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: 1/24/15
Host: John Simon & Kim Vaughan
Feature: Alternate Universe Oldies, Pt. II
Birthday Calendar
Jan 18 – Bobby Goldsboro – age 74
– David Ruffin (Temptations) – born in 1941
Jan 19 – Phil Everly – born in 1939 (d. 1/13/14)
– Dolly Parton – age 69
Jan 21 – Mac Davis – age 73
Jan 22 - Sam Cooke - born in 1935
Jan 24 – Ray Stevens – age 76
– Neil Diamond – age 74
– Aaron Neville – age 74
– Tammi Terrell – born in 1946
Playlist
[yellow song titles are YouTube links; songs with * were requests; all chart information comes from the Billboard Top 100 (for chart dates before/during July 1958) or Billboard Hot 100 (for chart dates during/after Aug 1958) unless otherwise noted]
6-7pm
OPENING THEME: Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)
Mickey's Monkey/Love Lights Medley - Young Rascals (1/67; from the LP Collections - a terrific example of one of NY's hottest bar bands doing what they did best. Check out this video!)
Papa's Got a Brand New Bag - Otis Redding (11/68; #21 * #10 R&B - released by Atco Records nearly a year after Otis' death in a plane crash. JB's original spent eight weeks at #1 on the R&B chart!)
You're the One - Petula Clark (1965; from her I Know a Place LP - written by Tony Hatch, this one would be covered by The Vogues several months later and reach #4 on the Pop chart)
Cheryl's Goin' Home - Cascades (4/66; #131 - Bob Lind's original version was the intended A-side of the hit Elusive Butterfly. Several acts including the Blues Project and Cher recorded it, but the Cascades' version was closest to the original.)
I'm Into Something Good - Earl-Jean (6/64; #38 - this singer from The Cookies had first crack at this Goffin-King tune. Herman's Hermits would ride this one to the top of the British charts a few months later, and reach #13 here in the States.)
A World Without Love - Bobby Rydell (5/64; #80 - released on the same day as Peter & Gordon's version, but Bobby's version stalled at #80 while P&G rode the British Invasion wave all the way to the top of the charts.)
Pied Piper - Changin' Times (11/65; #87 - Crispian St. Peters would record this same tune several months later and reach #4.)
Needles and Pins - Jackie DeShannon (5/63; #84 - co-written by Jack Nitzsche and Sonny Bono, this one would reach greater heights when recorded by The Searchers, who sang it as "needles and pinza.")
Gimme Some Lovin' - Jordan Bros. (1/67, #129 - this quartet of Pennsylvania siblings released their single before songwriter Stevie Winwood's version with the Spencer Davis Group came out. The Jordan Brothers actually reached #1 in Boston and Baltimore and parts of Pennsylvania, but the Spencer Davis Group had the definitive version.)
96 Tears - Big Maybelle (1/67; #96 Pop, #23 R&B - a soulful re-make of the #1 smash for ? and the Mysterians.)
You've Made Me So Very Happy - Brenda Holloway (9/67; #39 - this is the original version of the song that would launch the David Clayton-Thomas era of Blood Sweat & Tears' reign of hits. They'd take it to #2 Pop in early 1969.)
* Walk Away Renee - Four Tops (2/68; #14 - this had been a Top-5 hit for the Left Banke in the Fall of '66. Shortly after songwriters Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in a contract dispute, somebody suggested that the Tops record this "oldie." Pretty nice....)
I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself - Tommy Hunt (8/64; #119 - pre-dating Dionne Warwick's #26 hit version by two full years, this one suffered from lack of label support. Dusty Springfield had a hit with it in the UK and The White Stripes had a hit with it here in the States in 2003)
Don't Be Cruel - Barbara Lynn (2/63; #93 - one of a number of low-charting singles released on the Jamie Records label. Elvis, of course, had a huge hit with it in 1956. Notice that Elvis got a writing credit on the Barbara Lynn version!)
Come On and See Me - Tammi Terrell (6/66; #80 Pop, #25 R&B - one of her final solo recordings, before being teamed with Marvin Gaye. Her recording career had begun years earlier in her home town of Philadelphia, under the name Tammy Montgomery)
Your Precious Love - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (9/67; #5 Pop, #2 R&B for five weeks - one of a string of shimmering duets by the duo dubbed "America's sweethearts" by the Motown publicity team. Tammi famously collapsed in Marvin's arms at a show in Virginia as this one climbed the charts. She would eventually die from the brain tumor that led to her collapse.)
Red Red Wine - Neil Diamond (4/68; #62 - this one would later be an international best-seller for the Reggae group UB-40, adding handsomely to songwriter Neil Diamond's bank account.)
Over You - Aaron Neville (9/60; #111 Pop, #21 R&B. Neville wouldn't make it onto the Pop charts again until six years later, when the song Tell It Like It Is -- after having been rejected by several record labels in New Orleans and NYC -- would become a gold record.)
Don't Drop Out - Dolly Parton (3/66; dnc - produced by Ray Stevens, this record was an attempt by Dolly Parton to start a career as a Pop singer. When that failed, she turned to Country music. This may be the best Shangri-Las record they never made.)
Little Things - Bobby Goldsboro (1965, #13 - written by Goldsboro, arranged and conducted by Bill Justis, and produced by Ray Stevens)
My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) - David Ruffin (1969, #9 -- his first solo hit after leaving The Temptations)
Baby, Don't Get Hooked On Me - Mac Davis (1972, #1 for three weeks - written by Davis, one of fifteen Hot 100 recordings by this Lubbock TX native. He was renowned as a songwriter -- In the Ghetto was written by Davis -- and also had some success as an actor.)
Summertime (Pt. I) - Sam Cooke (1957, #81 -- one of countless versions of this Gershwin tune, including five which made it onto the Hot 100)
* Another Saturday Night - Cat Stevens (1974, #6 -- more than ten years after Sam Cooke's version of the song had peaked at #10 in 1963)
* We Can Work it Out - Stevie Wonder (1971, #13 -- the Beatles had spent three weeks at the top of the chart with this song in 1966)
* Crazy - Willie Nelson (1962 -- Nelson wrote the song, and it was a #9 Pop and #2 Country song for Patsy Cline in 1961. He recorded the song the following year for his album And Then I Wrote.)
Dream Lover - Paris Sisters (1964, #91 -- check out this lovely cover of the Bobby Darin tune!)
I Love How You Love Me - Bobby Vinton (1968, #9 -- this song gave the Paris Sisters their biggest success, peaking at #5 for them in 1961)
Goin' Out of My Head - Zombies (1967, dnc -- a cover of the song that Little Anthony & The Imperials brought to #6 in 1964)
Fire & Rain - RB Greaves (1970, #82 - written by James Taylor, this song was a #3 hit for Taylor in 1970. Low-charting covers were released by RB Greaves and Johnny Rivers the same year.)
Ain't That Peculiar - Fanny (1972, #85 - this all-female band from California gave a whole new sound to Marvin Gaye's top ten hit from 1965)
Hurting Each Other - Ruby & Romantics (1969, #113 - three years later this would be a #2 song for the Carpenters)
A Little Bit of Soap - Paul Davis (1970, #52 - one of five versions of this song to hit the Hot 100. The highest-charting was the first, when The Jarmels brought it to #12 in 1961.)
Sweet Caroline - Bobby Womack (1972, #51 -- Neil Diamond's version peaked at #4 in 1969. Bobby Womack's version was the b-side of the higher-charting Harry Hippie.)
Sugar Sugar - Wilson Pickett (1970, #25 - a nice take on the song that had been a #1 hit for The Archies the previous year, Pickett's version reached #4 on the R&B chart!)
Nights On Broadway - Candy Staton (1977, #102; #16 R&B -- the original by the Bee Gees peaked at #7 in 1975)
* Matchbox - Beatles (1964, #17 - originally released by Carl Perkins as a b-side in 1957, tonight's version comes to you from the Capitol LP called Something New: The Beatles. Ringo sang lead. )
Day Tripper - Ramsey Lewis (1967, #74. Lewis brings his distinctive piano style to this 1966 top ten Beatles tune.)
Hush - Woody Herman (1969, dnc - Joe South wrote the song, Billy Joe Royal brought it to #52 in 1967, and it was a #4 hit for Deep Purple in 1968.)
I Can Hear Music - Larry Lurex (Larry Lurex was also known as Freddie Mercury; his cover of this song peaked at #115 in 1973.)
In the Midnight Hour - Cross Country (1973, #30. Cross Country consisted of 3/4 of The Tokens. Their version of Wilson Pickett's song (which Pickett co-wrote with Steve Cropper) is worth a listen!
She Lets Her Hair Down - Don Young (12/69; #104 - one of three versions released on this date, all of them based on a shampoo commercial. The Tokens reached #61 and Gene Pitney stalled at #89. Don Young's version was on the Bang records label, and failed to crack the Hot 100)
9-9:30pm (overtime!)
Good Vibrations - Todd Rundgren (6/76; #34 - released ten years after the Beach Boys topped the charts with it, this single was taken from Todd's aptly named album called Faithful)
Walk Away Renee - Orpheus (1968 - a lovely lilting version of the Left Banke tune from one of their three low-charting albums)
A Whiter Shade of Pale - RB Greaves (12/70; #82 - a surprisingly faithful-to-the-original take on the Procol Harum hit from the Summer of Love, this one on the Atco label)
(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me - Lou Johnson (8/64; #49 - this was the first of five charting versions of the Bacharach-David tune, pre-dating Dionne Warwick's version by four years. The biggest hit would belong to the Techno Pop outfit called Naked Eyes in 1983: #8)
* Pancho & Lefty - Willie Nelson with Merle Haggard (1983; #1 C&W -- penned by the late Townes Van Zandt and requested by our friend David in Vancouver.)
I Only Have Eyes for You - Art Garfunkel (8/75; #18 - this lovely ballad reached #11 for the Flamingos in June of 1959.)
CLOSING THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Host Next Week (Jan 31): John Rudan with a spotlight on 1969
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.
