX (39) - Here's a song I remember from its chart run! This song only got as high as #27, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that the station I listened to back then played this song regularly. I seem to recall that this song was sometimes edited, but they actually seem to have played the full song this time around. Great song! I'm also surprised it peaked so low as it's endured quite well in the classic rock world. 34: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (debut) - Ah, the song that would become the Dead Dog Dedication song nearly a decade later. Anyway, I liked this song a lot (and it's yet another one I remember from back in the day). Great song, especially for Casey's reaction to this being placed after that uptempo number. 33: YOU’LL LOSE A GOOD THING – FREDDY FENDER (35) - Well, I do admit this is better than his 1975 hits, but it's still not quite one of my personal faves on this week's chart (due to his grating voice). No. Just no. 32: LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (27) - The only Top 40 hit for this Scottish band formed in 1969. One of the best power ballads ever! Great song! Not sure whether this or "Hair Of The Dog" has endured the best, I still hear both a lot. 31: LIVIN’ FOR THE WEEKEND – O’JAYS (37) - A good TGIF type song. It wasn't bad, but definitely not as good as "Love Train" or "Use Ta Be My Girl". Agreed, I usually like the O'Jays and this is no exception. 30: LOVE FIRE - JIGSAW (33) - Generally considered a one-hit wonder, this English pop quartet did actually have a second hit. This song sounded a little like "Sky High" which I preferred over this one. Yeah this was alright but "Sky High" was better. 29: LOOKING FOR SPACE – JOHN DENVER (34) - I've been a huge John Denver fan pretty much all my life. Too bad we lost him at such a young age. This song was a great one - too bad it didn't get any higher than #29. No. Just no. 28: ONLY LOVE IS REAL – CAROLE KING (30) - Her fourth and final AC #1 hit only got as high as #28 on the Hot 100 as King was passé at that format at this point (she was done hitting the Top Ten). This was a good song - reminded me of "It's Too Late". Great song! I like most of her stuff and this is no exception. 27: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE – ELVIS BISHOP (debut) - Today, this song might be credited to "Elvin Bishop featuring Mickey Thomas", as the latter was the one who did the singing. This is another one of my personal faves from 1976 (and, yes, I remember it from its chart run). Great song! Ranks up there with Mickey Thomas's Starship stuff. 26: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (36) - This wasn't bad, but it definitely was not their best. My favorite Abba songs would be "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All" (but you already knew that, right?) Yeah, this was a good one but they had better, including those two. 25: GOOD HEARTED WOMAN – WAYLON & WILLIE (26) - A song that was originally done solo by Waylon, which peaked at #3 on the country charts in 1972. This live recording made the Pop chart, peaking here at #25 (and would fall off the survey the following week). It was a pretty good song, but nothing special. No. Just no. 24: JUNK FOOD JUNKIE – LARRY GROCE (20) - This song was recorded at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, which accounts for the laughing and cheering audience heard here and there throughout the song. Funny song, though I'm sure I'd get tired of it if I heard it all the time. Yeah, it was a fun novelty song. Interestingly he's best known for doing children's music these days! 23: FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE) – THE BEE GEES (12) - This song and their hit from later that year, "Love So Right" sounded a lot alike. I preferred the latter, but this was a good one ]as well. Great song, one of many I like from them. 22: LOVE MACHINE PART 1 – THE MIRACLES (21) - This song definitely got a lot of mileage on the chart. It was on for its 17th week and, with its slow descent (it held at #22 the next week and dropped to 26 the week after), it looked like it might make it an even 20, but there was a strong barrage of new hits on their way up and, this, in fact, was one of the lowest ranked songs on this week's countdown that would drop off the next week. As for my opinion of the song, it was pretty good, but I preferred their songs with Smokey Robinson. Great song! The disco sound suited them well. 21: ACTION – SWEET (23) - This song was pretty good, but sounded kind of like a 90s alternative rock song - sounded out of place on a 1976 show. Yeah, this was pretty good. 20: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT – THE EAGLES (16) - The newest hit from their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album. It was also my favorite from that album - a great song indeed! Great song! One of many I love from them. 19: ALL BY MYSELF – ERIC CARMEN (4) - Eric had been studying classical music at first, then he switched to rock, but he used both elements in this song, as the bridge used a piano concerto by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was a good song - my second favorite song from him behind "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again", which charted later on in the year. Great song! One of his best. 18: TANGERINE – THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (19) - The first of two Top 40 hits for this Philadelphia disco orchestra. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their second hit, "Nice And Naasty", which charted later on that year. This was alright, kinda faceless though. 17: THERE’S A KIND OF HUSH (ALL OVER THE WORLD) – THE CARPENTERS (24) - A great rendition of the Herman's Hermits classic that peaked at #4 in 1967. This version did pretty well too, getting as high as #12. Not sure which version I prefer - depends on my mood at the time. I prefer this one, mostly since Karen Carpenter had a great singing voice and used it well here. 16: BOOGIE FEVER – THE SYLVERS (25) - The first of three Top 40 hits from them. This was their biggest, hitting #1 six weeks later. This was also my favorite from them. Great song! My favourite from them too. 15: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (17) - Their first Top 40 hit, "Killer Queen" just barely missed the Top Ten, but this one sure didn't, which is a good thing, as this was a great song! Of course, I remember it from its second chart run in 1992, when it was re-released, thanks to its inclusion in "Wayne's World", but I also remember it for the first time around (For those of you wondering how I remember so many of these songs, despite being only four years of age back in 1976, we had our kitchen remodeled in the early spring of that year and I would often sit out in the backyard and watch the workmen, who always had the radio on and I'd hear many of these songs, and everytime I heard a song I liked, I made note of its title and artist when the DJ announced it. By the time the kitchen was finished in May, I had quite a list of favorite songs - this was one of them). Great song, and probably the song that has stood the test of time the best on here. 14: DEEP PURPLE – DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (14) - The third version of this song to hit the chart and, like the other two, it hit the Top 20. Possibly my favorite Donny & Marie song ever! Meh, never really got into any of the Osmond family remakes. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WELCOME BACK - JOHN SEBASTIAN - This song would debut in a major way the following week, coming in right at the halfway point of the countdown. This song was definitely on its way to the top, and deservedly so, as it was my favorite of the many TV show themes that charted during 1976 - a great song indeed! Agreed, great song, one of the best charted TV themes. 13: SHOW ME THE WAY – PETER FRAMPTON (18) - Here's another "kitchen song" (as was "Welcome Back")! The first of three singles from what would become the top album of the year, "Frampton Comes Alive". It was my favorite of the three. Great song, like most of his stuff. 12: SWEET LOVE – THE COMMODORES (15) - I wasn't a huge fan of their early songs. This one was mediocre at best, especially compared to many of their late-70s/early 80s songs. This was ok, but I do agree, they really got good around 1977 or so and Lionel stayed good mostly through the 80's. 11: ONLY SIXTEEN – DR. HOOK (13) - Another Sam Cooke cover, like the Tony Orlando song that drops out this week. I don't remember how the original goes, but this was pretty good. Nowhere near as good as "Better Love Next Time", of course. Yeah, their best stuff was their 1979 stuff generally, but I didn't mind this one either. EXTRA: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW – THE SHIRELLES - The station on which I caught this show did not play this one, so I don't know the story behind it. Regardless, this was a great song. Yeah for a pre-Beatles song this was pretty good. (Carole King writing it does help!) 10: GOLDEN YEARS – DAVID BOWIE (11) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable. Great song, like most of his stuff. 9: MONEY HONEY – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (10) - Not a fan of this song - I preferred "Saturday Night" over this one, and that ain't saying much! I like this one, one of my favourites. 8: DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) – THE FOUR SEASONS (1) - Wow, what a hard fall from #1. It did, however, spend awhile hovering around in the mid teens over the next month. This used to be one of my favorite songs, but I became burned out on the song, partially due to its re-release in 1994). Great song, one of their best! 7: DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (8) - This song tends to be heavily edited, but it sounds like they played the single version intact this week. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever. Agreed - I also liked Eminem's sampling of this. 6: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM – MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (9) - Casey mentioned that this song was probably headed for #1. Well, it did come close, peaking at #2 behind "Let Your Love Flow" and "Welcome Back". The first of Maxine's two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. This one was pretty good, but I preferred her other hit "Lead Me On" by far. I like both but prefer this one. 5: SWEET THING – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (6) - Pretty much your typical mid-70s R&B slow jam - I liked this and Mary J Blige's 1992 cover about the same. Agreed. 4: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW – THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (8) - Casey did correctly predict this song going to #1, where it would reach four weeks later. This was yet another "kitchen" song (since early April was the mid-point of the renovation, I think that most of those songs are on this week's countdown). Also a great song! 3: LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (3) - Well, this wasn't as overplayed as "Love Will Keep Us Together" or barf-inducing like "Muskrat Love" from later on in the year, but it was still nothing exceptional. Didn't hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time". Meh, never got into them aside from "Love Will Keep Us Together". 2: DREAM WEAVER – GARY WRIGHT (2) - Another one of my personal faves from back in the day. It has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though Great song, one of his best! 1: DISCO LADY – JOHNNY TAYLOR (5) - Oddly enough, with all the songs I remember from back in the day, this wasn't one of them. As I mentioned, the radio station that the contractors listened to (I forget which one), avoided R&B and disco songs. This one was both of them, so I don't remember hearing this one at all. Actually, during the renovation period, the aforementioned Bellamy Brothers song was the only "kitchen song" that hit #1, as the other three #1s (besides this) were R&B and/or disco hits. Great song, the only song from him I like. Up next week: They might be holding off on 1979 and/or 1973 until later in April, with new shows for both years. I doubt they'll play the April, 1977 show, but it's not out of the question (probably won't be next week, though). It's been awhile since we last had a 1972 or 1974 "A" show. However, I'd err towards the former, since the April 6 show was the Top 40 British Acts countdown, and 4/13 was played just last year. 4/8/72 was last played in 2014, so it would probably be doable. That'll be my primary prediction, with April 8, 1978 as by back-up (heck, it's entirely possible that both shows could be next week as an A/B package. EDIT: Two of the shows mentioned above are on tap for next week. The "A" show is from April 8, 1972 and, instead of a late-70s show as a "B" offering, they went with the April 13, 1974 show, run just last year. So I'll be taking a break from the 70s show next week. I'll recycle my 1974 commentary from last year then.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Apr 7, 2018 11:27:59 GMT -5
Recycling my commentary from last year: April 13, 1974Falling off: Aretha Franklin - Until You Come Back TO Me (38) - great song! My favourite 70's song from her Rick Derringer - Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo (37) - great song! Cliff DeYoung - My Sweet Lady (36) - wtf did this sound like again? Jim Stafford - Spiders And Snakes (35) - No big loss. Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love's Theme (32) - good song! 40. Albert Hammond - I'm A Train (debut) - meh, I prefer "It Never Rains In Southern California" 39. James Brown - The Payback (debut) - good song, but it sounds like all his other songs 38. Barbra Streisand - The Way We Were (34) - No. Just no. 37. Bloodstone - Outside Woman (40) - As if "Natural High" was boring enough, they just HAD to do another just as boring song... 36. The Stylistics - You Make Me Feel Brand New (debut) - great song! One of their best 35. Maria Muldaur - Midnight At The Oasis (debut) - this was alright 34. Lamont Dozier - Trying To Hold On To My Woman (21) - not bad, but I prefer the Motown songs he wrote for other artists 33. Charlie Rich - There Won't Be Anymore (23) - No. Just no. 32. The Spinners - Mighty Love (26) - good song, but they had better 31. Chicago - (I've Been) Searchin' So Long (39) - great song! I've really been enjoying this one lately 30. David Essex - Rock On (17) - great song! 29. Three Dog Night - The Show Must Go On (debut) - good song, but I prefer their earlier 70's hits 28. Eddie Kendricks - Boogie Down (15) - good song! 27. Billy Joel - Piano Man (33) - great song, one of his best! 26. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Let It Ride (30) - great song! Another classic rock staple 25. Kool & the Gang - Jungle Boogie (19) - great song! Love their funky-sounding stuff 24. Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye - My Mistake (Was To Love You) (29) - good song, classic Motown duet 23. The Staple Singers - Touch A Hand, Make A Friend (25) - it's ok but I prefer others from them 22. Sami Jo - Tell Me A Lie (24) - I'll tell you a lie - this song is awesome! Yeah this is actually "No. Just no." 21. Helen Reddy - Keep On Singing (28) - EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW GEEZER. DON'T KEEP ON SINGING. SHUT UP AND RETIRE FROM MUSIC FOREVER. 20. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (27) - not bad, very haunting 19. The Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (31) - great song, one of their best! 18. Mocedades - Eres Tu (14) - i like this, one of my favourite Spanish songs 17. Grand Funk Railroad - The Loco-Motion (22) - great song! I prefer Kylie's version but prefer both over the original 16. The Main Ingredient - Just Don't Want To Be Lonely (20) - great song! 15. Cher - Dark Lady (7) - great song, one of her best! 14. Paul McCartney & Wings - Jet (11) - great song, from one of his best Wings albums 13. Jim Croce - I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song (18) - meh, I usually like him but never got into this 12. Bobby Womack - Lookin' For A Love (16) - meh 11. Charlie Rich - A Very Special Love Song (13) - No. Just no. What have we done to get this stupid geezer on here not once, but TWICE? 10. Carly Simon & James Taylor - Mockingbird (9) - great song! Easily one of my favourites on here 9. Ringo Starr - Oh My My (12) - great song, one of his best 8. Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun (4) - great song, as depressing as it is 7. Gladys Knight & the Pips - Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me (10) - I like this but prefer their 1973 hits 6. John Denver - Sunshine On My Shoulders (3) - You're boring! 5. Redbone - Come And Get Your Love (6) - great song! 70's gold at its finest 4. Sister Janet Mead - The Lord's Prayer (5) - LOL, 70's cultist music This was alright but kinda odd to hear the Lord's Prayer as a POP SONG! 3. MFSB - TSOP (8) - great song, one of my favourite 70's TV themes 2. Blue Swede - Hooked On A Feeling (1) - great song! Love the chants though a lot of people find it annoying 1. Elton John - Bennie & the Jets (2) - great song! Even if it's a fake live song, still one of his best! Next week: We're not sure what we will get but I'm hoping for 1979 which would be likely paired with 1971.
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Post by cstolliver on Apr 15, 2018 11:03:14 GMT -5
From this weekend's AT40 the '70s, the week of 4-21-73. (I like hearing these pre-1975 shows from time to time, as I wasn't listening then.) 40: A LETTER TO MYSELF - THE CHI-LITES: Sounded *a lot* like their previous hit, "Have You Seen Her," except not quite as good. I can see why it peaked at No. 33. 39: HOCUS POCUS - FOCUS: One of three instrumentals in the countdown (and "Dueling Banjos" had just dropped out). This and "Frankenstein" were in the Top 10 at the same time ... I can't imagine a station playing them back to back. 38: THE RIGHT THING TO DO - CARLY SIMON: One of her more underrated hits, I think, but a lovely one. 37: STEP BY STEP - JOE SIMON: The "Simon siblings" back to back ... I just heard "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis on a 1987 AT40 last night on iHeart, and I remember thinking how I thought its title was "Step by Step" the first time I heard it. At any rate, this song was OK, but I prefer his "Power of Love," "Drowning in the Sea" and "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)." 36: CHERRY CHERRY (FROM "HOT AUGUST NIGHT") - NEIL DIAMOND: Didn't much care for this live version, although I like the original. I thought Casey's intro about hitting the Top 40 twice seemed fishy since the other examples he used were the same recordings, and neither of the Diamond cases were. But, hey, it's their show, their stats... 35: DANIEL - ELTON JOHN: A debut, and one of Elton's classics. I've heard the Sam Smith remake on the new tribute and at least it's better than the Wilson Phillips version from the early '90s, but the original was the best by far. 34: OH LA DE DA - THE STAPLE SINGERS: OK, a fun little workout, but not a classic. 33: PINBALL WIZARD/SEE ME, FEEL ME - THE NEW SEEKERS: Eh, a pretty generic medley. Was the New Seekers' medley a part of that album Casey was talking about that had Rod Stewart and Ringo Starr on it? 32: DEAD SKUNK - LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III: It's an amusing trainwreck to hear this on AT40, but otherwise, ick. 31: HALLELUJAH DAY - THE JACKSON FIVE: Never thought I'd say this about a Jackson Five song, but this was a snoozer. 30: PILLOW TALK - SYLVIA: Some people hate this song. I love it. I can see how it's polarizing, though. Its frankness laid the groundwork for Donna Summer three years later. 29: ONE MAN BAND (PLAYS ALL ALONE) - RONNIE DYSON: So *that's* where Elton John's "Mama Can't Buy You Love" came from! I know they're both Thom Bell productions. If you strip away the vocals from this, it would sound like a track for the Elton John "Thom Bell Sessions" EP. 28: LOVE TRAIN - THE O'JAYS: Love, love, this song. No matter how much I hear it on oldies stations, I could never tire of it. 27: OUT OF THE QUESTION - GILBERT O' SULLIVAN: A little syrupy but nice to know he could be more upbeat. Of course, my favorite of his was his next Top 40 hit, where he got as close to funky as he'd ever get. 26: FUNKY WORM - THE OHIO PLAYERS: See No. 32. 25: FRANKENSTEIN - THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP: I always enjoy hearing this, no matter how much of a nonsequitur its name sounds like to me. 24: DAISY A DAY - JUD STRUNK: I'm sure this is a "No, just no" for some, but I find it a sad, lovely tribute to the older generation. 23: ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) - DEODATO: I don't know why Casey insisted on using the German original title and not just saying "2001," since that's how people recognized it. 22: REELING IN THE YEARS - STEELY DAN: This must have been a record for the number of station ID's Casey used at one plug, but the nice lead-in bed made that possible. Good song. 21: SPACE ODDITY - DAVID BOWIE: One of the reasons I like the 1973 AT40s: For every trainwreck like "Funky Worm" or "Dead Skunk," you hear a David Bowie or Lou Reed hit and think how could these all be popular at the same time? 20: WILDFLOWER - SKYLARK: A pretty song with a group that included later-to-be-mega-producer David Foster. Surprising, then, that they were a one-hit wonder. 19: WALK ON THE WILD SIDE - LOU REED: Incredible that this song was a Top 20 hit in '73 when its lyrics still seem shocking today. 18: CALL ME (COME BACK HOME) - AL GREEN: Hmm... I like him, but this one just sounded like generic "Al Green" to me. That is, better than other artists, but not as good as his best. 17: PEACEFUL - HELEN REDDY: A pretty little song but not one that I immediately think of when I think of her (like "Angie Baby," "Delta Dawn" or "I Am Woman"). The lead-in story was sadly a typical tale of its time. 16: BREAK UP TO MAKE UP - THE STYLISTICS: Love this song, even if I prefer a few of their other songs. 15: DRIFT AWAY - DOBIE GRAY: So funny that Casey referenced him as the man behind "The In-Crowd," when today I think anyone who recognized his name would recognize him as the "Drift Away" guy (even without the Uncle Kracker remake). 14: KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG - ROBERTA FLACK: I do like this song, but it's been so played to death that I can't get too excited about it (and I didn't mind the shortening of it). 13: STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU - STEALERS WHEEL: Great song! Glad Gerry Rafferty was able to come back for his brief 1978-79 second act after this group broke up. 12: STIR IT UP - JOHNNY NASH: It's hard to say whether I prefer this or "I Can See Clearly Now" as I loved both of them then and do now. I will say that when I was 10 (when this was a hit), I was clueless about any of the double entendres in it. I did like how Casey pronounced "Stir" like "Steer," like Johnny was doing throughout the song. 11: YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE - STEVIE WONDER: See No. 14. 10: THE TWELFTH OF NEVER - DONNY OSMOND: If I have to hear a solo Donny remake, I'd rather hear this than, say, "Go Away Little Girl" or any of his other covers. Maybe it's because I remember hearing this on one of those K-tel or Ronco collections of hits from this time (the No. 2 song was on it, too), and this reminds me of that time. 9: DANNY'S SONG - ANNE MURRAY: It's really hard to say whether I like this version or the Loggins and Messina original more. I do remember hearing this one first, though, so I guess it sticks with me a little more. 8: MASTERPIECE - THE TEMPTATIONS: This is fine, although I prefer "Just My Imagination" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." I did find it interesting that Casey referred to it as "The Masterpiece" when it wasn't listed as that on the chart. 7: LITTLE WILLY - THE SWEET: I know the group later badmouthed its bubble-gum phase, but I prefer this to, say, "Action" (which we heard recently on AT40 the '70s in 1976). 6: NEITHER ONE OF US (WANTS TO BE THE FIRST TO SAY GOODBYE) - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: This is such a lovely, sad song, and just the start of the huge influence this group would have over the next 18 months on AT40. And then ... pfft ... for quite awhile. By the way, a horrible edit ... was it original, or (I'm guessing) Premiere's handiwork? 5: AIN'T NO WOMAN (LIKE THE ONE I'VE GOT) - THE FOUR TOPS: It would be hard for me to pick my favorite back-to-back songs from this countdown, but if pressed, I'd have to say No. 6 and this. Soul/pop crossovers didn't get any finer. 4: THE CISCO KID - WAR: Good to get a little grittier after the slickness of the previous two hits. One of my favorite War tracks. Good reminder from Casey on how this band first charted with the since-missing Eric Burden. 3: SING - THE CARPENTERS: I know, it's juvenile, but how can anyone kick a "Sesame Street" song featuring one of the loveliest voices on vinyl? 2: THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA - VICKI LAWRENCE: This song scared the heck out of me as a 10-year-old. Spooky and moody, and I loved it. Today, it's hard not to think of it without envisioning "Mama" (which, of course, destroys all the moodiness). But if she had to be a one-hit wonder, this was a good hit to have. 1: TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE -DAWN: As a song, not among my five favorites of this trio. But as an artifact from a 1973 time capsule, there would be few songs that would be more fitting. And I do have to admit the last line of that last verse gets me every time.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Apr 15, 2018 13:13:58 GMT -5
From this weekend's AT40 the '70s, the week of 4-21-73. (I like hearing these pre-1975 shows from time to time, as I wasn't listening then.) Yeah, there are some good songs on there. Of course, I wasn't even born yet so I'm discovering a lot of these songs as I hear the shows for the first time though I do know a fair bit now. And falling out of the top 40 this week were: Melanie - Bitter Bad (36) - wtf did this sound like again? Judy Collins - Cook With Honey (35) - wtf did this sound like again? Eric Weissburg & Steve Mandell - Dueling Banjos (31) - GOOD RIDDANCE! One of the most horrible "songs" ever, this was just an annoying mess of banjo noise with no rhythm. So glad they played this week instead of April 14 so we didn't have to hear this crap! Seals & Crofts - Hummingbird (28) - this was pretty good, but I do like many others from them more. Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - The Cover Of Rolling Stone (25) - a nice tongue-in-cheek song that helped define their career for years to come. I like this one, as well as their 1978-79 hits a lot. Edward Bear - Last Song (23) - A good CanCon song that still gets played from time to time, I like this. 40: A LETTER TO MYSELF - THE CHI-LITES: Sounded *a lot* like their previous hit, "Have You Seen Her," except not quite as good. I can see why it peaked at No. 33. Yeah, this was alright but I prefer their 1972 hits. 39: HOCUS POCUS - FOCUS: One of three instrumentals in the countdown (and "Dueling Banjos" had just dropped out). This and "Frankenstein" were in the Top 10 at the same time ... I can't imagine a station playing them back to back. I tend to like a lot of the rock instrumentals around this time, I like this one. 38: THE RIGHT THING TO DO - CARLY SIMON: One of her more underrated hits, I think, but a lovely one. Yeah, Carly Simon just had so many great hits! This was no exception, I'd say "No Secrets" might be my favourite album of hers thanks to songs like this. 37: STEP BY STEP - JOE SIMON: The "Simon siblings" back to back ... I just heard "Jacob's Ladder" by Huey Lewis on a 1987 AT40 last night on iHeart, and I remember thinking how I thought its title was "Step by Step" the first time I heard it. At any rate, this song was OK, but I prefer his "Power of Love," "Drowning in the Sea" and "Get Down, Get Down (Get on the Floor)." Agreed, those were all better. 36: CHERRY CHERRY (FROM "HOT AUGUST NIGHT") - NEIL DIAMOND: Didn't much care for this live version, although I like the original. I thought Casey's intro about hitting the Top 40 twice seemed fishy since the other examples he used were the same recordings, and neither of the Diamond cases were. But, hey, it's their show, their stats... This was a good live version, I like both versions of this. 35: DANIEL - ELTON JOHN: A debut, and one of Elton's classics. I've heard the Sam Smith remake on the new tribute and at least it's better than the Wilson Phillips version from the early '90s, but the original was the best by far. I can't imagine any version of this topping the original - a classic from Elton's most creative period. Still love this one. 34: OH LA DE DA - THE STAPLE SINGERS: OK, a fun little workout, but not a classic. Yeah this was ok but they had better. 33: PINBALL WIZARD/SEE ME, FEEL ME - THE NEW SEEKERS: Eh, a pretty generic medley. Was the New Seekers' medley a part of that album Casey was talking about that had Rod Stewart and Ringo Starr on it? This was ok, but were they trying to be Will To Power 15 years too early? I prefer the originals as well as Elton's version of "Pinball Wizard". 32: DEAD SKUNK - LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III: It's an amusing trainwreck to hear this on AT40, but otherwise, ick. No. Just no. I'm very hit or miss when it comes to novelty songs but this was just awful! 31: HALLELUJAH DAY - THE JACKSON FIVE: Never thought I'd say this about a Jackson Five song, but this was a snoozer. I didn't mind this one but I prefer many others from them. 30: PILLOW TALK - SYLVIA: Some people hate this song. I love it. I can see how it's polarizing, though. Its frankness laid the groundwork for Donna Summer three years later. This was ok but VERY naughty, especially for 1973! I do agree that "Love To Love You Baby" must've been inspired by this. 29: ONE MAN BAND (PLAYS ALL ALONE) - RONNIE DYSON: So *that's* where Elton John's "Mama Can't Buy You Love" came from! I know they're both Thom Bell productions. If you strip away the vocals from this, it would sound like a track for the Elton John "Thom Bell Sessions" EP. That's probably why I liked this - typical Philly soul sound. 28: LOVE TRAIN - THE O'JAYS: Love, love, this song. No matter how much I hear it on oldies stations, I could never tire of it. Yeah, this is an undeniable classic! Still love this one, glad it was a #1 hit. 27: OUT OF THE QUESTION - GILBERT O' SULLIVAN: A little syrupy but nice to know he could be more upbeat. Of course, my favorite of his was his next Top 40 hit, where he got as close to funky as he'd ever get. I like this one, one of my favourites from him. 26: FUNKY WORM - THE OHIO PLAYERS: See No. 32. No. Just no. I mean, they had some good funk classics later on... but WTF was this trying to be? 25: FRANKENSTEIN - THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP: I always enjoy hearing this, no matter how much of a nonsequitur its name sounds like to me. Yeah, this was a pretty good rock instrumental. 24: DAISY A DAY - JUD STRUNK: I'm sure this is a "No, just no" for some, but I find it a sad, lovely tribute to the older generation. No. Just no. 23: ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA (2001) - DEODATO: I don't know why Casey insisted on using the German original title and not just saying "2001," since that's how people recognized it. Yeah, that's how I know it too. A classic movie theme here, I like this. 22: REELING IN THE YEARS - STEELY DAN: This must have been a record for the number of station ID's Casey used at one plug, but the nice lead-in bed made that possible. Good song. As much as classic rock continues to overplay this, I still love it. Definitely one of my favourites from them! 21: SPACE ODDITY - DAVID BOWIE: One of the reasons I like the 1973 AT40s: For every trainwreck like "Funky Worm" or "Dead Skunk," you hear a David Bowie or Lou Reed hit and think how could these all be popular at the same time? What a classic! Still love this one, one of Bowie's all-time best. 20: WILDFLOWER - SKYLARK: A pretty song with a group that included later-to-be-mega-producer David Foster. Surprising, then, that they were a one-hit wonder. Yeah, a bit of a humble beginning for him. Great song though! 19: WALK ON THE WILD SIDE - LOU REED: Incredible that this song was a Top 20 hit in '73 when its lyrics still seem shocking today. Yeah, he was quite daring with the lyrics! Considering he was usually INDIE., I'm glad he got this top 40 hit - great song! 18: CALL ME (COME BACK HOME) - AL GREEN: Hmm... I like him, but this one just sounded like generic "Al Green" to me. That is, better than other artists, but not as good as his best. Yeah, I usually like Al Green and this was pretty typical for him. Good song. 17: PEACEFUL - HELEN REDDY: A pretty little song but not one that I immediately think of when I think of her (like "Angie Baby," "Delta Dawn" or "I Am Woman"). The lead-in story was sadly a typical tale of its time. Nothing special to me but I'd take it over annoying repetitive messes like "Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)" or the way too sappy "You And Me Against The World"! 16: BREAK UP TO MAKE UP - THE STYLISTICS: Love this song, even if I prefer a few of their other songs. Yeah, the Stylistics were among the best in Philly soul and this was another good song for them! 15: DRIFT AWAY - DOBIE GRAY: So funny that Casey referenced him as the man behind "The In-Crowd," when today I think anyone who recognized his name would recognize him as the "Drift Away" guy (even without the Uncle Kracker remake). Yeah, this clearly became his biggest hit - and deservingly so, it's the only song of his I would really recognize, and I knew it well even before Uncle Kracker remade it. Great song! 14: KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG - ROBERTA FLACK: I do like this song, but it's been so played to death that I can't get too excited about it (and I didn't mind the shortening of it). I normally don't like a lot of Roberta Flack songs but I really like this one (probably because of the Fugees remake). Great song - much better than the awful "First Time I Ever Oversang Like A Nutjob". 13: STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU - STEALERS WHEEL: Great song! Glad Gerry Rafferty was able to come back for his brief 1978-79 second act after this group broke up. Yeah, this is one of those all-time classic songs! Great song! 12: STIR IT UP - JOHNNY NASH: It's hard to say whether I prefer this or "I Can See Clearly Now" as I loved both of them then and do now. I will say that when I was 10 (when this was a hit), I was clueless about any of the double entendres in it. I did like how Casey pronounced "Stir" like "Steer," like Johnny was doing throughout the song. I prefer "I Can See Clearly Now" but this was pretty good too. 11: YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE - STEVIE WONDER: See No. 14. One of several sappy love songs from him, I like this but tend to prefer his funkier stuff. 10: THE TWELFTH OF NEVER - DONNY OSMOND: If I have to hear a solo Donny remake, I'd rather hear this than, say, "Go Away Little Girl" or any of his other covers. Maybe it's because I remember hearing this on one of those K-tel or Ronco collections of hits from this time (the No. 2 song was on it, too), and this reminds me of that time. Meh, I never cared for any of his remakes. Give me "One Bad Apple", "Soldier Of Love" (or really, any of his late 80's comeback songs) or even the heavy metal classic "Crazy Horses" over this! 9: DANNY'S SONG - ANNE MURRAY: It's really hard to say whether I like this version or the Loggins and Messina original more. I do remember hearing this one first, though, so I guess it sticks with me a little more. It's a toss-up for me, I like both. I'd give it slightly to the original though, because it's a personal song for Kenny Loggins. 8: MASTERPIECE - THE TEMPTATIONS: This is fine, although I prefer "Just My Imagination" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone." I did find it interesting that Casey referred to it as "The Masterpiece" when it wasn't listed as that on the chart. Yeah, I like this but I'd take others from them, including the others you listed as well as several of their 60's classics. 7: LITTLE WILLY - THE SWEET: I know the group later badmouthed its bubble-gum phase, but I prefer this to, say, "Action" (which we heard recently on AT40 the '70s in 1976). A glam rock classic. Love this one! 6: NEITHER ONE OF US (WANTS TO BE THE FIRST TO SAY GOODBYE) - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: This is such a lovely, sad song, and just the start of the huge influence this group would have over the next 18 months on AT40. And then ... pfft ... for quite awhile. By the way, a horrible edit ... was it original, or (I'm guessing) Premiere's handiwork? Such an emotional song from them. Love this one, one of my favourites from them. 5: AIN'T NO WOMAN (LIKE THE ONE I'VE GOT) - THE FOUR TOPS: It would be hard for me to pick my favorite back-to-back songs from this countdown, but if pressed, I'd have to say No. 6 and this. Soul/pop crossovers didn't get any finer. Yeah, this was another great one. Can't really go wrong with Motown from this time period, so many classics. 4: THE CISCO KID - WAR: Good to get a little grittier after the slickness of the previous two hits. One of my favorite War tracks. Good reminder from Casey on how this band first charted with the since-missing Eric Burden. I like this one but I prefer several others from them, including said first hit "Spill The Wine". 3: SING - THE CARPENTERS: I know, it's juvenile, but how can anyone kick a "Sesame Street" song featuring one of the loveliest voices on vinyl? Yeah Karen Carpenter was one of the finest voices of her era and a Sesame Street song like this can sound great with her singing it. Still, I prefer several others from them. 2: THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA - VICKI LAWRENCE: This song scared the heck out of me as a 10-year-old. Spooky and moody, and I loved it. Today, it's hard not to think of it without envisioning "Mama" (which, of course, destroys all the moodiness). But if she had to be a one-hit wonder, this was a good hit to have. Yeah this was a good one. Still enjoy this one a lot. 1: TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLD OAK TREE -DAWN: As a song, not among my five favorites of this trio. But as an artifact from a 1973 time capsule, there would be few songs that would be more fitting. And I do have to admit the last line of that last verse gets me every time. Cheesy as hell but it's alright. I'll take it when it comes on but prefer some of their earlier stuff. As for next week... I'm kinda hoping for a 1978 show.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on May 6, 2018 20:21:07 GMT -5
April 22, 19782 weeks late, and I know that's no excuse for a recycled commentary Falling off: Paul Davis - I Go Crazy (35) - great song... what an epic run it had in the top 40! Stargard - Which Way Is Up (33) - wtf did this sound like again? Heatwave - Always And Forever (28) - good song, but Luther Vandross did it better Jay Ferguson - Thunder Island (27) - good song Lou Rawls - Lady Love (24) - it's ok but I prefer "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" Gene Cotton - Before My Heart Finds Out (23) - wtf did this sound like again? 40. Shaun Cassidy - Do You Believe In Magic (debut) - it's ok, but much like many "teen idol" cover songs, felt like karaoke 39. KISS - Rocket Ride (40) - it's ok, I prefer most of their other hits 38. Bonnie Tyler - It's A Heartache (debut) - great song! 37. George Benson - On Broadway (debut) - good song but I prefer his "funky" 80's hits 36. Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London (debut) - great song, even if I can't hear the riff without hearing Kid Rock. 35. Sweet - Love Is Like Oxygen (38) - good song, I still hear Sugar Ray every time I hear this. 34. Tavares - More Than A Woman (39) - good song, but I prefer the Bee Gees' version 33. Eddie Money - Baby Hold On (36) - great song, one of his best! 32. Earth, Wind & Fire - Fantasy (34) - great song! One of their most underrated 31. Billy Joel - Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (37) - great song, one of his best 30. Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing (debut) - great song! A well-deserved #1 of the year! 29. Styx - Fooling Yourself (30) - great song, another underrated one! 28. Rubicon - I'm Gonna Take Care Of Everything (29) - this was pretty good, but I prefer Night Ranger which formed from some members of this group. 27. Andy Gibb - (Love Is) Thicker Than Water (17) - great song, I prefer his other song on the chart though 26. Dolly Parton - Two Doors Down (31) - it's ok 25. Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being A Friend (25) - great song! 24. Player - This Time I'm In It For Love (32) - great song, glad they had a second big hit 23. Bob Welch - Ebony Eyes (14) - good song, I usually like his stuff 22. The Trammps - Disco Inferno (26) - great song! One of my favourite disco songs 21. Samantha Sang - Emotion (11) - one of two songs on here Beyoncé wrote before she was born Good song but I prefer the Destiny's Child version 20. Johnny Mathis & Deniece Williams - Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (debut) - I normally can't stand Johnny Mathis but I actually like this one, still a random #1 though! 19. Electric Light Orchestra - Sweet Talkin' Woman (20) - great song, one of their best! 18. Atlanta Rhythm Section - Imaginary Lover (22) - good song, but I prefer the pitch-corrected version that sounds like Stevie Nicks. 17. Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good (21) - No. Just no. 16. Parliament - Flash Light (18) - it's ok 15. David Gates - Goodbye Girl (15) - I like this but prefer some Bread songs 14. Jefferson Starship - Count On Me (16) - great song! One of the best on the chart, I'm sure this is JessieLou's favourite on here. 13. Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (2) - great song! One of my favourites of the 70's 12. Jackson Browne - Running On Empty (13) - great song, one of his best! 11. John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - You're The One That I Want (19) - great song! The entire Grease soundtrack is classic 10. Natalie Cole - Our Love (10) - I like this but prefer several others from her, mostly her 80's comeback 9. England Dan & John Ford Coley - We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again (9) - great song, one of their best! 8. Raydio - Jack And Jill (8) - great song, one of their best! 7. Wings - With A Little Luck (12) - great song, one of their best! 6. Kansas - Dust In The Wind (6) - great song! While they only had a few hits, this was one of the most memorable 5. Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - The Closer I Get To You (7) - this is ok, but I think Beyoncé and Luther Vandross did it better 4. Eric Clapton - Lay Down Sally (3) - great song, one of his best! 3. Barry Manilow - Can't Smile Without You (4) - No. Just no. 2. Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You (5) - great song! 1. Bee Gees - Night Fever (1) - great song! They really owned 1978 Chicago update: They were about a month away from "Take Me Back To Chicago" debuting on the Hot 100. JessieLou: Linda Ronstadt debuted at #70 with "Tumbling Dice", Carly Simon moved up to #79 with "You Belong To Me" and Heart moved up to #59 with "Heartless". Prediction for next week: Looks like it's 1974 so JessieLou can hear "Mockingbird" again.[/quote]
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on May 6, 2018 20:22:00 GMT -5
May 4, 1974I'll recycle my commentary from 3 years ago. (Still gotta fill in my 1975 commentary for last week!) Falling off: Mocedades - Eres Tu (39) - good song, one of my favourite Spanish songs Paul McCartney & Wings - Jet (38) - great song! Shame to see it fall off Billy Joel - Piano Man (36) - great song! Shame to see it fall off Bloodstone - Outside Woman (34) - wtf did this sound like again? 40. The Staple Singers - Touch A Hand, Make A Friend (27) - it's ok but they had better 39. Jim Stafford - My Girl Bill (debut) - No. Just no. 38. Billy Paul - Thanks For Saving My Life (37) - meh, I prefer "Me And Mrs. Jones" 37. Albert Hammond - I'm A Train (31) - meh, I prefer "It Never Rains In Southern California" 36. Aretha Franklin - I'm In Love (debut) - I like this but it's not one of my favourites from her 35. Earth, Wind & Fire - Mighty Mighty (40) - similarly, I like this but I prefer most of their other hits 34. Sami Jo - Tell Me A Lie (28) - meh 33. Carly Simon & James Taylor - Mockingbird (26) - great song! One of my favourites from both artists! I understand JessieLou may like this one. 32. The O'Jays - For The Love Of Money (debut) - great song, one of their best! 31. Charlie Rich - A Very Special Love Song (25) - No. Just no. 30. James Brown - The Payback (32) - I like this but prefer a few others from him, seems like most of his songs sound the same 29. Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Let It Ride (23) - great song! One of their best 28. Terry Jacks - Seasons In The Sun (24) - great song! As cheesy as this is, I love it 27. Stevie Wonder - Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing (33) - I like this but parts of it are WEIRD! 26. Helen Reddy - Keep On Singing (15) - No. Please DON'T keep on singing and just retire from music, you suck. 25. Sister Janet Mead - The Lord's Prayer (17) - as weird as the idea of setting The Lord's Prayer to music was, I liked it 24. Cat Stevens - Oh Very Young (30) - great song! One of his best 23. Joni Mitchell - Help Me (29) - great song! Sadly, due to her recent hospitalization, she may need help. Get well soon, Joni! 22. Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run (debut) - great song! One of his best ever, IMO this was the song that really proved he had a career beyond the Beatles. 21. The Carpenters - I Won't Last A Day Without You (35) - good song, but I prefer others from them 20. John Denver - Sunshine On My Shoulders (14) - You're boring! 19. Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye - My Mistake (Was To Love You) (20) - I like this, then again Motown stuff is usually good 18. Bobby Womack - Lookin' For A Love (10) - it's ok, R.I.P. though 17. The Stylistics - You Make Me Feel Brand New (21) - good song! 16. Jim Croce - I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song (9) - I normally like him but I couldn't get into this one 15. Maria Muldaur - Midnight At The Oasis (7) - it's alright 14. Redbone - Come And Get Your Love (7) - great song! One of the best on the chart 13. Ringo Starr - Oh My My (5) - great song! One of my favourites from him 12. Chicago - (I've Been) Searchin' So Long (16) - great song! 11. Marvin Hamlisch - The Entertainer (18) - good song, a nice rendition of the Scott Joplin classic (though it's odd such a remake would go top 40 in the 70's!) 10. The Main Ingredient - Just Don't Want To Be Lonely (11) - I like this 9. Three Dog Night - The Show Must Go On (13) - good song, though I prefer several others from them 8. Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (12) - I like this, very haunting, but then again, it was from "The Exorcist". 7. Blue Swede - Hooked On A Feeling (6) - great song, with a very distinctive sound! 6. Ray Stevens - The Streak (19) - No. Just no. 5. Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (8) - great song, one of their best! 4. Gladys Knight & the Pips - Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me (3) - good song, an eventual LDD favourite 3. Elton John - Bennie And The Jets (2) - great song, even if the "live" feel was fake. 2. MFSB - TSOP (1) - good song, one of those iconic TV themes that transcends its show 1. Grand Funk - The Loco-Motion (4) - great song, though I prefer the Kylie Minogue version Chicago update: They were #12. Prediction for next week: JessieLou, I'm sorry - LOL that I said this the week after a 1976 show. I have no idea what's on tap for next week.. probably 1976 again.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on May 6, 2018 20:34:25 GMT -5
April 28, 1975Recycling commentary from the week before because I'm lazy with new comments for the debuts. Falling off: Chicago - Harry Truman (38) - great song, interesting to hear them do a political song but it worked well Frankie Valli - My Eyes Adored You (36) - great song! A well-deserved comeback Joe Cocker - You Are So Beautiful (32) - great song! R.I.P. Olivia Newton-John - Have You Never Been Mellow (31) - great song! One of her best Phoebe Snow - Poetry Man (25) - good song B.T. Express - Express (19) - great song! I like both of their big hits about the same Rufus & Chaka Khan - Once You Get Started (18) - I like this but prefer others from them 40. Lobo - Don't Tell Me Goodnight (debut) - it's alright but he's had a few better, mostly his 1971-72 stuff 39. Jessi Colter - I'm Not Lisa (debut) - EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW NO. Worst song on the chart, it's just so boring. 38. Linda Ronstadt - When Will I Be Loved (debut) - great song! One of many remakes that she did better than the original. 37. The Temptations - Shakey Ground (40) - good song but I prefer their 60's stuff 36. Average White Band - Cut The Cake (debut) - I like this but prefer "Pick Up The Pieces" 35. Neil Sedaka - The Immigrant - great song, interesting tale of John Lennon's immigration issues 34. Herbie Mann - Hijack (debut) - it's ok 33. Bobby Vinton - Beer Barrel Polka (33) - No. Just no. 32. America - Sister Golden Hair - great song! A true classic that has stood the test of time 43 years later and still sounds great. 31. Major Harris - Love Won't Let Me Wait (39) - great song! 30. Benny Bell - Shaving Dream (37) - No. Just no. 29. David Bowie - Young Americans (34) - great song! One of his best 28. Grand Funk - Bad Time (35) - great song, one of their best! 27. Pure Prairie League - Amie (30) - it's alright but I prefer their 80's stuff 26. Kraftwerk - Autobahn (29) - good song, one of the early electronic hits (they sure had a lot of influence on what was to come!) 25. Eddie Kendricks - Shoeshine Boy (27) - it's ok, "Keep On Truckin'" and "Boogie Down" were better 24. Ringo Starr - No No Song (4) - great song! One of his best 23. LaBelle - Lady Marmalade (11) - great song! 22. John Denver - Thank God I'm A Country Boy (26) - it's ok, but nothing special... still, at least this is energetic and upbeat, and not his typical borefest! 21. The Carpenters - Only Yesterday (28) - good song, but I prefer others from them 20. John Lennon - Stand By Me (24) - good song, he did a good remake of this 19. Ace - How Long (23) - great song! 18. Queen - Killer Queen (22) - great song, one of their best! 17. Barry Manilow - It's A Miracle (21) - great song! His upbeat stuff was actually generally surprisingly decent 16. Jimmy Castor Bunch - The Bertha Butt Boogie (20) - No. Just no. 15. Paul Anka - I Don't Like To Sleep Alone (17) - No. Just no. 14. Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue (16) - great song, even if he sounds like a woman. 13. Al Green - L-O-V-E (13) - not bad, but he's had better 12. Leo Sayer - Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance) (15) - good song, even if his vocals sound weird compared to his later hits 11. Earth, Wind & Fire - Shining Star (14) - great song! One of their best 10. The Blackbyrds - Walking In Rhythm (12) - it's alright 9. Barry White - What Am I Gonna Do With You (8) - good song, even if it sounds like all his other songs 8. Hot Chocolate - Emma (9) - I like this but prefer others from them 7. Freddy Fender - Before The Next Teardrop Falls (10) - No. Just no. 6. Sammy Johns - Chevy Van (7) - great song! Shame he was a one hit wonder 5. Ben E. King - Supernatural Thing (6) - good song, but I prefer "Stand By Me" (how odd a cover of it was on the chart the same time as this comeback single!) 4. Minnie Riperton - Lovin' You (3) - great song! 3. Tony Orlando & Dawn - He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) (5) - good song, though I thought it was meh when I first started listening to 70's AT40. Still, this seems like a random #1. 2. Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom (1) - great song! One of his best, I'm glad this broke the streak of one-week #1's 1. B.J. Thomas - Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song (2) - it's ok, but another rather forgettable #1
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Post by Hervard on May 25, 2018 16:42:54 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 26, 2018 This week's presentation - May 26, 1979 LW#3: IN THE NAVY – THE VILLAGE PEOPLE LW#2: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER LW#1: REUNITED – PEACHES AND HERB 40: DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY – VAN HALEN (debut) - I generally prefer the Van Hagar era, but this was one of my favorite songs of theirs before 1986 - in fact it's possible that it is my very favorite of their songs while David Lee Roth was at the mic. This was one of my all-time faves from them in either era. 39: RING MY BELL – ANITA WARD (debut) - A disco one-hit wonder here, only this one was one of the bigger ones, since it went all the way to #1 in July. This was the song that kept Donna Summer from succeeding herself at #1, as it hit the top between "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" 38: LITTLE BIT OF SOAP – NIGEL OLSSON (40) - After three remakes of this classic by the Jarmels, this is the first cover of it to finally break into the Top 40. This was a great song - of his two hits (both in 1979), I preferred this one. 37: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (16) - Of their four Top Ten hits, this one seems to be the most obscure. It is by far my favorite song from them (possibly because of the lack of overplay). 36: IT MUST BE LOVE – ALTON McCLAIN AND DESTINY (38) - This R&B trio was one of many faceless disco one-hit wonders of this era. The song was OK, but pretty much blends in with all the other R&B disco hits of the late-70s. 35: SATURDAY NIGHT, SUNDAY MORNING – THELMA HOUSTON (39) - She was a disco "two-hit wonder", as this was her second, more obscure Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred her #1 "Don't Leave Me This Way". LDD: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER - The dedication was quite moving. It was from a graduating high school class in Illinois to Liz, a foreign exchange student, who had visited the states from Guatemala several times and, just a few hours before this show was taped, they checked and found out that Liz was back in the states in time to attend their graduation, which was coming up the following Friday, so their dedication wish came true. 34: BOOGIE WONDERLAND – EARTH, WIND & FIRE w/THE EMOTIONS (debut) - 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). ARCHIVES: DARK LADY - CHER - Her third of four #1 hits (and her last for almost exactly 25 more years) as a solo artist (compared to only one with her former husband Sonny Bono), and her last Top Ten until three weeks back, when she hit with "Take Me Home", which spent the past two weeks at #8 and was still on this week's chart. I liked both songs about the same, in different ways, of course, since they both sound very different from each other. Both are very good songs. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART OF THE NIGHT - POCO - Interesting how they spread out all of their Top 40 hits over three decades (although "Nothin' To Hide" just barely, spending only one week in the Top 40 at the very beginning of the 1990s). That one, by the way, was my favorite of their four Top 40 hits, but this was my favorite of their two 1979 hits. It was a great one! 33: IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG, I DON’T WANT TO BE RIGHT – BARBRA MANDRELL (35) - Interesting country version of the Luther Ingram classic! Not sure which one I prefer. Kind of weird that this was Mandrell's only Top 40 hit - given how big a country star that she was, one would guess that she'd have more crossover success. 32: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME – CHEAP TRICK (debut) - 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. 31: MINUTE BY MINUTE – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (36) - The title track from their #1 album, which had topped the chart back in April/May. The Doobies had replaced themselves on the chart the previous week - this one would debuted as "What A Fool Believes" stepped off the chart. Of course, that was the song that I preferred of the two. This one was pretty good, but not one of my favorites from them. 30: MAKIN’ IT – DAVID NAUGHTON (32) - 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. It did, however, make for an interesting LDD on an early 1980 show - from a girl, who had dreams of being a model, to her family, who pretty much bullied her about her endeavor. The LDD was pretty much a raspberry to them, which served them right, as she had indeed lived her dream. 29: KNOCK ON WOOD – AMII STEWART (21) - Like Anita Ward, she was a one-hit wonder, and her only hit making it all the way to the top. This song was OK, but it wasn't one of my favorites. 28: OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (30) - I find it odd that this song didn't get above #28, considering all the recurrent airplay it gets. Not that I'm complaining, because I never really got into this song. One of my least favorites from him/them. 27: GET USED TO IT – ROGER VOUDOURIS (29) - Oddly enough, this Sacramento native predicted that he was going to be a huge success (I believe that story was told on the previous week's show), yet this was his sole Top 40 hit. It was a great song IMO. 26: SUCH A WOMAN - TYCOON (27) - Yet another one-hit wonder. This song was good, but nothing special. 25: TAKE ME HOME - CHER (8) - As stated earlier, this song was still on the chart, but was fading away quite fast - the song had been at its peak last week and the following week, fell out of the Top 40. 24: HONESTY – BILLY JOEL (26) - This song indeed hit a brick wall! After making a promising eleven-spot move the week before, it climbed only two more spots this week, held in place the following week, and then fell clean off the chart. I guess it was more or less an AC hit (where it hit the Top Ten). It was a good song, though definitely not his best. 23: AIN’T LOVE A BEACH – ROD STEWART (28) - Darned censors! 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. 22: HOT NUMBER – FOXY (24) - 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?) ARCHIVES: SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS – JOHN DENVER - One I remember quite well, from listening to his music when I was a young'un. Although this was my favorite of his 1974 hits and I do like it, I preferred many others from him (especially his 1975 #1's). OPTIONAL EXTRA: BAD GIRLS - DONNA SUMMER - As "Hot Stuff" was poised to take over the top, her follow-up was entering the Hot 100 at #55, but it didn't seem to steal any thunder from "Hot Stuff", as that song lasted a long time in the Top Ten. As stated earlier, she came close to succeeding herself at the top with this song, but Anita Ward wasn't having any of it. As for my opinion of the song, I preferred "Hot Stuff", but this song was good too. 21: SHE BELIEVES IN ME – KENNY ROGERS (23) - After a huge jump the week before, this song makes a more modest move this week. The song would peak at #5 for on AT40, but on the R&R chart, it managed to sneak in a week at #1. I remember this song quite well from '79 - one of my favorites that reminds me of the beach! 20: YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY – REX SMITH (25) - Another song that I heard a lot back in the summer of '79, and one that I often got confused with the Kenny Rogers song, since the beginning sounded the same (only this one had synth along with the piano). 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! 19: RENEGAGE – STYX (19) - 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. LDD: KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG – ROBERTA FLACK - One of three #1 songs from her and my favorite of the three by a fair margin. 18: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY – BAD COMPANY (20) - This was their only gold single (yet it only got as high as #13 - not sure what the deal was there). Anyway, this was one of my personal faves from the summer of 1979 - I heard this one on the beach house jukebox on a regular basis. 17: CHUCK E’S IN LOVE – RICKIE LEE JONES (22) - Like the Kenny Rogers song, this song hit #1 on the R&R chart, but fell short on the Hot 100 (though it did peak a spot higher). The song wasn't bad, but definitely not one I'd want to hear all the time. 16: DEEPER THAN THE NIGHT – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (18) - 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! 15: DISCO NIGHTS – G.Q. (17) - 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: HE’S THE GREATEST DANCER – SISTER SLEDGE (9) - Of course, everybody knows that Will Smith sampled this song for his big 1998 hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It". I liked both songs about the same, although neither are anything exceptional, IMO. 13: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (10) - 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". Interesting story about the "careless record thief". 12: THE LOGICAL SONG – SUPERTRAMP (14) - This British rock band formed in 1969 and had their very first Top Ten hit exactly ten years later. This was my favorite song in the world back in 1979. I liked most of their Breakfast In America album, which I finally bought in August of that year (remember - I was only seven and didn't have a ton of spending money). ARCHIVES: HOOKED ON A FEELING – BLUE SWEDE - Now this is a song that should have been left as is, not turned into something that sounds like a cannibal ritual! No, give me BJ Thomas' original any day! OPTIONAL EXTRA: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - ABBA - This was Abba's first charted single 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". 11: LOVE TAKES TIME - ORLEANS (12) - This was their last of three Top 40 hits, all of which made the Top 20. Actually, they were almost all Top Ten hits, but this one just barely fell short (the song did peak at #7 on the R&R chart, so it performed the hat trick there). This song, which sounds a cross between their other two hits, was my favorite of the three songs, although the others were great ones too. That said, it's too bad they didn't have anymore chart hits. 10: LOVE IS THE ANSWER – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (11) - Wow, two songs about love, from very different perspectives (and Rod Stewart's hit from earlier in the countdown is at the other end of the spectrum from this song. Anyway, this was the last of this duo's six Top 40 hits, four of them Top Tens, including this one, 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). 9: STUMBLIN’ IN – SUZY QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN (4) - She starred on Happy Days as Leather Tuscadero, and he was lead singer of Smokie, of "Living Next Door To Alice" fame. They teamed up for this song, which was a good one, IMO. 8: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST – RANDY VANWORMER (15) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away fourteen years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. 7: SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) – THE JACKSONS (7) - I generally preferred their earlier songs, but this is a song that I've actually found myself liking a little better 6: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE (13) - Wow, with the way this song was climbing the chart, it had number one written all over it, but it was not to be - it had to settle for second best. Not sure which of the two songs I prefer, although neither of them are exceptional, IMO. 5: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (5) - 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). 4: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT – THE BEE GEES (6) - This one was said to have been artificially moved to the top, so as to keep their #1 streak alive. Whether or not that is true I have no idea, but nevertheless, this was a good song - my second favorite from Spirits Having Flown behind "Tragedy". 3: IN THE NAVY – THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (3) - 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). OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF I SAID YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL BODY, WOULD YOU HOLD IT AGAINST ME - THE BELLAMY BROTHERS - Chiefly a country act, they did have two crossovers to Pop. Their first one, "Let Your Love Flow", of course, hit #1. This one, on the other hand, lasted only two weeks in the Top 40 (and was heard on AT40 only once, as the week the song debuted, the disco show replaced the regular countdown. This song was OK, but I preferred said #1. 2: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER (2) - This song indeed lived up to its name! After its huge 20-3 move two weeks before, it seemed like a cinch to hit #1 the following week, but the #1 song was obviously quite strong and managed to hold it at bay for two more weeks. This was a good one - my second favorite of her many 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows". 1: REUNITED – PEACHES & HERB (1) - This was the song that was strong enough for preventing Donna Summer from shooting straight to the top. The song was by far this duo's 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! Coming up next week: It's pretty much unanimous that that the yet-unaired June 1, 1974 show will be next week's show. So much that there's no need for a back-up prediction, especially since it would almost certainly be a standalone show.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on May 26, 2018 0:21:45 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - May 26, 2018 This week's presentation - May 26, 1979 LW#3: IN THE NAVY – THE VILLAGE PEOPLE LW#2: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER LW#1: REUNITED – PEACHES AND HERB 40: DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY – VAN HALEN (debut) - I generally prefer the Van Hagar era, but this was one of my favorite songs of theirs before 1986 - in fact it's possible that it is my very favorite of their songs while David Lee Roth was at the mic. This was one of my all-time faves from them in either era. Yeah, I really like this one - always been one of my favourite Van Halen songs overall. 39: RING MY BELL – ANITA WARD (debut) - A disco one-hit wonder here, only this one was one of the bigger ones, since it went all the way to #1 in July. This was the song that kept Donna Summer from succeeding herself at #1, as it hit the top between "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" Great song - another memorable disco hit! 38: LITTLE BIT OF SOAP – NIGEL OLSSON (40) - After three remakes of this classic by the Jarmels, this is the first cover of it to finally break into the Top 40. This was a great song - of his two hits (both in 1979), I preferred this one. Yeah same here, "Dancin' Shoes" was ok but a little too dreary. Still, I prefer his work with Elton John. 37: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (16) - Of their four Top Ten hits, this one seems to be the most obscure. It is by far my favorite song from them (possibly because of the lack of overplay). Great song - one of their best, I like all three of their big 1979 hits about the same. 36: IT MUST BE LOVE – ALTON McCLAIN AND DESTINY (38) - This R&B trio was one of many faceless disco one-hit wonders of this era. The song was OK, but pretty much blends in with all the other R&B disco hits of the late-70s. Faceless was the first word to come to mind here. This was ok. 35: SATURDAY NIGHT, SUNDAY MORNING – THELMA HOUSTON (39) - She was a disco "two-hit wonder", as this was her second, more obscure Top 40 hit. It was pretty good, but I preferred her #1 "Don't Leave Me This Way". Agreed. LDD: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER - The dedication was quite moving. It was from a graduating high school class in Illinois to Liz, a foreign exchange student, who had visited the states from Guatemala several times and, just a few hours before this show was taped, they checked and found out that Liz was back in the states in time to attend their graduation, which was coming up the following Friday, so their dedication wish came true. Great song, and very fitting for the dedication. 34: BOOGIE WONDERLAND – EARTH, WIND & FIRE w/THE EMOTIONS (debut) - 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). Great song, one of the best from both artists! ARCHIVES: DARK LADY - CHER - Her third of four #1 hits (and her last for almost exactly 25 more years) as a solo artist (compared to only one with her former husband Sonny Bono), and her last Top Ten until three weeks back, when she hit with "Take Me Home", which spent the past two weeks at #8 and was still on this week's chart. I liked both songs about the same, in different ways, of course, since they both sound very different from each other. Both are very good songs. Great song! I usually like her stuff, and this is no exception. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEART OF THE NIGHT - POCO - Interesting how they spread out all of their Top 40 hits over three decades (although "Nothin' To Hide" just barely, spending only one week in the Top 40 at the very beginning of the 1990s). That one, by the way, was my favorite of their four Top 40 hits, but this was my favorite of their two 1979 hits. It was a great one! Great song - I like pretty much all of their top 40 hits, as well as the "Legend" album that this came from. 33: IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG, I DON’T WANT TO BE RIGHT – BARBRA MANDRELL (35) - Interesting country version of the Luther Ingram classic! Not sure which one I prefer. Kind of weird that this was Mandrell's only Top 40 hit - given how big a country star that she was, one would guess that she'd have more crossover success. Meh, not really my thing. 32: I WANT YOU TO WANT ME – CHEAP TRICK (debut) - 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. Great song, but I do prefer a few others from them. 31: MINUTE BY MINUTE – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (36) - The title track from their #1 album, which had topped the chart back in April/May. The Doobies had replaced themselves on the chart the previous week - this one would debuted as "What A Fool Believes" stepped off the chart. Of course, that was the song that I preferred of the two. This one was pretty good, but not one of my favorites from them. Great song - one of my favourites from them overall. 30: MAKIN’ IT – DAVID NAUGHTON (32) - 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. It did, however, make for an interesting LDD on an early 1980 show - from a girl, who had dreams of being a model, to her family, who pretty much bullied her about her endeavor. The LDD was pretty much a raspberry to them, which served them right, as she had indeed lived her dream. Good song, as gimmicky as it was as the theme from a flop TV show. 29: KNOCK ON WOOD – AMII STEWART (21) - Like Anita Ward, she was a one-hit wonder, and her only hit making it all the way to the top. This song was OK, but it wasn't one of my favorites. Great song - the best version of this I've heard. 28: OLD TIME ROCK & ROLL – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (30) - I find it odd that this song didn't get above #28, considering all the recurrent airplay it gets. Not that I'm complaining, because I never really got into this song. One of my least favorites from him/them. Yeah this is probably his most overplayed song. It's not bad but I prefer stuff like "Night Moves", "Against The Wind" and "Shakedown" among others. 27: GET USED TO IT – ROGER VOUDOURIS (29) - Oddly enough, this Sacramento native predicted that he was going to be a huge success (I believe that story was told on the previous week's show), yet this was his sole Top 40 hit. It was a great song IMO. LOL @ his ego! Good song, even if he's become a punchline these days. 26: SUCH A WOMAN - TYCOON (27) - Yet another one-hit wonder. This song was good, but nothing special. Not bad, but faceless. 25: TAKE ME HOME - CHER (8) - As stated earlier, this song was still on the chart, but was fading away quite fast - the song had been at its peak last week and the following week, fell out of the Top 40. Given her status as a gay icon, it's no surprise she did a disco song! Great song - one of her best! 24: HONESTY – BILLY JOEL (26) - This song indeed hit a brick wall! After making a promising eleven-spot move the week before, it climbed only two more spots this week, held in place the following week, and then fell clean off the chart. I guess it was more or less an AC hit (where it hit the Top Ten). It was a good song, though definitely not his best. Yeah I like this but prefer the other "52nd Street" singles. 23: AIN’T LOVE A BEACH – ROD STEWART (28) - Darned censors! 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. Yeah, this was a nice one but far from his best. LOL the censor, here we don't censor bitch. 22: HOT NUMBER – FOXY (24) - 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?) This wasn't bad but pretty much "Get Off" part 2. ARCHIVES: SUNSHINE ON MY SHOULDERS – JOHN DENVER - One I remember quite well, from listening to his music when I was a young'un. Although this was my favorite of his 1974 hits and I do like it, I preferred many others from him (especially his 1975 #1's). Meh, the only #1 of his I enjoyed was "Annie's Song". OPTIONAL EXTRA: BAD GIRLS - DONNA SUMMER - As "Hot Stuff" was poised to take over the top, her follow-up was entering the Hot 100 at #55, but it didn't seem to steal any thunder from "Hot Stuff", as that song lasted a long time in the Top Ten. As stated earlier, she came close to succeeding herself at the top with this song, but Anita Ward wasn't having any of it. As for my opinion of the song, I preferred "Hot Stuff", but this song was good too. Great song - one of her best! 21: SHE BELIEVES IN ME – KENNY ROGERS (23) - After a huge jump the week before, this song makes a more modest move this week. The song would peak at #5 for on AT40, but on the R&R chart, it managed to sneak in a week at #1. I remember this song quite well from '79 - one of my favorites that reminds me of the beach! No. Just no. 20: YOU TAKE MY BREATH AWAY – REX SMITH (25) - Another song that I heard a lot back in the summer of '79, and one that I often got confused with the Kenny Rogers song, since the beginning sounded the same (only this one had synth along with the piano). 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! This was pretty decent. Nice enough ballad. 19: RENEGAGE – STYX (19) - 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. Yeah, I'm surprised this wasn't a top 10 hit! Great song though - well deserved of its classic rock play. LDD: KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG – ROBERTA FLACK - One of three #1 songs from her and my favorite of the three by a fair margin. Agreed - always loved this one, easily prefer it over "The First Time I Ever Oversang Like A Nutjob". 18: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY – BAD COMPANY (20) - This was their only gold single (yet it only got as high as #13 - not sure what the deal was there). Anyway, this was one of my personal faves from the summer of 1979 - I heard this one on the beach house jukebox on a regular basis. Great song - possibly my favourite from them ever! 17: CHUCK E’S IN LOVE – RICKIE LEE JONES (22) - Like the Kenny Rogers song, this song hit #1 on the R&R chart, but fell short on the Hot 100 (though it did peak a spot higher). The song wasn't bad, but definitely not one I'd want to hear all the time. Great song, from a well-renowned singer-songwriter. 16: DEEPER THAN THE NIGHT – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (18) - 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! Yeah this was very underrated. Great song - one of her best! 15: DISCO NIGHTS – G.Q. (17) - 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. This was pretty good. 14: HE’S THE GREATEST DANCER – SISTER SLEDGE (9) - Of course, everybody knows that Will Smith sampled this song for his big 1998 hit "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It". I liked both songs about the same, although neither are anything exceptional, IMO. Great song with a classic bass line! 13: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (10) - 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". Interesting story about the "careless record thief". Great song, one of their best! Still sounds great today. 12: THE LOGICAL SONG – SUPERTRAMP (14) - This British rock band formed in 1969 and had their very first Top Ten hit exactly ten years later. This was my favorite song in the world back in 1979. I liked most of their Breakfast In America album, which I finally bought in August of that year (remember - I was only seven and didn't have a ton of spending money). Great song, even if it's quite overplayed. ARCHIVES: HOOKED ON A FEELING – BLUE SWEDE - Now this is a song that should have been left as is, not turned into something that sounds like a cannibal ritual! No, give me BJ Thomas' original any day! I actually prefer this version myself. Very infectuous! OPTIONAL EXTRA: DOES YOUR MOTHER KNOW - ABBA - This was Abba's first charted single 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". Great song! One of their best. 11: LOVE TAKES TIME - ORLEANS (12) - This was their last of three Top 40 hits, all of which made the Top 20. Actually, they were almost all Top Ten hits, but this one just barely fell short (the song did peak at #7 on the R&R chart, so it performed the hat trick there). This song, which sounds a cross between their other two hits, was my favorite of the three songs, although the others were great ones too. That said, it's too bad they didn't have anymore chart hits. Yeah, all three of their top 40 hits were excellent. Great song! 10: LOVE IS THE ANSWER – ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY (11) - Wow, two songs about love, from very different perspectives (and Rod Stewart's hit from earlier in the countdown is at the other end of the spectrum from this song. Anyway, this was the last of this duo's six Top 40 hits, four of them Top Tens, including this one, 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). I like all of their top 40 hits (and I do agree, "Gone Too Far", while I remember liking it, is a bit "wtf did this sound like again".) It's a toss-up but this might be my favourite from them. 9: STUMBLIN’ IN – SUZY QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN (4) - She starred on Happy Days as Leather Tuscadero, and he was lead singer of Smokie, of "Living Next Door To Alice" fame. They teamed up for this song, which was a good one, IMO. Agreed, great song! 8: JUST WHEN I NEEDED YOU MOST – RANDY VANWORMER (15) - The only Top 40 song from this man from Colorado who, sadly, passed away fourteen years ago. It was a really good song, but not one to listen to when feeling depressed, especially over a recent breakup. Yeah, this is quite sad, but still a good song. 7: SHAKE YOUR BODY (DOWN TO THE GROUND) – THE JACKSONS (7) - I generally preferred their earlier songs, but this is a song that I've actually found myself liking a little better Great song, I also liked when Shaggy sampled it. 6: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE (13) - Wow, with the way this song was climbing the chart, it had number one written all over it, but it was not to be - it had to settle for second best. Not sure which of the two songs I prefer, although neither of them are exceptional, IMO. I really like both of them - typical Nile Rodgers productions. 5: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS (5) - 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). Yeah, this was a great one - still hear it from time to time. One of the best Wings songs! 4: LOVE YOU INSIDE OUT – THE BEE GEES (6) - This one was said to have been artificially moved to the top, so as to keep their #1 streak alive. Whether or not that is true I have no idea, but nevertheless, this was a good song - my second favorite from Spirits Having Flown behind "Tragedy". Yeah, this was a pretty good one. I do feel it might've been artificially bumped to #1 considering it missed out on #1 on R&R and the Donna Summer song felt like it should've been a strong #1. 3: IN THE NAVY – THE VILLAGE PEOPLE (3) - 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). Great song, as campy as it is! OPTIONAL EXTRA: IF I SAID YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL BODY, WOULD YOU HOLD IT AGAINST ME - THE BELLAMY BROTHERS - Chiefly a country act, they did have two crossovers to Pop. Their first one, "Let Your Love Flow", of course, hit #1. This one, on the other hand, lasted only two weeks in the Top 40 (and was heard on AT40 only once, as the week the song debuted, the disco show replaced the regular countdown. This song was OK, but I preferred said #1. wtf did this sound like again? 2: HOT STUFF – DONNA SUMMER (2) - This song indeed lived up to its name! After its huge 20-3 move two weeks before, it seemed like a cinch to hit #1 the following week, but the #1 song was obviously quite strong and managed to hold it at bay for two more weeks. This was a good one - my second favorite of her many 1979 hits, behind "Heaven Knows". Great song! One of my favourites of 1979 and a very worthy #1. 1: REUNITED – PEACHES & HERB (1) - This was the song that was strong enough for preventing Donna Summer from shooting straight to the top. The song was by far this duo's 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! Great song - not sure whether I prefer this or "Shake Your Groove Thing". Coming up next week: It's pretty much unanimous that that the yet-unaired June 1, 1974 show will be next week's show. So much that there's no need for a back-up prediction, especially since it would almost certainly be a standalone show. Should be a good one! I'll do the critique if I am not too lazy to since you don't review pre-1975 shows.
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Post by FreakyFlyBry on Jun 23, 2018 12:21:19 GMT -5
June 26, 1976Since it aired 4 years ago, I can do a recycled commentary... sorry for not doing ones the last few weeks but I've been lazy. Falling off: Maxine Nightingale - Right Back Where We Started From (38) - great song! My favourite from her Elvin Bishop - Fooled Around And Fell In Love (34) - great song - sounds just like Mickey Thomas's work with Jefferson Starship The Sylvers - Boogie Fever (25) - great song - one of my favourite disco songs John Sebastian - Welcome Back (24) - good song, one of many memorable 70's TV themes Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon (23) - great song, one of their best! Rolling Stones - Fool To Cry (21) - not bad, but they've had better Wow, 6 droppers and no "wtf did this sound like again?" (1976 must've really been overplayed so I know all of these - but all were big hits anyway.) 40. Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free (debut) - great song! Another of my disco favourites 39. Natalie Cole - Sophisticated Lady (debut) - not bad, but I prefer most of her other hits 38. Todd Rundgren - Good Vibrations (debut) - it's ok, but the Beach Boys did it better 37. Rhythm Heritage - Baretta's Theme (20) - it's ok, but the theme from S.W.A.T. was better 36. Johnnie Taylor - Somebody's Getting It (debut) - "Disco Lady" was better 35. ABBA - Mamma Mia (39) - great song! One of their best 34. Aerosmith - Last Child (debut) - good song, but I prefer most of their other hits 33. Keith Carradine - I'm Easy (37) - You're boring! 32. Pratt & McClain - Happy Days (11) - good song, one of the best 70's movie hits 31. The Brotherhood of Man - Save Your Kisses For Me (35) - it's ok but kinda cheesy... then again, Eurovision songs are usually cheesy 30. Vickie Sue Robinson - Turn The Beat Around (36) - great song! I prefer Gloria Estefan's version though 29. Parliament - Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (33) - good song, even if typical "roof-raising R&B" 28. Cyndi Greco - Makin' Our Dreams Come True (32) - wow, another TV theme! This was alright 27. The Trammps - That's Where The Happy People Go (28) - it's ok, but "Disco Inferno" was better 26. John Travolta - Let Her In (31) - it's alright, but his grease stuff was better 25. America - Today's The Day (30) - good song, but not one of their best 24. Neil Diamond - If You Know What I Mean (debut) - No. Just no. 23. Queen - You're My Best Friend (27) - great song, one of their best! 22. Seals & Crofts - Get Closer (26) - great song! One of their best 21. Henry Gross - Shannon (6) - good song, but I like it mostly for what it made Casey do 9 years later. Speaking of which, I hope we get the dead dog dedication show in September 20. Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town (22) - great song! Shame it was their only top 40 hit 19. Beach Boys - Rock And Roll Music (40) - not bad, but I prefer their 60's stuff and "Kokomo" 18. Beatles - Got To Get You Into My Life (29) - great song! Glad this got a belated release 17. Steve Miller Band - Take The Money And Run (19) - great song, though I prefer others from them 16. Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right (18) - it's alright 15. Marvin Gaye - I Want You (16) - good song, but he had better 14. Brass Construction - Movin' (15) - it's ok, but very typical "roof-raising R&B" 13. Doobie Brothers - Takin' It To The Streets (14) - good song, but they've had better 12. Eric Carmen - Never Gonna Fall In Love Again (17) - good song! 11. Gary Wright - Love Is Alive (13) - great song! I like his two biggest hits about the same 10. The Manhattans - Kiss And Say Goodbye (12) - good song! Easily my favourite from them 9. The Brothers Johnson - I'll Be Good To You (10) - it's alright, but I prefer the Quincy Jones/Ray Charles/Chaka Khan version 8. Diana Ross - Love Hangover (4) - great song! Glad this got to #1 as it's one of my favourites from her 7. Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight (9) - great song! One of my favourite 70's one hit wonders 6. Andrea True Connection - More, More, More (8) - great song! I do prefer "Steal My Sunshine" though. 5. Captain & Tennille - Shop Around (7) - not their best, but not their worst either... I prefer the Miracles version though, it's one Motown remake that doesn't top the original for me 4. Hall & Oates - Sara Smile (5) - great song! I prefer their 80's stuff though 3. Dorothy Moore - Misty Blue (3) - No. Just no. 2. Silver Convention - Get Up And Boogie (2) - good song, even if the lyrics were repetitive. 1. Wings - Silly Love Songs (1) - great song! As much of a silly love song it is, I really like this Chicago update: Debuting at #75 was their underrated song "Another Rainy Day In New York City". Prediction for next week: It's likely either a special or the first show from 1970. I'll go with the first show. or 1971 as there was no special aired that week in 1971.
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Post by Hervard on Jun 29, 2018 17:09:35 GMT -5
Sorry this is a week late... American Top 40: The 70s - June 23, 2018 This week's presentation - June 26, 2018 40: YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE - CANDI STATON (debut) - The tenth and final (as well as biggest) hit for this American soul and gospel singer from Hanceville, Alabama. It was a pretty good song IMO. 39: SOPHISTICATED LADY - NATALIE COLE (debut) - The third Top 40 hit from the daughter of the great Nat "King" Cole. It was pretty good, but I preferred her material from the 80s and 90s. 38: GOOD VIBRATIONS - TODD RUNDGREN (debut) - Of course, nothing can compare to the original by the Beach Boys, but this version sounded a lot like it. Too bad it only got as high as #33. 37: BARETTA'S THEME - RHYTHM HERITAGE (20) - They had two Top 40 hits - both themes from TV series. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred "Theme From S.W.A.T." 36: SOMEBODY'S GETTING' IT - JOHNNY TAYLOR (debut) - He had recently come off of his biggest hit ever, the four-week chart topper "Disco Lady", which went on to become one of the year's biggest hits. This song, on the other hand, couldn't manage to get any higher than #33. It was a pretty good song, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 35: MAMMA MIA - ABBA (39) - Somewhat of a surprise that this song didn't get any higher than #32, seeing that it's one of their most played songs on oldies stations. It was a good song, but IMO doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen" or "Winner Takes It All". 34: LAST CHILD - AEROSMITH (debut) - 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 33: I'M EASY - KEITH CARRADINE (37) - Meh, sounds more like second-rate Jim Croce. I used to like this song, but not much anymore. 32: HAPPY DAYS - PRATT & McCLAIN (11) - 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years? 31: SAVE YOUR KISSES FOR ME - THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN (35) - This one sounds more like a kiddie song, but not too bad. 30: TURN THE BEAT AROUND - VICKIE SUE ROBINSON (36) - 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. 29: TEAR THE ROOF OFF THE SUCKER - PARLIAMENT (33) - 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. 28: MAKIN' OUR DREAMS COME TRUE - CYNDI GRECCO (32) - "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" Another TV show theme, in this case, the one from "Laverne & Shirley", which IIRC was on after Happy Days back in the day. The TV show was great, as was this song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: A LITTLE BIT MORE - DR. HOOK - Meh, this used to be one of my favorite songs from them, but for some reason, such is not the case anymore. Give me "Better Love Next Time" any day! 27: THAT'S WHERE THE HAPPY PEOPLE GO - THE TRAMMPS (28) - As we all know, I wasn't a big fan of this kind of music (although their"Disco Inferno" wasn't bad). 26: 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 and would hit the Top Ten about a month later. 25: TODAY'S THE DAY - AMERICA (30) - Here's another song I remember from back in the day. I'm surprised that this only got as high as #23, as WLS played this one all the time back in the day. It was a good one, though I preferred a few others from them. 24: IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - NEIL DIAMOND (debut) - 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. With the song's impressive debut, it looked like this would be a #1 song, but, in fact, the song missed the Top Ten altogether. 23: YOU'RE MY BEST FRIEND - QUEEN (27) - Here's another song that didn't hit the top ten, which I can't believe - 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. 22: GET CLOSER - SEALS & CROFTS (26) - Jim Seals' brother, England Dan, along with singing partner John Ford Coley, were on the way up the Hot 100 with his debut song, "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight", which would hit the Top 40 two weeks later. Like that song, this one would also hit the Top Ten. This song wasn't bad, though not quite their best. Jim Seals sort of sounded like he had a runny nose in this song. 21: SHANNON - HENRY GROSS (6) - Ah, the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song! It's a good one, but after mid-September, 1985, we never looked at this song in the same way again! 20: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN - THIN LIZZY (22) - 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!) 19: ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC - THE BEACH BOYS (40) - Wow! That's definitely a big move. However, I think hype played part in that, as the song had a more "normal" chart run after this, all the way up to #5. This song definitely showed that, even though the sixties was clearly their decade, they still had it in the 70s! 18: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - THE BEATLES (29) - As did the Beatles, as this song also eventually made the Top Ten! I remember this song 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 the coincidence of two of the most influential bands of the sixties being back-to-back this week. 17: TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN - STEVE MILLER BAND (19) - 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 (both of which DID hit the Top Ten). 16: MOONLIGHT FEELS RIGHT - STARBUCK (18) - Refresh my memory - is that a marimba or a xylophone that is used in this record? Well, whatever it is, it definitely makes the song a great listen for a warm evening. Definitely my favorite of Starbuck's two hits. 15: I WANT YOU - MARVIN GAYE (16) - I'm more familiar with Robert Palmer's 1991 cover, which sounds so much like the original - in fact, I kept expecting this song to segue back into "Mercy Mercy Me". 14: MOVIN' - BRASS CONSTRUCTION (15) - One of many one-hit wonders during the 70s that tried to get in on the disco craze. This song wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOMETHING HE CAN FEEL - ARETHA FRANKLIN - 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. 13: TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (14) - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them! 12: NEVER GONNA FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ERIC CARMEN (17) - His second hit and the follow-up to the #2 hit "All By Myself". I preferred this song - one of Carmen's best hits ever! 11: LOVE IS ALIVE - GARY WRIGHT (13) - Now here is one of the songs I most associate with the summer of 1976, as the radio stations I listened to played it constantly. I definitely prefer it over "Dream Weaver", which is the only of Wright's three hits that receives any recurrent airplay (though once in a blue moon I do hear this one). 10: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - THE MANHATTANS (12) - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of this song. At least the spoken intro been omitted, so it wasn't so bad, but still, the song is overall depressing (as goodbyes are one of my weaknesses). Give me "Shining Star" any day! 9: I'LL BE GOOD TO YOU - THE BROTHERS JOHNSON (10) - 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. 8: LOVE HANGOVER - DIANA ROSS (4) - She had two number one hits in 1976, and the first one, "Theme From Mahogany" would easily be my favorite of them. This one just never did anything for me. 7: AFTERNOON DELIGHT - STARLAND VOCAL BAND (9) - 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). 6: MORE, MORE, MORE - THE ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (8) - 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". 5: SHOP AROUND - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE (7) - One of several remakes on this week's chart. This one wasn't bad, but I preferred the original by the Miracles. Casey made a slight faux pas - he said this song had been in the Top 40 for four weeks. Actually, that was how long it had been in the Top Ten. 4: SARA SMILE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (5) - The first of a whole slew of hits from the duo - it's not bad, but definitely not one of their best, IMO. 3: MISTY BLUE - DOROTHY MOORE (3) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY - 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! 2: GET UP AND BOOGIE - SILVER CONVENTION (2) - This one is a toughie, as far as learning all the lyrics! It was a good one; too bad it just narrowly missed becoming their second #1 hit... 1: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (1) - ...but this song was just too tough for it. 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 returned to #1 for an additional four weeks and 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. Coming up next week: Since next weekend straddles two months, it is entirely possible that we could get the July 3, 1971 show, which has yet to be played. I'll predict the "B" show to be something from either 1977 or 1979 (since the 7/1/78 show was a special).
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Post by Hervard on May 4, 2019 10:00:11 GMT -5
This thread has been sadly abandoned for nearly a year now - let's get it going again. For starters, there have been two brand new shows this year (post-1974, that is). I'll post those here. American Top 40: The 70s - March 23, 2019 This week's presentation - March 24, 1979 Droppers: I WAS MADE FOR DANCING - LEIF GARRETT (34) - This was his first original song to hit the Top 40, and it apparently worked, as this was his first Top Ten. I myself preferred his two remakes. BTW, wasn't this used in a TV commercial for potato chips back in the day? THE GAMBLER - KENNY ROGERS (27) - I used to like this song, but that annoying Geico ad from a few years ago that used this song has actually dimmed my fascination for this song. LW#3: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART LW#2: TRAGEDY - THE BEE GEES LW#1: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR 40: WATCH OUT FOR LUCY - ERIC CLAPTON (debut) - This was the flipside of Clapton's Top Ten from earlier in 1979, "Promises". I definitely preferred this song 39: GOT TO BE REAL - CHERYL LYNN (25) - A song that was apparently inspired by "Best Of My Love" by the Emotions, since the bass line sounded similar. This was a pretty good song - was sampled twelve years later in Father MC's "I'll Do 4 U LDD: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - BILLY JOEL - Here's a song that became a somewhat popular Long Distance Dedication request. This definitely fit the LDD, as it was to a friend who was overweight and felt like nobody liked him because of it. As for the song, I thought it was a good one. Since the first hour of this show ends at #35, I thought that maybe they might play the long version of the song, but that was not to be. 38: LOVE BALLAD - GEORGE BENSON (debut) - One of the best jazz guitarists of all time! This was a good song - contained his trademark scat singing. Possibly my favorite of his Top 40 hits, since my favorites from him are generally the ones that didn't quite make the pop chart, but did well at AC (i.e. "Breezin'" and "I Just Want To Hang Around You"). 37: LOTTA LOVE - NICOLETTE LARSON (24) - I have only heard three songs by her (four, if you count the song “Make A Little Magic” by the Dirt Band, on which she sang back-up), but I like all of them, including this one, which was probably my favorite. A great song indeed - sort of a blend of disco and MOR Pop. 36: BUSTIN' LOOSE (PART #1) - CHUCK BROWN & THE SOUL SEARCHERS (39) - Meh, this was typical roof-raising R&B. I think you know what I feel about this type of music, right? 35: DOG & BUTTERFLY - HEART (38) - Back in 1990, this one was occasionally played on Sunny 101.5 and for some reason, I didn't like it very much at all, but now I think it's one of their best! Too bad the song didn't climb any higher than #34. ARCHIVES: TIE A YELLOW RIBBON ROUND THE OLE OAK TREE - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN - From what I hear, this song was played ad nauseum on the radio during its chart run. Based on its unusually persistent chart run (by 1973 standards, anyway), I believe it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE TAKES TIME - ORLEANS - This was a somewhat underrated song - after two Top Ten hits earlier in the decade, this one just barely missed, peaking at #11. 34: THE CHASE (THEME FROM "MIDNIGHT EXPRESS") - GIORGIO MORODER (35) - The only Top 40 hit for this Italian music producer. It was a pretty good song. 33: SUPERMAN - HERBIE MANN (37) - This song wasn't bad, despite the fact that it was disco (but it wasn't R&B, so...) 32: TAKE ME HOME - CHER (40) - Ah, Cher's first comeback - the first of at least three. This was a great song, though I prefer a few of her songs from said comebacks (which happened in 1987 and 1998). EXTRA: STONEY END - BARBRA STREISAND - Sort of an unusual musical style for her, but apparently, it worked, as the song went Top Ten. 31: PRECIOUS LOVE - BOB WELCH (36) - Though I preferred Welch's two Top 20 hits from the year before, this was a good one as well. Bummer that he left Fleetwood Mac right before they hit big. 30: EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE - EDDIE RABBITT (31) - I remember seeing this movie about 25 years ago and thought it was pretty good. As for the song, it's not bad, but definitely not Rabbitt's best hit ever. 29: HE'S THE GREATEST DANCER - SISTER SLEDGE (33) - A very jiggy song! Not sure if I prefer this or "We Are Family". 28: LIVIN' IT UP (FRIDAY NIGHT) - BELL & JAMES (32) - An ideal song for the weekend! 27: DANCIN' SHOES - NIGEL OLSSON (20) - With such a title, one would expect an upbeat, disco song, but this one is a slow dance song. I liked it. 26: I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S RIGHT - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING (30) - The second of four Top 40 hits for this singer from the Bronx. It was pretty good, but my favorite song from her would be "Love Come Down". 25: MAYBE I'M A FOOL - EDDIE MONEY (29) - The only Top 40 hit from Money's sophomore album Life For The Taking, but a great song it was! One of his all-time best! 24: LE FREAK - CHIC (15) - This, of course, was the top song of the disco era, according to AT40's disco special aired that summer. I've actually learned to like this song better than I had previously, but still, it's far from "great song" status. ARCHIVES: YOU ARE THE SUNSHINE OF MY LIFE - STEVIE WONDER - He had been absent from the chart since early 1978, but would return late that year with his Top Five hit "Send One Your Love". As for this song, I thought it was pretty good, though not his all-time best. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DISCO NIGHTS (ROCK FREAK) - GQ - One of many faceless disco hits that hit the chart throughout 1979. It wasn't too bad. 23: I WANT YOUR LOVE - CHIC (28) - Right above the #1 disco hit of the 1970s is the follow-up. I'm not generally a big fan of them, but I actually liked this song. 22: Y.M.C.A. - VILLAGE PEOPLE (12) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course 21: HEART OF GLASS - BLONDIE (26) - The first of four #1 songs by them. I preferred "Call Me" and "Rapture", but I liked this and "The Tide Is High" about the same. LDD: NIGHTS ARE FOREVER WITHOUT YOU - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY - I was sleeping during this song (as my aforementioned stomach flu was bothering me this morning), so I'll have to listen to this LDD again. 20: FOREVER IN BLUE JEANS - NEIL DIAMOND (21) - This was a good song, but it sure didn't last long on the chart, did it? It climbed to #20 the following week and then dropped off the week after it peaked! Perhaps the Top 40 audience was still down on him for doing that awful duet with Barbra Streisand. 19: MUSIC BOX DANCER - FRANK MILLS (23) - I heard this song constantly back in 1979 and thought my parents had the radio tuned into the easy listening station. It wasn't until over ten years later when one of my fellow HS choir members was playing it on the piano and I casually asked what it was. When he told me the title, I recognized the title as being a Top 40 hit. I liked this song - the high piano notes indeed make it sound like a music box being set to disco. 18: CRAZY LOVE - POCO (19) - One of two songs that they charted with in 1979. I like both about the same, but neither of them hold a candle to "Nothin' To Hide" - by far my favorite Poco song. 17: STUMBLIN' IN - SUZI QUATRO & CHRIS NORMAN (22) - Pretty much your typical MOR type hit. It was a good one, though nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 16: I JUST FALL IN LOVE AGAIN - ANNE MURRAY (18) - 1979 was definitely her heyday, as she had three Top 40 singles that year, and bookended the year with two others. This was possibly the best of the bunch, though "Shadows In The Moonlight" would be a close second. 15: KNOCK ON WOOD - AMII STEWART (17) - As a superstitious person, I find myself doing this quite a lot. As for the song, however, I'm not a big fan. 14: BIG SHOT - BILLY JOEL (16) - Based on this song's initial chart action, it looked like this might be a big Top Five like "My Life", but the song only got as high as #14 and spent only six weeks in the Top 40. His next hit, "Honesty" hit a similar brick wall a few months later. Indeed, 52nd Street was a huge seller, but was definitely not his best singles album. 13: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - THE BABYS (13) - They had two Top 20 hits on the Hot 100, and this is my favorite of the two (though "Isn't It Time" is also a great one). ARCHIVES: FRANKENSTEIN - EDGAR WINTER GROUP - OPTIONAL EXTRA: GOODNIGHT TONIGHT - WINGS - 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). 12: LADY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (14) - As you probably know all too well, this is my all-time favorite song from them! I prefer the album version, which, in some AT40 rebroadcasts, is edited in, but not this week; the chopped down single version that leaves a lot to be desired was featured. 11: DON'T CRY OUT LOUD - MELISSA MANCHESTER (11) - This song appeared to have peaked this week, but it managed to push ahead another notch the following week, just enough to become her second of three Top Ten hits. This one is my favorite of those, though her first, "Midnight Blue" is a great one as well. 10: A LITTLE MORE LOVE - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (9) - She had recently come off of a great year, with three Top Five hits, all from the movie Grease, in which she starred with John Travolta, and started off 1979 quite well also, with another Top Five hit - one of her best! 9: WHAT YOU WON'T DO FOR LOVE - BOBBY CALDWELL (10) - This was his only Top 40 hit, but he had a handful of other AC and smooth jazz hits. This song was covered by Go West in 1993, but I preferred this version. 8: FIRE - POINTER SISTERS (7) - Bruce Springsteen had only had two Top 40 hits at this point, but he wrote many songs for other artists, like this song. It was a great one - one of my favorite songs by the Pointer Sisters. 7: SULTANS OF SWING - DIRE STRAITS (8) - Their heyday was definitely the mid-80s, but their first hit was actually a few years earlier. Of their charted hits, this would be my favorite. I remember listening to their self-titled album all the time back in the day (in fact, I think the lyrics sheet still has my dirty fingerprints on it). 6: DO YA THINK I'M SEXY - ROD STEWART (3) - This song had recently completed a four-week run at #1 on the Hot 100. It's not a bad song, but I'll never forgive it for beating out "What A Fool Believes" for R&R's top song of 1979! 5: SHAKE YOUR GROOVE THING - PEACHES & HERB (5) - This was a comeback hit for the duo, as they had charted several times in the late-60s, and the best was yet to come. This song hit the Top Five, and the follow-up, which is my favorite from them, went all the way to the top! 4: HEAVEN KNOWS - DONNA SUMMER & BROOKLYN DREAMS (4) - As I've said before, "Love Never Felt So Good" by Justin Timberlake & Michael Jackson sounded a lot like this song, which was possibly my favorite of Donna Summer's many 1979 hits. 3: WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES - DOOBIE BROTHERS (6) - This was their biggest hit ever, and deservedly so, as it is my all-time favorite from them! 2: I WILL SURVIVE - GLORIA GAYNOR (1) - The anthem for abused women was vacating the top spot this week, but it wasn't done yet - it would make an encore appearance two weeks later. This one used to be so/so, but now is one of my favorite disco hits ever! 1: TRAGEDY - BEE GEES (2) - They were still on a hot streak with number one songs. This was one of them, and definitely one of their best, IMO! This song put this in a tie for fourth place with the Rolling Stones for the artist with the most #1 songs ever. Of course, they would move into fourth place by themselves three months later.
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Post by Hervard on May 4, 2019 10:01:33 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - April 13, 2019 This week's presentation - April 16, 1977 40: SPRING RAIN - SILVETTI (40) - Their only song, which many thought was going to be a one-week wonder as well, as it had debuted a few weeks back, then dropped out, but it returned for an encore two weeks later, and spent a pair of weeks in the anchor position of the chart. As for the song, it was pretty much your typical disco instrumental of its time. 39: UPTOWN FESTIVAL - SHALAMAR (debut) - I can't help myself loving this song and getting uptight while going to a go-go, where hopefully, they'll play this song. But seriously, I thought this song was neat - five classic Motown songs woven into a medley. 38: HELLO STRANGER – YVONNE ELLIMAN (debut) - The second of five hits for her, and the second biggest, behind "If I Can't Have You". I prefer the latter by a fair margin 37: HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG – THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND (debut) - A "two-hit wonder", and this is by far their best known of the two hits - and my favorite as well (though I seem to remember that "Fire On The Mountain" was pretty good as well). 36: LONELY BOY – ANDREW GOLD (debut) - This may have been his biggest chart hit, but his other one, "Thank You For Being A Friend", from the following year, became a very popular LDD request. This was my favorite song from him, though his other one was great as well. They edited this song by cutting out the instrumental bridge. Oh well, at least they didn't cut an entire verse, like they often do, especially during the late-70s before the show was extended to four hours. 35: SAM – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (20) - This song is sort of a variable for me, since it has ranged from one extreme to the other, although for the past few years, it's been sort of in the middle. Either way, it wasn't her best hit by any means. 34: DANCING MAN - Q (38) - Hmm, is it me or do this song and "Giving It Up For Your Love" by Delbert McClinton sound somewhat alike? 33: SOMETIMES – FACTS OF LIFE (37) - The only Top 40 hit by Blair, Jo, Natalie and Tootie. It's not bad - your typical 70s slow jam. 32: SAY YOU’LL STAY UNTIL TOMORROW – TOM JONES (16) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!! Heh, just kidding - this one isn't bad, but nothing special either. 31: SIR DUKE – STEVIE WONDER (debut) - In this song, which was on its way to #1, Stevie dropped several names in this song, all of musical pioneers that time did not allow us to forget, including the king of all, Duke Ellington, to whom, of course, the title referred. Although I prefer several other songs by Mr. Wonder, this was a great one nonetheless. 30: AT MIDNIGHT (MY LOVE WILL LIFT YOU UP) – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (30) - I'm not generally a big fan of them, but this one was actually pretty good. 29: ANGEL IN YOUR ARMS - HOT (35) - This may have been their only hit, but it sure got a lot of mileage on the charts, practically reaching the 20-week mark. I used to like it a little, but not so much anymore. 28: N.Y. YOU GOT ME DANCING – ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (32) - This was her/their second Top 40 hit, but it didn't quite measure up to the success of their first one, "More, More, More" from the previous year. 27: CALLING DR. LOVE - KISS (31) - 1976 - 1977 was definitely their heyday, since that was when they had the most hits. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred their two Top Ten hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DREAMS - FLEETWOOD MAC - The biggest single from one of the biggest albums of all time, Rumors. The song is my least favorite of the singles, however, presumably due to overplay. It's still a pretty good one, though. 26: FLY LIKE AN EAGLE – THE STEVE MILLER BAND (13) - The third Top 40 single from the album of the same name. It would also be the last, as Miller would release Book Of Dreams soon after this song ended its chart run. This is one of my favorite Steve Miller songs ever! 25: FREE – DENIECE WILLIAMS (26) - This one was a good one. I preferred her Footloose hit, but this one is better than her snoozefest from 1982. 24: DISCO LUCY ( I LOVE LUCY THEME) – WILTON PLACE STREET BAND (24) - Interesting disco interpretation of the theme from a TV show that almost everyone knows. 23: I LIKE DREAMIN’ – KENNY NOLAN (19) - After years of writing big hits for other artists, Kenny wrote one for himself, and it proved to be worthwhile, as the song climbed all the way to #3. This song reminds me a little of "My Eyes Adored You", which would be no coincidence, as Nolan wrote that one as well. This is a good song - that is, when it doesn't stick in my mind all day, like it has done several times before. 22: YOUR LOVE – MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS JR. (28) - Good song - I preferred this over their song from earlier in the year. 21: THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST – ROD STEWART (22) - Originally done by Cat Stevens, this one was covered several times, the most successful one being Sheryl Crow's version, which was the biggest AC hit of 2004. I prefer that version over this one and the original (most likely since I've heard it much more than the others). 20: I’M YOUR BOOGIE MAN – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (25) - One of two Top Five hits from them in 1977. I preferred the other one, which just narrowly missed hitting #1 several months later. 19: CAN’T STOP DANCING – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (23) - Well I must say that this one's better than their last hit before this one! Still, nothing exceptional. 18: MAYBE I'M AMAZED - WINGS (12) - Wow, was this song ever mercilessly butchered! Not sure how long the playing time was, but I don't think it was even two minutes. As I recall, it was edited like that several times. Such a shame, too, as it was a great song - the live version was much better than the studio version from the early-70s, IMO. 17: LIDO SHUFFLE – BOZ SCAGGS (21) - Definitely one of the hits that I associate with the spring of 1977 (and the station that I listened to played it well into the summmer as well). My favorite of his hits! 16: COULDN’T GET IT RIGHT – THE CLIMAX BLUES BAND (27) - Another act that had two Top 40 hits, like several acts on this week's chart. Both were big hits that lasted quite awhile on the charts. This was a good song, but I preferred "I Love You", which charted four years later and we just might hear on a future 1981 show. 15: I WANNA GET NEXT TO YOU – ROSE ROYCE (18) - Their first hit was an upbeat dance number and for the second song, they went with a ballad. It was pretty much your typical 70s slow jam. I preferred "Car Wash". 14: CARRY ON WAYWARD SON - KANSAS (11) - The first of seven Top 40 hits from this band from Topeka. This one didn't quite make the Top Ten, though it may as well have, with all the airplay it got back in the day. Anyway, this was one of my favorites from them. 13: WHEN I NEED YOU – LEO SAYER (17) - One of three Top 20 hits that Leo charted with during the year. It was OK, but somewhat schmaltzy. I preferred his other two songs, which bookended this one. 12: TRYING TO LOVE TWO – WILLIAM BELL (14) - At least two songs about infidelity on this week's chart, the other one being the one back at #29. I preferred this one - the other one is somewhat of a cure for insomnia. 11: RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT – JENNIFER WARNES (15) - This song was written by Peter McCann who himself gearing up to hit the chart with his own hit "Do You Wanna Make Love". I preferred this song - it wasn't quite as cheesy. 10: RICH GIRL – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (4) - The first of many #1 hits from them, and one of their best. This is another one I remember from back in the day! EXTRA: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM – ELTON JOHN - This song, dedicated to tennis superstar Billie Jean King, was played as the final Optional Extra. The song broke the longest streak of one-week number one songs, in 1975, by spending a pair of weeks at the top (which was nothing compared to its six-week run atop the R&R charts). This song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). 9: SO IN TO YOU – THE ATLANTIC RHYTHM SECTION (10) - They had a handful of Top 40 hits and I thought most of them were great, including this one! 8: LOVE THEME FROM “A STAR IS BORN” (EVERGREEN) – BARBRA STREISAND (9) - This was the biggest hit so far this year, since it was #1 for three weeks. There was a quick turnover of #1 hits in the first few weeks of 1977, but it was slowing down at this point, and by the latter half of the year, of course, long stays at #1 became the norm. Anyway, this is a guilty pleasure of mine, since many people I know hate this song. Not me! 7: I’VE GOT LOVE ON MY MIND – NATALIE COLE (8) - This was her biggest hit ever, peaking at #5 and spending 14 weeks on the chart. It was indeed a good one, though I preferred several others from her. 6: DANCING QUEEN - ABBA (1) - It's a rather rare occasion when my favorite song by a certain act ends up being their biggest hit ever, but this is definitely an example. They sure did a hack job on this song, didn't they? Kind of pointless, as it's not like it's that long of a song in the first place. 5: THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE – 10 CC (6) - This song still sounds as fresh as it did back in the day. I never got tired of this one! 4: HOTEL CALIFORNIA – THE EAGLES (7) - One of their biggest hits, as well as one they're most famous for. It's one of my favorites from them as well. 3: SOUTHERN NIGHTS – GLEN CAMPBELL (5) - Campbell had many Top 40 hits, and two of those went all the way to #1, including this one. I like it, but preferred his other #1 hit, "Rhinestone Cowboy" from two years before. 2: DON’T LEAVE ME THIS WAY – THELMA HOUSTON (3) - No relation to Whitney, to my best of knowledge. Casey correctly predicted this song going to #1 on the Hot 100, as it already done on the Dance and Soul charts. This was Houston's only big hit, but it was definitely a long-standing one. I liked it, but I preferred the underrated cover by the Communards from ten years later. Glad that they had the song on the jukebox at the local arcade. I played it practically everytime I went there. 1: DON’T GIVE UP ON US – DAVID SOUL (2) - The only Top 40 single for Hutch. It's a pretty cheesy song, but not bad. The next post will be this week's 1976 show. After that, I'll try not to be a stranger
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Post by Hervard on Jun 1, 2019 6:57:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 4, 2019
This week's presentation - May 1, 1976
As I've mentioned before, I remember a lot of the songs on this week's countdown, because in the spring of 1976, we had our kitchen remodeled. Not quite being in school yet, I’d sometimes sit and watch the men working. They had the radio on all the time and I heard a lot of great songs. If my memory serves me correctly, most of my favorites are on this list.
Droppers: GOLDEN YEARS - DAVID BOWIE (31) - This would be his final Top Ten hit for seven more years (then, he would become more successful than ever). I wasn't a big fan of this song, though it was passable. FOPP - OHIO PLAYERS (30) - Keep on foppin’? What the hell? Sorry, don’t like it - no big loss. LORELEI - STYX (27) - Here's one I remember from back in the day. This song only got as high as #27, which was kind of a surprise, seeing that the station I listened to back then played this song regularly. This was one of the songs that was brutally butchered (due to them playing the long version of "Silly Love Songs"). MONEY HONEY - BAY CITY ROLLERS (21) - Not a fan of this song - I preferred "Saturday Night" over this one, and that ain't saying much! DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (16) - Kind of odd that this song dropped out from so high, especially after pausing at that spot the week before. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorite Aerosmith songs ever.
40: ANYTIME (I’LL BE THERE) – PAUL ANKA (debut) - He was indeed a hot item in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as 1974 and '75, but was beginning to fizzle out at this point and no further releases of his would penetrate the Top 30. This one got as high as #33, which was too bad, as I thought it was a good one. 39: CAN’T HIDE LOVE – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (39) - After a great 1975, with two Top 10 hits, including a #1, the band was now in somewhat of a slump, but would come back a few years later bigger than ever. This song was OK, but I preferred other songs by them like “That’s The Way Of The World” and “September”. 38: HURT – ELVIS PRESLEY (debut) - This wasn't bad, but it was far from being his best. 37: I’VE GOT A FEELING – AL WILSON (debut) - This man had a handful of chart singles, although most of them were mid-charters (the only one that wasn't, however, went all the way). This one was pretty good. 36: MORE, MORE, MORE – ANDREA TRUE CONNECTION (40) - The first and biggest of their two Top 40 hits, which would be sampled by the Canadian Rock Band Len in "Steal My Sunshine" in 1999. I forget how their other song, "NY, You Got Me Dancing" goes, so I can't really say which one I like best. 35: LOVE REALLY HURTS WITHOUT YOU – BILLY OCEAN (debut) - This was a man who seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as this song, for years, was his only hit. He, however, had a whole slew of hits starting with his comeback in 1984. This song wasn't bad, but I preferred most of his later hits. 34: LOVE IN THE SHADOWS – NEIL SEDAKA (debut) - What a chart career he had! This was the 19th of 21 Top 40 hits for Mr. Sedaka. Though I preferred a few others from him, this wasn't bad at all! 33: UNION MAN – THE CATE BROTHERS (33) - This was the only Top 40 hit for these twins. Like song #37, it wasn't anything exceptional, IMO. 32: YOUNG BLOOD – BAD COMPANY (38) - They sort of sounded like Elvis in this song (although the original of this was done by the Coasters). It wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other hits. 31: SHOUT IT OUT LOUD - KISS (36) - This is one I remember from back in the day (so I'm surprised that this was all the higher it got). It was pretty good, but I prefer their slower songs, like "Beth" and "Forever" (and apparently, so did the Top 40 audience, as those two songs were their only Top Tens). 30: HAPPY MUSIC - BLACKBYRDS (34) - This was the second of two Top 20 hits from this soul group formed in 1973 in our nation's capital. This one was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Walking In Rhythm", which was a Top Ten hit the year before. 29: COME ON OVER – OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (35) - Olivia had enjoyed a wave of chart success, with five consecutive Top Tens over a year and a half and, at this point, looked to be on her way down, chartwise, but the best was yet to come. This song, written by Barry and Robin Gibb, was pretty good, IMO, but definitely not her best. 28: DON’T PULL YOUR LOVE/THEN YOU CAN TELL ME GOODBYE – GLEN CAMPBELL (32) - Good rendition of both songs, including a slow version of “Don’t Pull Your Love”, which was originally a mid-tempo song by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. 27: SWEET THING – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (15) - The third and final Top Ten hit for this soul group from the Windy City. Though I'm not a fan of them in general, this one was actually not bad (of course, hearing Mary J. Blige's remake a lot back in early 1993 might have helped a little). OPTIONAL EXTRA: CRAZY ON YOU - HEART - Their first of many Top 40 hits. I'm so surprised that this song got no higher than #35 and lasted but two weeks on the chart, as I remember hearing this song all the time in 1976. 26: HAPPY DAYS – PRATT & McCLAIN (37) - 1976 was indeed the year for TV show themes, as many of those hit the chart over the year. This was one of my favorite TV shows, and definitely a long lasting one - wasn't it on the air for ten years? 25: THERE’S A KIND OF HUSH – THE CARPENTERS (12) - This successful brother/sister duo did several remakes and this was one of them, originally done by Herman's Hermits. I liked both versions about the same. 24: DREAM WEAVER – GARY WRIGHT (13) - Another one of my personal faves from back in the day. It has since lost some of its luster due to overplay, but it's still not bad. I do prefer his two other Top 40 hits, though. 23: LONELY NIGHT – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (11) - This song was OK. I do prefer it over the overplayed "Love Will Keep Us Together" and the hurl-inducing "Muskrat Love". It does not hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time", however. 22: RHIANNON (WILL YOU EVER WIN) – FLEETWOOD MAC (26) - This one looked like it could become their first Top Ten, but it just missed, peaking at #11 (it did hit the Top Ten on the R&R chart, though, getting as high as #8). They would finally hit the Top Ten in the spring of the following year with "Go Your Own Way". 21: MISTY BLUE – DOROTHY MOORE (25) - 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. 20: LIVIN’ FOR THE WEEKEND – THE O’JAYS (20) - A good TGIF type song. It wasn't bad, but definitely not as good as "Love Train" or "Use Ta Be My Girl". 19: STRANGE MAGIC – ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (22) - This was the third of a total of twenty hits for this English orchestral rock band. It was OK, but not one of my favorites from them, especially since I associate it with the royally depressing movie "The Virgin Suicides", (since it is played during the prom scene). 18: SARA SMILE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (23) - This was the one that started it all off for possibly the most successful duo of all time. It wasn't their best, but it was indeed passable. 17: TRYIN’ TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN – BARRY MANILOW (19) - One of the best balladeers of all time! And this was one of his best hits, IMO! 16: DECEMBER 1963 – THE FOUR SEASONS (14) - Wow, this might have had a hard fall from #1, but after that, it was gliding down the chart. I like this, but I am a little burned out on it, due to its new version being overplayed in 1994. 15: I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO, I DO - ABBA (17) - One of the most successful Swedish acts to hit the chart. This wasn't bad, but I prefer several others by them, especially "Dancing Queen" and "The Winner Takes It All". 14: SHANNON – HENRY GROSS (18) - And now we're up to the infamous "Dead Dog Dedication" song. This was written about the death of Beach Boy Carl Wilson's Irish Setter (and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Beach Boys sing back-up on this one?) 13: GET UP & BOOGIE – SILVER CONVENTION (28) - Wow @ the huge jump! I guess this one was popular because its lyrics were so easy to learn. Despite its huge jump, the song did not quite make it to #1 like their first hit - it was held out of #1 for three weeks by "Silly Love Songs". OPTIONAL EXTRA: TAKING IT TO THE STREETS - DOOBIE BROTHERS - Another song I remember quite well from 1976 (though one of the stations I listened to gave this one early action, so I associate it more with the spring). Definitely one of my all-time faves from them! 12: SILLY LOVE SONGS - WINGS (24) - Well, speak of the devil! This was the song that kept Silver Convention from collecting their second #1 hit. Anyway, this song was pretty good, but definitely not my favorite from them. 11: ONLY SIXTEEN – DR. HOOK (6) - Here's a song I don't remember, though I think the radio station might have played it a few times - it just didn't make an impression on me. It's an OK song, though, of course, my favorite of their Top 40 hits was "Better Love Next Time" about four years later. 10: LOVE HANGOVER – DIANA ROSS (29) - Wow! This was definitely on its way to #1 and was strong enough to interrupt Wings' stay at #1. Anyway, this song was so/so but I preferred her other 1976 #1. 9: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (9) - SCHWING! This song had two chart runs - and it hit the Top Ten both times (on the R&R chart, anyway). But on both that chart and the Hot 100, it definitely hit the Top Ten the first time around and spent a long time in the Top 40! This is definitely one of my favorite songs by Queen. 8: FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE – ELVIN BISHOP (10) - Of course everyone knows that Mickey Thomas sang lead on this one. Not sure if Elvin Bishop did any back-up singing or just played the guitar. This was another song I remember from back in the day, and I still like it as much as I did then! 7: SHOW ME THE WAY – PETER FRAMPTON (8) - This was the first of three songs from what would IIRC become the #1 album of 1976, Frampton Comes Alive. It was my favorite of the three (although I have started liking "Do You Feel Like We Do" a little more than I did previously). 6: DISCO LADY – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1) - Oddly enough, with all the songs I remember from back in the day, this wasn't one of them. The radio station that the contractors listened to (I forget which one), avoided R&B and disco songs. This one was both of them, so I don't remember hearing this one at all. EXTRA: BLUEBERRY HILL – FATS DOMINO - This was played as the final Optional Extra. 5: SWEET LOVE – THE COMMODORES (5) - I wasn't a huge fan of their earlier hits, like this, but did like many of their songs from the late-70s (as well as the early-80s, before Lionel Richie left the group to embark on a very successful solo career). 4: WELCOME BACK – JOHN SEBASTIAN (7) - This song was really burning up the chart. The song would hit #1 the following week in only its fifth week on and it seemed like a logical assumption that this song would spend several weeks on top but the top part of the chart was just too strong at this point for any song to spend more than a single week on top. Nevertheless, this was, IMO, one of the best TV show themes of all time! 3: BOOGIE FEVER – THE SYLVERS (4) - This was the first of two Top Five hits for this family group from Memphis and the biggest of the bunch, hitting #1 a few weeks later. This was also my favorite from them. 2: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM – MAXINE NIGHTENGALE (3) - She had two Top 40 hits, both of which hit the Top Five. My favorite one, however, was her other one, called "Lead Me On", which charted in the summer of 1979. This one was also pretty good, but quite overplayed. 1: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW – THE BELLAMY BROTHERS (2) - This was the first of three "kitchen songs" to hit #1 (as the previous two #1s had a disco beat to them and, hence, were not played on whatever station the builders had on. The other two were "Welcome Back" and "Silly Love Songs". I was glad this song hit #1 as it was a great one!
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Post by Hervard on Jun 1, 2019 6:58:30 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - May 11, 2019 This week's presentation - May 10, 1975 Droppers: WHAT AM I GONNA DO WITH YOU - BARRY WHITE (22) - Wow, the lowest dropper from last week was at #22! What year does that remind you of? Anyway, I wasn't generally a big fan of his. This song was not bad, but it sounded quite a lot like his 1974 #1 "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe". SUPERNATURAL THING - BEN E KING (21) - One of only two AT40 era songs that King had. This was so/so, but I preferred the other one. STAND BY ME - JOHN LENNON (20) - Hey wow, the week before, this song was back-to-back with a song by the guy who did the original! Besides those two versions, Spyder Turner charted with it in 1967, and Mickey Gilley's version for the Urban Cowboy soundtrack hit in 1980 (which would be my favorite of the bunch). This one was also pretty good IMO. EMMA - HOT CHOCOLATE (19) - Wow, all the droppers were bunched together on the chart the week before! Though I'm not a huge Hot Chocolate fan, I actually thought this one was really good. 40: LAST FAREWELL - ROGER WHITAKER (debut) - Those of you who grew up in the Chicagoland area in the 1970s might have deja vu with the beginning of this song, as Channel 9 WGN used this song for their station ID during the late 1970s/early 1980s, though I can't recall exactly when. As for the song itself, it was a good one - had sort of an Elvis-like sound to it. 39: GET DOWN, GET DOWN (GET ON THE FLOOR) - JOE SIMON (debut) - Casey mentioned that this song was #1 on the Soul chart this week. This was Simon's eighth and final Top 40 hit, but it turned out to be his biggest (and his very first Top Ten). I thought it was OK, but nothing exceptional. 38: SHAVING CREAM - PHIL WYNN (30) - LOL! Funny song! You could tell that it was recorded many years before - sounded quite out of place for 1975. BTW, I thought this was by Benny Bell. What, was there a Milli Vanilli-like scandal partway through this song's chart run? 37: THE BERTHA BUTT BOOGIE (PART 1) - JIMMY CASTOR BUNCH (16) - Wow, two novelty songs in a row! Jimmy Castor (and his Bunch) generally did novelty songs (as all four that made the Hot 100 were all classified as such). This song was OK, but a little goofy. 36: MAGIC - PILOT (debut) - Here's a true one-hit wonder. I liked this song - they sort of reminded me of ELO. 35: LOVIN' YOU - MINNIE RIPERTON (17) - EWWW, GET IT AWAY FROM ME!!! Well, OK, maybe it's not that bad, but it's just so CHEESY!! BTW, Casey mentions that the highest note she sings is just four notes lower than the highest key on the piano. Not true; it's an octave lower than that. Moreover, I don't think that Minnie really has a five-octave range. 34: SHAKEY GROUND - TEMPTATIONS (39) - Here's a song that couldn't seem to make up its mind which way it wanted to go, as it moved up to #37 two weeks before, dropped to #39 and now jumped back up five spots. This song was indeed on shaky ground! Anyway, the Temptations were definitely on their way out at this point, as this was their last Top 30 hit, but what a career they'd had! A total of 37 Top 40 hits. This one wasn't bad, but was your typical roof-raising R&B, and y'all know how I feel about that kind of music. 33: BAD LUCK (PART 1) - HAROLD MELVIN (38) - Not a fan of this one. My favorite from them would probably be "The Love I Lost". 32: WILDFIRE - MICHAEL MURPHEY (40) - He was mainly a country artist, but he had several Top 40 crossover hits, including this one. This was a great song, right up there with "Carolina In The Pines" and "What's Forever For". 31: RAINY DAY PEOPLE - GORDON LIGHTFOOT (37) - This was the only single released from Cold On The Shoulder, his only Top Ten album. Since my Mom played his records all the time when I was a little one, I'm very familiar with all of the songs on that particular album and thought they were all good. Though this song wasn't the best (has sort of a rainy day sound to it, to match its title), it's still a good one. 30: ONLY WOMAN - ALICE COOPER (36) - Surprised that this song missed the Top Ten, seeing that it hit the Top Five on R&R. Anyway, as we all know, I prefer his ballads over his hard rockers, and this was my favorite of the four slow songs that I've heard from him. 29: AUTOBAHN - KRAFTWERK (25) - The sole Top 40 hit for this German synthesizer band. It was a very interesting sounding song, I must say. 28: YOUNG AMERICANS - DAVID BOWIE (29) - This one kinda came and went - peaked right here and fell off the chart the following week. No matter; his next Top 40 hit would fare much better, hitting #1 during late summer. This song was OK, though I wasn't generally a huge fan. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PINBALL WIZARD - ELTON JOHN - This one never charted on AT40, due to never being released as a single, but no matter; Elton John had more chart hits in 1975 than he knew what to do with. This song did hit the R&R chart, peaking at #9. It was a great song, IMO! 27: DON'T TELL ME GOODNIGHT - LOBO (35) - His heyday was definitely in the early-70s, when he had three Top Ten hits up to early 1973. After that, though he had five more Top 40 hits, none of them could manage to break into the Top 20. This one peaked at #27 two week later. It was pretty good, but nothing impressive. 26: I'M NOT LISA - JESSI COLTER (34) - CHEEEEESE-fest... 25: THE IMMIGRANT - NEIL SEDAKA (31) - Definitely one of his most underrated hits ever! Lulu apparently thought so as well, as her hit from six years later "I Could Never Miss You (More Than I Do)" was a dead ringer for that song (in the choruses). 24: CUT THE CAKE - AVERAGE WHITE BAND (32) - This band either hit the Top Ten or missed the Top 30 entirely with their five hits. This was one of their two Top Ten hits - it's pretty much "Pick Up The Pieces" with lyrics. 23: LOVE WON'T LET ME WAIT - MAJOR HARRIS (27) - A former member of the Delfonics, he was a one-hit wonder as a solo artist. This was a good song - your typical mid-70s slow jam. 22: L-O-V-E (LOVE) - AL GREEN (18) - Al Green had quite a few chart hits during the early 1970s, including his hit before this one, "Sha La La (Makes Me Happy", which hit the Top Ten in 1974. This would be his final Top 20 hit until his comeback in late 1988, when he charted with his duet with Annie Lennox, "Put A Little Love In Your Heart". This song was pretty good, though I'm not generally a huge fan of his. 21: HIJACK - HERBIE MANN (26) - A word that could get you in trouble if you say it on a plane, even if you're greeting your friend whose name happens to be Jack. But seriously, this song was just so/so. 20: WHEN WILL I BE LOVED - LINDA RONSTADT (33) - It looked like she might have two #1 songs in a row, but alas, this song just barely missed. This was a great one, and was in a horse race with "Heat Wave" as my favorite of her 1975 hits. 19: SHOESHINE BOY - EDDIE KENDRICKS (23) - Though not as successful as his former band the Temptations, he did have a decent solo career (and he was indeed outdoing his old band this week). Anyway, this was a pretty good song, though nothing exceptional. 18: BAD TIME - GRAND FUNK (24) - They seemed to be on a roll, with six Top 20 hits in a row, this one peaking at #4, but after this, they would never again hit the Top 40. Although I liked all four of their Top Tens, this would likely be my favorite. 17: OLD DAYS - CHICAGO (debut) - Wow! What a high debut! Definitely looked like a #1 song in the making, but, unfortunately, that was not to be. The song did get up to #5, but spent only seven weeks in the Top 40 - an unusually short term for a Top Five record. In fact, this song's entire Top 40 run was spent well inside the Top 20. As for my opinion about this song - it's a great one! One of their best 70s hits! 16: SISTER GOLDEN HAIR - AMERICA (28) - The second of their two #1 hits. This was my favorite of the two (though "A Horse With No Name" was also a great one). 15: CHEVY VAN - SAMMY JOHNS (5) - He may have had only one big hit, but what a song it was! One of my favorite songs of the entire year! Too bad they edited the song this week, taking out the second chorus and final verse (when he lets her off in a town so small that you could throw a rock from end to end). That is somewhat pointless IMO, as it's a rather short song in the first place (clocks in at a little less than three minutes). With the second verse and chorus, its playing time wouldn't be much more than two minutes, if that. OPTIONAL EXTRA: GOOD LOVIN' GONE BAD - BAD COMPANY - Kind of a weird Optional Extra pick, as this song didn't get any higher than #36 and I don't think it even gets much recurrent airplay. As for the song, it was pretty good. 14: (THANK GOD I'M A) COUNTRY BOY - JOHN DENVER (15) - This song ran into a logjam here, but would still eventually make it to the top! No surprise there, as Denver was all over the charts in 1975! This was one of two #1 songs he had that year. It was a great one; very lively and fun! 13: KILLER QUEEN - QUEEN (14) - This was their breakthrough smash. It didn't quite hit the Top Ten, but it came close. 10cc's 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" reminds me a lot of this song. Both are great songs, IMO 12: IT'S A MIRACLE - BARRY MANILOW (13) - For the longest time, I thought "Copacabana" was Manilow's first upbeat song. I had no idea that he had any of those from so early in his career but, in fact, he upped the tempo for his second hit - presumably to show everyone that he could rock out just as well as he could chill out. Of course, he generally went with slow songs. Anyway, I think it goes without saying that I do not remember this song from its chart run. It was a good one, but my favorite of his 1975 hits was his next release, "Could It Be Magic". 11: HOW LONG - ACE (12) - The first of three bands to hit the Top 40 with Paul Carrack on lead vocals (well, technically, it would be two, as he had left Squeeze by the time they had their first Top 40 hit). Anyway, this was Ace's only big hit, but what a great one it was - one of my favorite songs involving Mr. Carrack! 10: I DON'T LIKE TO SLEEP ALONE - PAUL ANKA (11) - Most of his mid-70s hits tend to be on the cheesy side. This one is no exception, but it's still a good song nonetheless. 9: LONG TALL GLASSES (I CAN DANCE) - LEO SAYER (9) - This was his first of a handful of chart hits. It did well, peaking at #9, and the best was yet to come - two years later, he'd have two #1 hits as well as a Top 20. This song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from him, including two of said 1977 hits. 8: ONLY YESTERDAY - CARPENTERS (10) - They had hit #1 earlier in the year with their second chart topper, a cover of the Marvelette's classic "Please Mr. Postman", and looked like they might have another one, but this one didn't quite make it. It did peak at #4, which is great also. Anyway, of their three 1975 hits, this one was my favorite by a fair margin. 7: PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM - ELTON JOHN (4) - Here is the song that put an end to the longest revolving door of one-week #1 hits ever, by spending two weeks on top - just like his last song, whose second week at #1 was the week before said revolving door began. This song was OK, but it was quite overplayed (and still pops up regularly on oldies stations). I preferred many other hits from him, including many of his 1975 chart hits. 6: WALKING IN RHYTHM - BLACKBYRDS (8) - This was one of two songs for this soul group founded by Donald Byrd. I vaguely remember the other one, "Happy Music", but I seem to remember that I preferred this one. 5: SHINING STAR - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (7) - This song was on its way to becoming their very first and only #1 hit. A great song indeed, though I preferred "That's The Way Of The World", from the same year, meaning that 1975 was definitely one of their best years, IMO. 4: JACKIE BLUE - OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS (6) - This group from Springville, MO had charted the previous spring with the #25 hit "If You Wanna Get To Heaven" and returned a year later with a song that fared quite a lot better, peaking at #3. Of their two Top 40 hits, this is by far my favorite - a great one that I remember quite well (it was played as a recurrent for several years after it charted). 3: (HEY WON'T YOU PLAY) ANOTHER SOMEBODY DONE SOMEBODY WRONG SONG - B.J. THOMAS (2) - Odd that both of his #1 songs had long titles (though the first one wasn't anywhere near as long as this one, which comes in second as the longest #1 song title ever, due to the technicality of the Stars on 45 medley. As for the song, I like it, but I preferred said first #1 song ("Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head") as well as my favorite from him, "Hooked On A Feeling". Interesting story about him almost being killed by a stabbing only to recover and return to singing and touring much sooner than recommended by doctors. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE WILL KEEP US TOGETHER - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE - Well they got divorced three years ago, so apparently, this song is null and void But seriously, this was THE longest running #1 song of 1975 (spent four weeks up there), as well as the #1 song of the entire year. I myself am not a big fan of the song, but its saving grace is the fact that it was much better than their barf-inducing "Muskrat Love". Still, it doesn't hold a candle to "Do That To Me One More Time". 2: BEFORE THE NEXT TEARDROP FALLS - FREDDIE FENDER (3) - Meh, not one of the best hits of the year at all. It's hard to believe that this song made it to #1, as dated as it sounds. 1: HE DON'T LOVE YOU (LIKE I LOVE YOU) - TONY ORLANDO & DAWN (1) - Of course, we all know that 1975 was chock full of one-week #1 songs, but this song was an exception to the rule, as it was one of only five songs during the year to spend at least three weeks up there. The song was not bad, but definitely not their best.
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