April 12, 2025 - JS - Back to the Movies!

 

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!)

 

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

Date:  4/12/25

Host:  John Simon

Feature:  Back to the Movies!

 We pick up where we left off last time on the eve of The Academy Awards presentation. Leftover classics, unfilled requests, trivia prizes and more. Make a batch of popcorn, find a comfy seat and let's go re-live those thrilling days of yesteryear!

 

 

 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia

 

 

Vikki Carr’s “It Must Be Him” is strongly linked to a certain film from the Eighties. Can you name the film AND quote a famous line from that movie? 

 

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist – and to find a glossary of terms)

 

 

Playlist

 

·      YouTube links follow certain entries

·      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

·      a glossary of terms is below the playlist

 

 

 

6-7pm 

 

 

OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)

 

The Syncopated Clock – Percy Faith (3/51; #12 – Channel 2 in NYC used this as its opening theme music for “The Late Show,” and again for “The Early Show,” and even later for “The Late Late Show.” Tonight we borrow it for our early Movie Music bed!)

 

 

Theme from “A Man and a Woman” – Francis Lai (11/66; NR – this haunting melody with a European flair spawned several covers, the most successful of which was by vocalist Tamiko Jones and flautist Herbie Mann. Francis Lai’s original never charted, but it’s the one I remember from back in the day.)

 

 

 

The Look of Love – Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 (5/68; #4 – this Bacharach/David composition was nominated for an Academy Award in 1968, and this group got to perform it at the televised ceremony. That gave sales a tremendous boost, helping them surpass Dusty Springfield’s earlier version in the chart race. It was, of course, from the James Bond film Casino Royale.)

 

 

*  Theme from “Shaft” – Isaac Hayes (11/71; #1 Pop and R&B – this was a leftover request from my previous show, and it was the Stax Records songwriter’s biggest hit. Note: some radio stations balked at the “ghetto” language, so the single edited out the words “damn right” and “a bad mother!” Going out at the suggestion of John-the-Drummer.)

 

 

 

One Tin Soldier – Coven (9/71; #26 – this song had been a middling hit for a group called “The Original Caste” back in 1969, but it was re-recorded for inclusion in the film Billy Jack. This new version would chart three times over the course of the next two years, with one of THEM being a re-recording released on another label!)

 

*  Where the Boys Are – Connie Francis (1/61; #4 – Connie made her acting debut in this Spring Break teen drama, and her idea for the songwriters behind her big hit “Stupid Cupid” to compose a song by this title. Their names were Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, and they came through in a big way. Going out to Barbara in Danby.)

 

 

 

*  Hello Dolly! – Louis Armstrong (5/64; #1 – Dixieland trumpeter Louis Armstrong recorded the title track for the Broadway show, and managed the remarkable feat of knocking The Beatles out of the number one slot that they’d held for the previous 14 weeks. It also won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Male Vocal Performance. Going out to Linda from Interlaken.)

 

 

 

*  Oogum Boogum Song – Brenton Wood (4/67; #34 – this was the first charting single from the Louisiana native, and it was most recently used in the Netflix documentary Will & Harper, highly recommended by our own Kim Vaughan.)

 

 

*  Rock ‘n’ Roll High School – The Ramones (8/79; DNC – this was the title track from the Punk Rock high school comedy starring The Ramones, and it was released as a single that mostly fell on deaf ears. Going out at the behest of listener John in Freeville!)

 

 

 

*  Exodus – Ferrante & Teicher (11/60; #2 – this was the stirring title track from an epic movie about the founding of Israel, and the soundtrack won the Academy Award and two Grammys that year. It was recorded by a wide range of artists, but this version was the most successful. Going out to listener Greg.)

 

 

If I Fell – The Beatles (8/64; #53 – Capitol released three singles from the band’s first feature film A Hard Day’s Night, and all six sides charted that summer. This was the designated B-side of “And I Love Her,” which reached #12. Long before there was auto-tune – and when the band was too busy to do overdubs – mistakes were often left as they’d occurred. An attentive listener noticed and commented on Paul’s inability to hit the high note in the last verse!)

 

 

Cry to Me – Solomon Burke (1/62; #44 Pop, #5 R&B – this song, along with a bunch of others from this era, was used to great effect in the film Dirty Dancing, a coming-of-age classic set in a Catskills resort. Nobody puts baby in the corner!)

 

 

(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (11/87; #1 – this was the main theme from Dirty Dancing, and paired Righteous Brother Bill Medley with Californian Jennifer Warnes. It won the Oscar for Best Original Song, along with a Grammy for Record of the Year.)

 

 

Too Late to Turn Back Now – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose (6/72; #2 for two weeks – one of the great songs from that summer, this was recently featured in a most memorable scene in Spike Lee’s film BlacKKKlansman. Check out the crowd dancing and singing along. And check out the movie, starring Denzel Washington’s son!)

 

 

The Happening – The Supremes (5/67; #1 Pop, #12 R&B – this was the final single released before Diana Ross was given top billing. Those of us who attended the John Rudan 50^th Anniversary event at The Hangar Theatre may have been surprised when he went on record as saying this was his favorite Supremes song. He’s also one of a handful of people I know who’ve seen the film!)

 

 

 

7-8pm

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

 

April 6 – Merle Haggard – born 1937

            – Louie Shelton (guitarist) – age 84

            – Danny Kortchmar (guitar) – age 79

 

 

 

April 7 – John Oates (Hall & Oates) – age 76

            – Janis Ian – age 74

     – Mongo Santamaria – born 1922

            – Percy Faith – born 1908

 

 

April 8 – Leon Huff – age 83

            – Steve Howe (Yes) – age 78

 

 

 

April 9 – Carl Perkins – born 1932

            – Steve Gadd (drummer) – age 80

 

 

April 12 – Herbie Hancock – age 85

            – John Kay (Steppenwolf) – age 81

 

 

Okie From Muskogee – Merle Haggard & The Strangers (11/69; #41 Pop, #1 C&W – this one exemplifies the friction between the Country crowd and the Peace-and-Love crowd back in the day, and was used to great effect in the film Platoon. It was also awarded the Country Music Award’s “Record of the Year” honors.)

 

 

 

Valleri – The Monkees (3/68; #3 for two weeks – this was originally a skeleton of a song created for an episode from the show, but the network was inundated with requests for it to be released as a single – and a couple radio stations even resorted to playing a bootlegged version taped from the TV. Session player Louie Shelton is actually the man playing those flashy guitar licks! You also know his work from “Last Train to Clarksville.”)

 

 

You Make My Dreams Come True – Hall & Oates (5/81; #5 – John Oates and Darryl Hall were listed as the co-writers of this one, which would be used to great effect nearly thirty years later in the film 500 Days of Summer. Watch the clip!)

 

 

You’ve Got a Friend – James Taylor (6/71; #1 – this Carole King song was JT’s only #1 single, and he had help from both Joni Mitchell on vocals and Danny Kortchmar on acoustic guitar. JT and “Kootch” had played together in the band called The Flying Machine, and their guitar interplay is simply mesmerizing. This one won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal.)

 

 

At Seventeen – Janis Ian (10/75; #3 – New Yorker Janis Ian wrote this song at the age of 23, and found it nominated for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year at that year’s Grammy Awards. More recently it was used in the 2004 film Mean Girls, which also had a character derisively called “Janis Ian” behind her back.)

 

 

Watermelon Man – Mongo Santamaria (3/63; #10 – pianist  Herbie Hancock composed this one, which went on to became conga player Mongo Santamaria’s biggest hit. We’ll hear both versions before the night is over.)

 

 

Theme from The Dark at the Top of the Stairs – Percy Faith (10/60; #101 – three competing versions of the title track from this film were released in October of 1960. Ernie Freeman’s was the highest charter at #70, but Percy’s was the most fluid and haunting.)

 

 

TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) – MFSB (4/74; #1 Pop and R&B – Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff were the masterminds behind Philadelphia International Records, recruiting the musicians, writing the material, creating the arrangements and signing the acts. Their crack session players were called “MFSB,” which they winkingly said stood for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother. Those in the know beg to differ.)

 

 

Your Move – Yes (9/71; #40 – the opening opus from their debut album was “I’ve Seen All Good People/Your Move,” and it ran about 7 minutes long. Atlantic Records released this 3½ minute edited version which opens with three voices and an acoustic guitar. One of those three voices AND the acoustic guitar were courtesy of Steve Howe.)

 

 

Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf (7/68; #2 – this thundered out of car speakers and juke boxes all that summer, and reappeared a year later in the countercultural film Easy Rider. Tonight we hear the explosive mono 45 version of the song which includes the line “heavy metal thunder,” a phrase that came to categorize a whole subgenre of Rock music.)

 

 

Boppin’ the Blues – Carl Perkins (7/56; #70 – the local Hangar Theatre has announced that their summer season opens with the musical The Million Dollar Quartet, featuring the music of young Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. We start promoting it here and now!)

 

 

Watermelon Man – Herbie Hancock (10/62; #124 – Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock wrote and recorded this for his Blue Note LP Taking Off, and his version featured horn players Freddie Hubbard and Dexter Gordon – but it was Mongo Santamaria’s version that paid Herbie’s bills for the next seven years or so.)

 

 

 

 

 

8-9pm

 

Late in the Evening – Paul Simon (8/80; #6 – we wrap up the birthday calendar with session percussionist Steve Gadd’s extraordinary drumming on this number from Paul Simon’s film One Trick Pony. Apparently, Gadd used one pair of drumsticks in each of his two hands to make it sound like two drummers playing at once.)

 

 

 

*  Wham Bam Shang-a-Lang – Silver (6/76; #16 – young John Batdorf had recently split with duo partner Mark Rodney to form the band Silver, and this was their one big hit. It resurfaced years later in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy film trilogy, exposing it to a whole new audience.)

 

 

*  Stuck in the Middle With You – Stealer’s Wheel (5/73; #6 – Quentin Tarantino chose this song for a disturbing scene in his film Reservoir Dogs, and it really stuck with my buddy JR who suggested it for this show. After the band dissolved, singer Gerry Rafferty would branch out on his own.)

 

 

*  Tiny Dancer (45 version) – Elton John (3/72; #41 – the full-length LP version clocked in at 6:16, but MCA released a shorter version for radio play. We play that version tonight, inspired by a scene from the Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous. It may be time to watch it again!)

 

 

It Must Be Him – Vikki Carr (9/67; #3 for two weeks – this record got its second wind when it appeared repeatedly in the 1987 film Moonstruck. Vince Gardenia plays Cher’s character’s father, who listens to the song repeatedly as he’s apparently signaling that he’s having an extramarital affair. Unfazed, his wife keeps telling him “Cosmo, you’re gonna die.”)

 

 

Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield (2/74; #7 – talk about a radio edit…this 3-minute version was trimmed down from 39 minutes on the album. It’s also inextricably linked to the horror film The Exorcist. Remember that one???)

 

 

Love Theme from Romeo & Juliet – Henry Mancini (6/69; #1 for four weeks – this musical piece was ubiquitous back in the summer of 1969, and it sonically captured some of the beauty of Franco Zeffirelli’s blockbuster film. It was sad to hear of Olivia Hussey’s passing back at Christmastime, and sobering to hear that she’d somehow become 73!)

 

 

*  Sunshine of Your Love – Cream (1/68; #5 – I got a message out of the blue from a guy I went to high school with in NYC, who asked me to play this one – featured in one of his favorite scenes from the Scorcese film Goodfellas. This is the full-length version from the Disraeli Gears LP.)

 

 

Bring a Little Lovin’ – Los Bravos (5/68; #51 – when it comes to using popular music to capture a time and place, Quentin Tarantino is a master. This song was but one of many highlights in his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which relies heavily on the music and jingles played on KRLA in the late Sixties. The band’s biggest hit was “Black is Black,” but this one merits a listen.)

 

 

The Dark End of the Street – The Commitments (10/91; dnc – one of the great Music movies of the Nineties was this Irish film about the formation of a white Soul band in Dublin. A number of singles were released from the soundtrack LP, although only one of them charted. All of them were actually performed by the cast.)

 

 

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted – Joan Osborne and The Funk Brothers (2002; NR – meanwhile, one of the greatest Music documentaries of all time was the film about the musicians behind all of Motown’s hit records. Standing in the Shadows of Motown combines vintage footage and interviews with current-day interpretations of classic Motown tunes. This is my very favorite of them all!)

 

 

Strange Magic – Electric Light Orchestra (3/76; #14 – we had a request to play ELO’s version of “Xanadu,” but I couldn’t find it anywhere. At the last minute I grabbed this one, featured in the 2004 film Ella Enchanted starring Anne Hathaway. And….that’s a wrap! See you on May 3^rd.)

 

 

 

CLOSING THEME:  Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

 

Trivia Answer

 

 

The song “It Must Be Him” was featured prominently in the film Moonstruck. The line quoted by the caller was “Cosmo, you’re gonna die.” Other classic lines are “You’re a wolf!” and “Johnny Cammareri....”

 

Congratulations to John from Ithaca, for correctly answering the question and winning a $25 gift card to Bickering Twins Restaurant and Tequila Bar!

 

 

 

Glossary of Terms:

dnc = did not chart

nr = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records

BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records

R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records

RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time

 

 

 

 

Host Next Week (4/19/25):  Jan Hunsinger with a spotlight TBD

 

 

 

Thanks for tuning in - and for voting us Ithaca's Best Local Radio Show in the most recent Ithaca Times Readers' Poll! 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.

 

Thanks, too, to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

April 5, 2025 - JR - Fiftieth Anniversary Show!

 

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!)

 

Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!

Date:  4/5/25

Host:  John Rudan

Feature:  JR’s 50^th Anniversary Show

 

 

 It is fifty years to the day since John Rudan first sat behind the microphone in Air One to host The Rockin' Remnants Show on WVBR. He's seen general managers and program directors and co-hosts come and go, but he's never wavered when it comes to delivering excellent programming, with an encyclopedic knowledge of - and excellent taste in - music. Tonight he opens with the first song that he ever played on the air, followed by 90 minutes of the music that was on the radio in 1975. The final 90 minutes will be devoted to the "progressive" FM tracks that he came to love as he grew and evolved. No requests and no Birthday Calendar tonight: just a celebration of his fifty years on Rockin' Remnants!

 

  

Playlist

 YouTube links follow certain entries

·      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

·      a glossary of terms is below the playlist

 

6pm - Songs on the BB Hot 100

 

Paint It, Black - Rolling Stones #1 - First song I played on Remnants 50 years ago!  This is the only one I remember…

 

Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John Band #2 - The only single released as the EJ Band.

 

Express - B.T. Express #4 

 

Lady Marmalade - LaBelle #7, dropping from #1. - Patti LaBelle first hit the Hot 100 with “I Sold My Heart To The Junkman” in 1962.  Banned in many markets for alleged drug reference.

 

* Interview segment with Remnants co-host JS

 

Have You Never Been Mellow - ONJ #10 - My teenage crush after Lori Partridge!

 

Chevy Van - Sammy Johns #12 - Rock critics lambasted this song for its trite subject matter.  Hey, what's more 70’s than a Chevy Van? 

 

Harry Truman - Chicago #16 - I bought just about every single from Chicago in the mid-70’s including this one.

 

Before The Next Teardrop Falls - Freddie Fender #17* - Alias of Baldemar J. Huerta, but great name for a musician 

 

Love Won't Let Me Wait - Major Harris   #5 Pop, #1 R&B

 

Sun Goddess - Ramsey Lewis & E, W & F - “Vocal” supplied by Philip Bailey of EWF.

 

Fire - Ohio Players  #1 Pop and R&B

 

Bad Time - Grand Funk   #5   

 

Amie - Pure Prairie League #44* - Lead singer Craig Fuller was a latter-day member of Little Feat!

 

Young Americans - David Bowie #51* - Bowie recorded this with TSOP studio band of Philadelphia.

 

Can’t Get It Out Of My Head - ELO #57 - Jeff Lynne was a master of hard to understand vocals.  Good thing Google came around!

 

Best Of My Love - Eagles #59 - The first #1 record for my favorite 70’s band!

 

* Interview visit with Remnants hosts KV, JH and GJ

 

Jackie Blue - Ozark Mt. Daredevils #26* - The 45 cuts out the bridge: Every day in your indigo eyes…

 

7:30 - 9:30 Progressive songs and artists

 

What Can I Say - Pousette Dart - Band from New England who scored big with LP Amnesia.  Well, on FM stations anyway…

 

The Man Who Built America - Horslips - This Irish band played a free concert on “Slope Day” at Cornell, ‘78 or ‘79?

Ooh Child - Valerie Carter - Great blue-eyed soul version of the hit by The Five Stairsteps.

 

Genesis - Jorma Kaukenen - First solo effort from the original guitarist of the Jefferson Airplane.

 

Willin’ - Little Feat - This was definitely my favorite FM group after Three Dog Night and Eagles on the AM radio.

 

Custard Pie - Led Zeppelin - The lead track of Zep’s sprawling double album Physical Graffiti!

 

Frank & Jesse James - Warren Zevon - Ok, WZ was my favorite solo artist of the 70’s…

 

Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd - I can’t remember if I wore out this along with The Wall!

 

Glad - Traffic - I knew nothing about this band until I started hanging out at WVBR.  What a great discovery.

 

Hypnotized - Fleetwood Mac - Bob Welch was the lead vocalist in this version of FMac, 1971 - 1974.  He had a moderate solo career after that.

 

Powderfinger - Neil Young - WVBR had a Midnight Movie screening of Live Rust at The Pyramid Mall.  I loved Neil (late 70’s) but fell asleep about halfway through, although I did see the whole thing on VHS?

 

Billy the Kid - Billy Joel - From the Piano Man album, a tribute to one of his musical heroes, Aaron Copland.

 

Carpet of the Sun - Renaissance - Lead singer Annie Haslem had one of the best female voices of the 70’s, but never received the recognition of, let’s say, Linda Ronstadt.

Here At The Western World - Steely Dan - My nickname at the station for a time was “Steely Rudan”!  Guess I played them alot?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Host Next Week (4/12/25):  John Simon with a spotlight on More Movie Music

 

 

 

Thanks for tuning in - and for voting us Ithaca's Best Local Radio Show in the most recent Ithaca Times Readers' Poll! 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.

 

Thanks, too, to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!