Rockin' Remnants
Rockin' Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9pm! (Or download the WVBR+ app now available for iOS and Android!)
Date: May 24, 2014
Host: JS
Feature: Spotlight on the Hammond B3 Organ
Birthday Calendar
May 18 – Rick Wakeman (Yes) – age 65
May 19 – Pete Townshend (The Who) – age 69
May 20 – Cher – age 68
May 21 – Ronald Isley (Isley Brothers) – age 73
May 24 – Bob Dylan – age 73
– Patti LaBelle – age 70
About tonight's show:
JS - with apologies to Sly Stone - says "You might like to hear my organ (show)" tonight on Rockin' Remnants. A little bit of Farfisa, maybe a taste of Hohner, but most DEFINITELY a whole lot of the Hammond B3,
from 6-9 p.m. Eastern Time. Nothing but songs with prominent organ lines running through them on this beautiful holiday weekend. Got any non-negotiables???
Playlist
6-7pm
OPENING THEME: Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)
SONG TITLE – ARTIST (INFO)
* Graduation Day - Rover Boys (5/56; #16 - this is CU Graduation Weekend. The request came in last week and will be the only song tonight that doesn't follow the theme of the show. Congratulations to Eric Blumberg, Kevin Boyle, Julia Buffinton, Drew Endick, Juliana Garcia, Mike Mallon, Gizem Sakali and the rest of WVBR's graduating seniors. You've left an indelible mark on this place and will be missed.)
Now...let the games begin!
Stop! In the Name of Love - Supremes (3/65; #1 for two weeks - opening with a faded-up organ glissando played by Funk Brother James Gittens, this is widely considered the Supremes "signature song")
* Time Won't Let Me - Outsiders (2/66; #5 - a leftover request from two weeks ago with a prominent organ "wash" running throughout)
Batman Theme - Marketts (2/66; #17 - competing with Neal Hefti's version [both released to capitalize on the popularity of the new TV show on ABC], this was actually recorded by LA's famed "Wrecking Crew" with Carol Kaye on bass, Hal Blaine on drums and Tommy Tedesco on guitar. I'm not sure who played the organ on this one, but it's the highlight of the track.)
Hello Stranger - Barbara Lewis (5/63; #3 - with The Dells on background vocals, this Chicago session featured a signature organ riff provided by keyboardist John Young)
No Good to Cry - Wildweeds (6/67; #88 - this Connecticut high school band had one nationally-charting hit written by future NRBQ guitarist Al Anderson and featuring organist Ray Zeiner)
96 Tears - ? and the Mysterians (10/66; #1 - this Michigan-based Latino garage band featured a teen-aged Frank Rodriguez playing the Vox Continental organ)
Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song) - Buckinghams (9/67; #12 - their fifth of six mostly-Top 40 hits in 1967 featured Dennis Miccoli on keyboards)
* Let's Go Get Stoned - Ray Charles (5/66; #31, #1 R&B - written by Ashford & Simpson, featuring Billy Preston on organ; happy birthday to our long-time listener Carmen!)
Little Red Rooster - Sam Cooke (10/63; #11 - features Billy Preston on organ and Ray Johnson on piano)
* A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum (6/67; #5 - requested by two listeners [including a local 9 year-old who dedicated it "to Ms. Tom's 4th grade class at BJM School"] based on a Bach cantata and featuring Matthew Fisher on Hammond B3 organ)
* Strange Days - The Doors (9/67; not released as a single - the title track from their second album featured Ray Manzarek on the organ)
Itchycoo Park - Small Faces (11/67; #16 - this groovy psychedelic single featured Ian McLagan on Hammond organ)
Soul Limbo - Booker T & The MGs (7/68; #17 - this instrumental quartet served as the house band for Stax Records in Memphis, where they played on dozens and dozens of hit singles for acts including Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd and Isaac Hayes)
This Wheel's on Fire - Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity (7/68; #106, #5 U.K. - penned by Bob Dylan and drenched in psychedelic "phasing")
The Beat Goes On - Sonny & Cher (1/67; #6 - another hit single recorded by The Wrecking Crew with Carol Kaye on bass guitar; organ player's identity is unconfirmed)
* Positively 4th Street – Bob Dylan (10/65; #7 - recorded at the same sessions that produced the "Highway 61 Revisited" LP, this one features a signature Hammond organ lick played by the ubiquitous Al Kooper)
Roundabout – Yes (2/72; #13 - last week we played the full-length album version for drummer Bill Bruford's birthday. Tonight we play the edited 45 for keyboardist Rick Wakeman's birthday)
Who's That Lady – Isley Brothers (4/64; did not chart - re-recorded and released in 1973 as "That Lady," where it reached #7 on the Pop chart and got lots of FM radio play thanks to the blistering Jimi Hendrix-influenced guitar playing of younger brother Ernie Isley)
Midnight Confessions - Grass Roots (8/68; #5 - this record signaled the transition of this group from a Folk Rock outfit to a full-blown Pop "singles" band. Another Wrecking Crew performance!)
Try a Little Tenderness - Otis Redding (12/66; #25, #4 R&B - one of Otis' signature songs, featuring Booker T & The MGs and the Memphis Horns)
Baby It's You - Smith (9/69; #5 - the highest-charting version of this Burt Bacharach composition featured the sizzling vocals of Gayle McCormick and the organ playing of Larry Moss)
Incense & Peppermints - Strawberry Alarm Clock (9/67; #1 - their debut single spent one week at the top of the charts thanks, in part, to the organ playing of Mark Weitz)
* Sitting in the Park - Billy Stewart (6/65; #24 Pop, #4 R&B - this organ-drenched gem was the "Fat Boy's" highest-charting R&B hit)
In the Midnight Hour - Young Rascals (3/66; not released as a single - from their debut LP on Atlantic Records, driven by Felix Cavaliere's vocals and Hammond organ)
I Love You - People (4/68; #14 - the only charting single for this San Jose band was a cover of a Zombies tune written by Rod Argent)
You Keep Me Hangin' On – Vanilla Fudge (7/67; #67 Pop, re-released 7/68; #6 - their first of several psychedelic covers of '60s classics featured the soulful vocals and soaring organ of band member Mark Stein)
* House of the Rising Sun – Animals (9/64; #1 [3 weeks] Alan Price's organ lines were the best part of the song. M-G-M Records edited down the album version to a 2:58 single by editing out both solos and one of the verses. Tonight you hear the full 4:29 version)
* A Little Bit O' Soul – Music Explosion (5/67; #2 - released as a single on Laurie Records)
So I Can Love You – Emotions (5/69; #39 Pop, #3 R&B - the first charting single for this Chicago-bred R&B vocal trio featured the cheesiest organ line of the evening)
Evil Ways - Santana (1/70; #9 - the debut single from their first Columbia LP, with Gregg Rolie on Hammond organ. Check out the video from Woodstock!)
Save the Country - 5th Dimension (6/70; #27 - Laura Nyro wrote it, the 5th Dimension sang it and the Wrecking Crew played it, with a prominent organ line by Larry Knechtel)
Green-Eyed Lady - Sugarloaf (8/70; #3 Pop [2 weeks] Jerry Corbetta on vocals and organ)
Fire - The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (9/68; #2 - a worldwide smash [released in the States on Atlantic Records] featured Vincent Crane's Hammond organ as the main soloing instrument)
You've Made Me So Very Happy - Blood, Sweat & Tears (3/69; #2 - co-founder Al Kooper had already left the band, but Dick Halligan played the tasty organ part that plays out over the fade. Tonight you hear the extended LP version.)
* Hush - Deep Purple (8/68; #4 Pop - Joe South wrote it, Billy Joe Royal had the first hit with it, but Jon Lord played the organ on this, the definitive version of it)
Behind Blue Eyes - The Who (11/71; #34 - this one was written by guitarist and bandleader Pete Townshend, but tonight we hear an unreleased version that includes Al Kooper on the organ. A Rockin' Remnants exclusive!)
Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus - Serge Gainsborough & Jane Birkin (12/69; #58 Pop, #1 U.K. - despite being banned in many markets [and completely by the BBC], this steamy organ-driven single was a huge worldwide hit)
Easy to Be Hard - Three Dog Night (8/69; #4 - one of a number of charting songs originating in the Off-Broadway "Tribal Rock Musical" Hair, this one features the organ playing of Jimmy Greenspoon)
Host Next Week (DATE): KV with a spotlight on......
Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin' Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9pm on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca, NY) or at wvbr.com/listen.
