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: 9/2/17
Host: John Simon
Feature: Early September 1964
Tonight on Rockin' Remnants: It's September 2, 1964. The British
Invasion was in full swing, but Detroit and New York and California were
pushing back strong. I've got Kitchen Theater tix, Luna Street Food
Trivia, your requests and a cool birthday calendar. 6-9 on 93.5 (or wvbr.com) and we're picking up the tab....
Birthday Calendar
August 29 – Michael Jackson – born in 1959
August 30 – John Phillips (Mamas & Papas) – born in 1935
August 31 – Van Morrison – age 72
September 1 – Archie Bell – age 73
– Barry Gibb (Bee Gees) – age 71
– Conway Twitty – born in 1933
Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia
Audio cues tonight:
- the third person who calls after I play a song that mentions "the kitchen" wins Kitchen Theatre tickets
- the third person who calls when I start playing a song that mentions Labor Day wins a $20 gift card to Luna Street Food
(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)
Playlist
[songs in bold are from the spotlight date of DATE; 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)
A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles (at #8 this week, down from a peak of #1 for two weeks - the film of the same name yielded 7 charting singles, and the title song opens with what is arguably the most famous chord to have no name. Go here for a fabulous 2-minute dissection of said chord by Randy Bachman!)
Rag Doll - 4 Seasons (at #33 this week after two weeks at the top - the British Invasion was in full swing, but this song recorded in NYC spent two weeks at #1 and was starting to fall as their follow-up single was rising. Stay tuned...it's coming soon)
Where Did Our Love Go - Supremes (at #2 after two weeks at #1 - the girls from Detroit had knocked Frankie Valli & Co. out of the top slot for their own two-week run. This was the first of five consecutive #1's for the trio!)
House of the Rising Sun - Animals (in its first of three weeks at #1 - another British band zooms to the top with this iconic re-working of an old American Folk tune. Tonight we hear the full-length version with Alan Price's sizzling organ licks uncut and in stunning stereo.)
* G.T.O. - Ronny & The Daytonas (at #10, headed to #4 - Ronny was really from Nashville, and there really were no "Daytonas" - but his California sound was right out of the Beach Boys' playbook. This would be his biggest hit....)
Last Kiss - J. Frank Wilson & Cavaliers (debuting at #73, headed to #2 - the original was by Wayne Cochran back in 1961, but this was the definitive version until Pearl Jam had a hit with it in 1999. They also reached #2!)
Because - Dave Clark 5 (at #4, headed to #3 - one of the prettiest songs of the British Invasion, featuring the uncredited star of the band: singer Mike Smith.)
Save It For Me - 4 Seasons (at #31, headed to #10 - as Rag Doll was falling, this one was climbing. Check out the soaring falsetto vocals of Frankie Valli!)
* Dandy - Herman's Hermits (10/66; #5 - the Hermits rode in on the second wave of the British Invasion and Peter Noone is still on the touring circuit. Listener Lew requested anything by the group, but especially one of their "dance hall-flavored" numbers. This cover of a Kinks tune should do the trick.)
We'll Sing in the Sunshine - Gale Garnett (at #24, headed to three weeks at #4 - tinged with a mournful harmonica line, this was an unlikely hit at the time. It spent three weeks trying to climb to the top, but the competition was tough.)
* 20-75 - Willie Mitchell (at #63, headed to #31 - a bluesy guitar instrumental from Chicago on the Hi Records label, requested by our buddy George)
Maybe I Know - Lesley Gore (at #16, headed to #14 - one of a string of bouncy hits by the girl from Tenafly, NJ on the Mercury label.)
* Billy Don't Be a Hero - Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods (5/74; #1 - requested by a listener whose daughter's fiance is being deployed, here's a song about a guy in similar straits about 40 years ago. Let's hope that the outcome is different!)
* Save the Country - Laura Nyro (1968; dnc - this was released as a single on the Columbia label and written shortly after the assassinations of Dr. King and RFK. The 5th Dimension would take it to #10 about two years later.)
Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) - Temptations (at #102, headed to #26 - another in a great string of singles featuring Eddie Kendricks on lead vocals. Within a few months, David Ruffin would be handling most of the lead vocals. Either way, the listening public wins!)
I've Gotta Get a Message to You - Percy Sledge (1969; dnc - a beautifully soulful interpretation that was only released as an album track here in the States. The Bee Gees took it to the Top Ten in 1968.)
Nights on Broadway - Candi Staton (6/77; #102 Pop, #16 R&B - a driving dance beat propelled this excellent cover up the R&B charts. The Bee Gees took it to #7 on the Pop chart a year-and-a-half earlier.)
Oh What a Dream - Conway Twitty (9/60; #106 Pop. 9/71; #50 C&W - this just missed the Pop chart in 1960, but landed smack in the middle of the Country chart eleven years later!)
I Can't Stop Dancin' - Archie Bell & The Drells (8/68; #9 Pop, #5 R&B - the follow-up to their big crossover #1 smash Tighten Up was another novelty dance tune. They didn't only sing, but they danced just as good as they walked.)
* Here Comes the Night - Lulu (11/64; #50 UK - this came out a year before Van Morrison's group Them hit with it. Both versions featured the production assistance and jangly guitar licks of a fellow named Jimmy Page.)
* (There's) Always Something There (To Remind Me) - Lou Johnson (at #63, headed to #49 - before Dionne Warwick was elevated to Star status, she sang background on a number of Bacharach-David records including this one. This was the first charting version of this oft-recorded gem.)
Handy Man - Del Shannon (down to #39 after peaking at #22 - cool cover of the Jimmy Jones hit, as interpreted by the guy from Michigan. James Taylor would hit with it about ten years later.)
Let It Be Me - Jerry Butler & Betty Everett (debuting at #72 and headed all the way to #5 - this stirring cover of the Everly Brothers out-performed the original, which made it to #7 in early 1960)
Tragedy - The Fleetwoods (4/61; #10 - three high school kids from the Pacific northwest keep scoring big hits. This had been a #5 hit for Thomas Wayne in early 1959.)
Shake, Rattle & Roll - Big Joe Turner (5/54; #22 Pop, #1 R&B for three weeks - this one spent 32 weeks on the R&B chart! "Get into that kitchen, make some noise with them pots and pans!")
* You Never Can Tell - Chuck Berry (peaking this week at #14 - one of a string of great comeback singles for Chuck Berry after his release from prison on trumped-up charges for allegedly violating the Mann Act.)
Baby, I Need Your Lovin' - Four Tops (at #25, headed to a peak of #10 - this was the first nationally-charting single from one of Motown's biggest acts. Johnny Rivers and OC Smith would also chart with it over the next few years.)
*When I Grow Up to Be a Man - Beach Boys (peaking at #9 - the guy requesting it was comparing the lyrical content to the Beatles' When I'm Sixty-Four and marveling at the level of insight both young writers showed. Contemporary geniuses from separate continents on the same record label.)
Wouldn't It Be Nice - Beach Boys (7/66; #8 - this song goes out to the two young women who were dancing at Six Mile Creek Winery the other night. One discreetly asked a member of the band if they could play it. They did, and at the end she dropped to one knee and asked her dance partner to marry her. The answer was a resounding "Yes!" and the whole crowd cheered.)
* Still the One - Orleans (8/76; #5 - inspired by the story above, a long-time listener called this one in and dedicated it to his long-time wife. Love was in the air on this night!)
Let's Groove (Part I) - Archie Bell & The Drells (2/76; #7 R&B - an infectious dance hit on Philadelphia's TSOP Records label. Happy birthday to band leader Archie Bell.)
Hello Mary Lou - Ricky Nelson (5/61; #9, #2 in the UK - this was released as a B-side in the States and features a sizzling guitar solo from Ricky Nelson's sidekick James Burton. Elvis would later recruit Burton for his road band and eventually John Denver would do the same!)
45 Corner: Love Lost - Jimmy Burton (4/65; dnc - this was released on the Miramar Records label when James Burton attempted to launch a solo career. It didn't pan out, so he returned to session work and to touring with some of the industry's biggest stars.)
Mississippi - John Phillips (5/70; #32 - the only single released under his own name for the founder of the Mamas & Papas. Among the session players here were James Burton, Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn, Hal Blaine and Darlene Love's Blossoms. What a line-up!)
And I Love Her - The Beatles (peaking on this date at #12 - this is one of seven charting singles from their first-ever feature film - and maybe the prettiest.)
I'm On the Outside Looking In - Little Anthony & The Imperials (at #36, headed to a peak of #15 - smooth soul from the young Brooklyn Doo Wop quartet.)
Crazy Love - Van Morrison(4/70; dnc - This is Track 4 from his Moondance album, which could almost be considered a "greatest hits" LP. For a more thorough exploration of his career, check out last Thursday's playlist from WVBR here.)
September - Earth Wind & Fire (11/78; #8 Pop, #1 R&B - this record always sound good, but especially so during the ninth calendar month.)
Come Monday - Jimmy Buffet (5/74; #30 - the very first charting single for the King of the Parrotheads was this sweet ballad about coming home from touring after "the Labor Day weekend show.")
45 Corner: Natalia (Edit) - Van Morrison (9/78; dnc - pulled as a single from his Wavelength LP, this surprisingly didn't chart. Tonight we hear a radio station promo edit.)
Can't Get Over the Bossa Nova - Eydie Gorme (at #95, headed only to #87 - trying to capture the success of her previous Bossa Nova hit, this one deserved better than a peak at #87. Maybe she should've tried a British accent?)
Goodnight Baby - Butterfly's (bubbling under at #126, headed to a peak of #51 - Ellie Greenwich wrote it and contributed some vocal support. The apostrophe is anybody's guess....)
Trivia Answer
Shake, Rattle & Roll by Big Joe Turner mentions "the kitchen."
Come Monday by Jimmy Buffet mentions "Labor Day weekend."
Congratulations to Elise from Danby and Jack from Etna, for correctly answering the respective questions and winning the corresponding prizes (see top)!
Host Next Week (9/9/17): Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on September 1965
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.
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