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!)
·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
6:00 - 7:00
OPENING THEME: Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi Hendrix)
War - Edwin Starr (1970 - #1: song topped the charts for three weeks and Bruce Springsteen is performing it as the opening song on his current tour)
Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - The Dramatics (1971 - #9: first charting single for the soul group from Detroit)
You Brought the Joy - Freda Payne (1971 - #52: minor hit for the artist best-known for "Band of Gold")
*Keeper of the Castle - The Four Tops (1972 - #10: first charting single for the group after they left Motown and signed with ABC/Dunhill Records)
Oh Girl - The Chi-Lites (1972 - #1: Chicago quartet formed in 1959 when the members were in high school)
Everybody Plays the Fool - The Main Ingredient (1972 - #3: a million-seller for the Harlem group and one of 11 charting singles)
Clean Up Woman - Betty Wright (1972 - #6: song made its chart debut on 11/27/71 and peaked the following year)
Going in Circles - The Friends of Distinction (1969 - #15: the L.A. group was 'discovered' by football great Jim Brown)
Freddie's Dead - Curtis Mayfield (1972 - #4: song from the movie "Superfly")
One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (Pt. 1) - The Honey Cone (1972 - #15: song made its chart debut on 11/20/71; we heard the 3:45 single version, Parts 1 and 2 together clock in at over 7:00)
Everything's Tuesday - Chairmen of the Board (1970 - #38: when the Holland-Dozier-Holland trio left Motown they signed this group to their new Invictus record label and produced this minor hit)
Too Late to Turn Back Now - Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose (1972 - #2: "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers kept this song out of the #1 spot)
Groovy Situation - Gene Chandler (1970 - #12: one of 27 charting singles the "Duke of Earl" had from 1961 - 79)
Use Me - Bill Withers (1972 - #2: Michael Jackson's "Ben" held down the top spot on the BB Hot100)
7:00 - 8:00 The Birthday Calendar
April 5: Tony Williams (The Platters) - b. 1928 Crispian St. Peters [Robin Peter Smith] - b. 1939 Allan Clarke (The Hollies) - 84 Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA) - 76
April 6: Merle Haggard - b. 1937 Louis Shelton - 85
April 7: Bobby Bare - 91 Charlie Thomas (The Drifters) - b. 1937 Spencer Dryden (Jefferson Airplane) - b. 1938 John Oates - 78 Janis Ian - 75
April 8: Steve Howe (Yes) - 79
April 9: Carl Perkins - b. 1932
April 10: Danny Woods (Chairmen of the Board) - b. 1944
April 11: Richard Berry b. 1935
Twilight Time - The Platters (1958 - #1: song was originally a hit for The Three Suns in 1944)
The Pied Piper - Crispian St. Peters (1966 - #4: his claim that he was a better songwriter than the Beatles resulted in poor press and a decline in St. Peters' career)
45 Corner
Born to Run - Allan Clarke (1975 - DNC: we heard the original EMI 45, with the little hole, of Clarke's cover of the Springsteen (misspelled 'Springstein') tune)
Chiquitita - ABBA (1979 - #29: soprano Agnetha Faltskog has a solo)
Mama Tried - Merle Haggard (1968 - #1 C&W: one of his 38 songs to reach #1 on the C&W charts; the Grateful Dead covered this song in concert)
Valleri - The Monkees (1968 - #3: session guitarist Louis Shelton provided the flamenco guitar work on this hit)
Four Strong Winds - Bobby Bare (1964 - #60: better known as a country artist, Bare's cover of this Ian Tyson song crossed over to the pop charts)
Sweets for My Sweet - The Drifters (1961 - #16: Charlie Thomas was lead singer for the group from 1958-67)
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane (1967 - #8: Spencer Dryden's drumming comes through on this classic, which ranks 478/RS500)
She's Gone - Hall & Oates (1976 - #7: song charted at #60 in 1974 and was re-released two years later)
Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking) - Janis Ian (1967 - #14: Ian wrote the song in 1965 when she was only 14)
Roundabout - Yes (1972 - #13: Steve Howe was guitarist for the group; we heard the 3:27 single version of the song)
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins (1956 - #2: song ranks 95/RS500; Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" held the #1 spot, ironically Presley's cover of "Blue Suede Shoes" was a bigger hit than the original)
Give Me Just a Little More Time - The Chairmen of the Board (1970 - #3: the group's first charting single and their biggest hit)
8:00 - 9:00
Louie Louie - Richard Berry and the Pharoahs (1957 - DNC: Berry wrote the song in 1955, it would go on to be one of the most performed rock songs ever)
Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth (1971 - #3: Motown producer Norman Whitfield put together the group to promote his "psychedelic soul" music idea)
Westbound #9 - The Flaming Ember (1970 - #24): the band's signature song; Jerry Plunk was the drummer and lead singer)
Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight (1971 - #2: "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" by the Bee Gees kept this tune out of the top spot)
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash (1972 - #1: song was #1 for 4 weeks in November of that year; Nash wrote the hit)
Somebody's Been Sleeping - 100 Proof (Aged in Soul) (1970 - #8: another Detroit group signed by the Holland-Dozier-Holland team for their Hot Wax record label; song was a million-seller)
Theme From Shaft - Isaac Hayes (1971 - #1: song won Hayes an Oscar for Best Original Song and he had a cameo in the film)
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack (1973 - #56: another title song from a film, this one starring Anthony Quinn)
Wake Up Everybody - Harold Melvin and the Blue notes (1976 - #12: we heard the 3:40 single version, the LP version runs 7:33)
Slippin' Into Darkness - War (1972 - #16: song was on the charts for 22 weeks, and again we heard the single version)
Turn Back the Hands of Time - Tyrone Davis (1970 - #3: the million-seller went to #1 on the R&B charts)
*Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today) - The Temptations (1970 - #3: producer Norman Whitfield had given the group a new, "psychedelic soul" sound, and Dennis Edwards had replaced David Ruffin as lead singer)
*Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time) - The Delfonics (1970 - #10: lead singer William Hart co-wrote this hit for the Philadelphia group)
*It Takes Two - Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston (1967 - #14: a listener called this one in; it replaced Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On")
I've Found Someone of My Own - The Free Movement (1971 - #5: group was out of Los Angeles)
O-O-H Child - The Five Stairsteps (1970 - #8: song ranks 392/RS500 for the family group out of Chicago)
CLOSING THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks; brothers Santo [steel guitar] and Johnny [rhythm guitar] Farina from Brooklyn)
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: 4/4/26
Host: John
Simon
Feature:
April Songs
Tonight it's mostly songs that were on the radio from Aprils past, but it's also the anniversary of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 - and the anniversary of the week that The Beatles historically held down the Top five slots on the Billboard Hot 100. Both of those events will play a part in tonight's show, plus we have a ticket giveaway and a trivia contest and your requests. Let's go!
Rock ‘n’ Roll
Trivia
Today marks
that day in music history where The Beatles occupied the top five slots in
Billboard’s Hot 100. This was partly possible because multiple labels were
releasing their songs at once. Can you name the four labels that accounted
for those five singles?
(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)
Since I Don’t
Have You – Skyliners (3/59; #12 Pop, #3 R&B – they were five white teenagers from Pittsburgh who wrote their own
material and landed a recording deal with Calico Records, thanks in part to the
soulful vocal stylings of young Jimmy Beaumont. Recorded at Capitol Studios in
NYC, this session used 18 musicians – an unprecedented number for a teen vocal
group. Tonight we hear a new stereo rendering of the original recording.)
Where Have All
the Flowers Gone – Kingston Trio (3/62; #4 – the trio had recently lost founding member Dave Guard, who’d become
disillusioned with their gradual departure from “pure” Folk music. His
replacement was John Stewart, whose Pop sensibilities would soon become
apparent. In this arrangement of Pete Seeger’s song, each member takes a verse
before all three combine for the last. Here it is 64 years later, and we’re
still singing about peace.)
Oh My Angel –
Bertha Tillman (5/62; #61 – she was a
one-hit wonder from the San Diego area and recorded for the tiny Brent Records
label. It’s hard to find much info about her, but this is a beautiful little
ballad and I’m glad to be able send it out into the night.)
Walk Right
Back – Everly Brothers (3/61; #7 – Sonny
Curtis had written this while he was in the service, and brought it over to LA
on his three-day leave, where the Crickets and The Everlys were doing record
label business. He’d only written one verse and the chorus when he sang it to
Don and Phil, but they liked it! They tinkered with it and actually recorded it
over the next two days, not even knowing that there was a second verse coming –
and released it without that second verse, by simply repeating the one verse
that they knew. It was a hit!)
Don’t Let the
Sun Catch You Crying – Gerry & The Pacemakers (4/64; #4 – The Beatles opened the door for a flood of
British acts, including this group from Liverpool. Gerry Marsden was a smooth
performer and their records were beautifully produced by George Martin. This is one of the most
enduring hits from the British Invasion.)
* Cathy’s Clown
– Everly Brothers (4/60; #1 for five weeks – listener Tom called this one in, and it turns out to be almost an
Everly Brothers double-shot! They had famously left Cadence Records after
signing a record-breaking deal with Warner Brothers, and this was their first
release on their new label – written by Don & Phil, themselves. It went
onto sell millions of copies, and actually spent seven weeks at #1 in the UK.
The gamble had paid off!)
A Groovy Kind
of Love – Mindbenders (4/66; #2 for two weeks – Wayne Fontana had left the group to become a solo star, and the three
remaining members carried on alone as a trio. Their first charting single was
this smash from the pens of Carole Bayer Sager and Toni Wine. It would also
prove to be a chart-topper for Phil Collins in the Eighties. By then, band
member Eric Stewart would have had success with his new group, 10 CC.)
Postcard From
Jamaica – Sopwith Camel (4/67; #88 – the
Bay Area band had only two charting singles for Kama Sutra Records, and this
one only spent two weeks on the Hot 100. It came in a picture sleeve, though,
and starts with a ringing doorbell. A fun sonic treat for all of us who stayed
behind while the college kids went on Spring Break!)
* Where the Boys
Are – Connie Francis (12/61; #10 – this
is another Spring Break favorite going out to our friend Barbara. Neil Sedaka
was a co-writer and nobody, apparently, was very excited about it until it
started getting radio play. The movie did better, the royalty payments were
great and it became one of Connie’s biggest hits!)
Iko Iko – The
Dixie Cups (4/65; #20 – we’re a little
late for Fat Tuesday, but this Mardi Gras staple is an example of a long
tradition of rival street “krewes” boasting about how they were better than the
others. Two of the group members had learned it from their grandmother, and
they spontaneously started singing it at the end of a recording session,
accompanying themselves on drumsticks hitting an aluminum chair, a studio
ashtray and a Coke bottle!)
No Time Like
the Right Time – Blues Project (4/67; #96 – this
Greenwich Village band was made up of young Jewish Blues players who were
joined by Al Kooper and recorded the very cool Projections album on the
Verve label. The band quickly began to dissolve, but Verve did release this Al Kooper song as the group’s lone
single. It spent two weeks on the chart at #96 and then became a faded memory.)
My Best Friend
– Jefferson Airplane (2/67; #103 – the
group had recently added singer Grace Slick to the fold and this was chosen as
the lead single from their Surrealistic Pillow LP. It was a flop. They
soon followed it with “Somebody to Love” and then “White Rabbit,” and suddenly
they were one of the hottest bands in the business!)
45 Corner: At the Zoo –
Simon & Garfunkel (3/67; #16 – the
duo was able to do no wrong at this point, and their first thirteen singles all
reached the Top 25 – with three of them reaching #1. Thematically ranging from
social commentary to poetry to whimsical flights of fancy, all of their songs
were written by Paul, and most of their singles differed from the LP versions.
In this case, the mono mix is more compressed, the percussion hits are more
pronounced, and the record is sped up ever so slightly. This is the way to hear
it!)
A Change Is
Gonna Come – Sam Cooke (2/65; #31 Pop, #9 R&B – today marks the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s assassination in
Memphis in 1968. In his honor, we hear Sam Cooke’s posthumous masterpiece from
three years prior. Apparently, Cooke was inspired to write something meaningful
and political in response to Dr. King’s activism – and after having heard Bob
Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind.” It still resonates all these years later.)
A Horse With
No Name – America (4/72; #1 – this was
the trio’s debut single, and was in its second of three weeks at #1. They were
three young men who had met on an American army base in England, where their
families were all stationed. Their blend of acoustic instruments and close
harmonies, plus an ability to write their own material, led to a recording
contract. They’d continue a prolific run through the decade, but this was their
biggest hit.)
* Don’t Play
That Song (You Lied) – Ben E King (4/62; #11 Pop, #2 R&B for four weeks – this request came in from listener Tom
Preston, who wrote “I had another idea for an April song, but I think ‘Don't
Play That Song’ by Ben E King is impossible to request.” That made me laugh out
loud, and led me to dig it out of our vinyl library. Funny guy, that Tom!)
7-8pm
Birthday Calendar
March 29 –
Chad Allan (Guess Who) – born in 1943
March 30 – Frankie
Laine – born in 1914
– Graeme Edge (Moody Blues) – 1941
–Eric Clapton (Cream) – age 81
March 31 – JD
Loudermilk – born in 1934
– Herb Alpert – age 91
April 1 –
Rudolph Isley – born in 1939
– Phil Margo (Tokens) – born in
1942
April 2 –
Marvin Gaye – born in 1939
– Leon Russell – born in 1942
April 3 – Don
Gibson – born in 1928
– Jeff Barry – age 88
– Jan Berry (Jan & Dean) – born in 1941
– Billy Joe Royal – born in 1942
Aprl 4 – Hugh
Masekela – born in 1939
– Berry Oakley (Allman Bros) – born
1948
Shakin’ All
Over – Chad Allan & The Expressions (5/65; #22 – this group would eventually morph into The Guess Who, hoping to suggest
to record buyers that they were a British Invasion band in disguise. This cool
cover of the 1960 hit by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates would reach #1 in
Canada, but Chad would soon leave the fold.)
* Question –
Moody Blues (5/70; #21 – Graeme Edge played drums on all of the records, and this one goes out at the
suggestion of David from Vancouver. It’s one of three songs we hear tonight
asking questions about peace and love and war.)
Badge – Cream
(4/69; #60 – co-written by guitarist Eric Clapton and his friend George
Harrison, this one inexplicably only reached #60 on the Billboard charts.
Clapton had started as a member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, then joined the
Yardbirds before forming Cream. And he
was just getting started….)
My Favorite
Things – Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass (12/68; #45 – this song was pulled from the TJB’s Christmas album, and its B-side
would spend three weeks at the top of BB’s Christmas chart. This one and the
next song both start with a choir of session singers, and neither ever gets
played on Oldies radio these days.)
You Gave Me a
Mountain – Frankie Laine (2/69; #24 – Marty
Robbins wrote this song and urged Laine to record it. He finally did, and it
became his final Top 40 hit in a career that started in 1930. It’s a big
sweeping production that tells a tale of some serious hard luck, and others
would tell it as well: Elvis, Jim Nabors, Eddie Arnold and Marty Robbins
himself, but this was the biggest hit version.)
It’s Your
Thing – Isley Brothers (3/69; #2 Pop, #1 R&B for four weeks – the Isleys had established their own label
five years earlier, named for the New Jersey city they were calling home. The label lay dormant while they recorded for the Motown family, but this was the first of
many big hits on T-Neck Records, and it was co-written by brother Rudolph.)
Portrait of My
Love – Tokens (4/67; #36 – taking a page
from their proteges The Happenings, these guys revisited an older song and put
their unique spin on it. It became their biggest hit on Warner Brothers, but
they’d soon move over to Buddah Records for their final stretch of hits.)
Then You Can
Tell Me Goodbye – Casinos (1/67; #6 – JD Loudermilk was a prolific writer for artists including Sue Thompson and The
Nashville Teens, but this is one of my very favorites of his. Former WVBR jok
Tom Preston once told me that – instrumentation aside – this was one of the
last great Doo Wop records!)
Where Are We
Going – Marvin Gaye (1973; NR – after the
release of his What’s Going On album, Marvin was adrift and not quite
sure what to do for a follow-up. He started work on a new album, and soon found
himself inspired by matters of a sexual nature. The result would be his Let’s
Get It On LP, but this track didn’t fit the concept, and it subsequently
sat on the shelf for nearly 20 years. What a loss for the rest of us….until
tonight!)
Superstar –
The Carpenters (9/72; #2 for two weeks – this
was one of a slew of amazing songs written by Leon Russell. He was a composer, a session musician, an arranger
and a singer in his own right, but Karen Carpenter was able to capture all of
the sorrow and tragedy that this one held. His co-writer was Bonnie Bramlett,
but Karen deserved a cut of the royalties!)
8-9pm
I Can Hear
Music – Beach Boys (4/69; #24 – most of
the band’s songs were written or co-written by Brian Wilson, but this cover of
a low-charting Ronettes record was an exception. Jeff Barry was the co-writer with Ellie Greenwich, and the result
was a magnificent upgrade from the original.)
Down in the
Boondocks – Billy Joe Royal (7/65; #9 – Billy
Joe was an associate of songwriter/performer Joe South, and charted with of
three of his songs. This was the most successful, and was a long-time staple in
the repertoire of local musician Richie Stearns.)
Sea of Heartbreak - Don Gibson (6/61; #21 Pop, #2 C&W –Don was a prolific songwriter who was covered by many artists ranging from Ray Charles to Neil Young, but he didn't write this one. The lyricist was actually Hal David, who most frequently worked with Burt Bacharach. In this case, he teamed with Paul Hampton, who went onto a more successful career as an actor!)
Up, Up and
Away – Hugh Masekela (12/67; #71 – the
South African trumpeter had made quite a splash at the Monterey Pop Festival
the previous spring, and his horn was featured in the Byrds’ “So You Wanna Be a
Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.” This was HIS take on Jim Webb’s Grammy-winning song, and
would soon be followed by his own big #1 “Grazing In The Grass.”)
Little Old
Lady from Pasadena – Jan & Dean (6/64; #3 – J&D had met in their LA-area junior high school and played sports
together as well as done some singing together through high school. Signed to Liberty, they soon became friends with Brian Wilson, who was co-writer with
Dean on a bunch of their hits, including this one.)
Ramblin’ Man –
The Allman Brothers Band (8/73; #2 – Duane
Allman had died in a motorcycle accident during the recording of the Eat a
Peach album. A year later, as the band was working on Brothers &
Sisters, bassist Berry Oakley
suffered the same fate in a very similar accident. This song was recorded
before he’d passed, and was the band’s highest-charting single. Tonight we hear
the 45 version, slightly faster than the LP version and with Berry driving the
band along relentlessly.)
* Love Or Let Me
Be Lonely – Friends of Distinction (4/70; #6 Pop, #13 R&B – the LA-based group grew out of a larger
ensemble called The Hi-Fi’s that featured several members of what would become
The 5th Dimension. This group never achieved the success of their
counterparts, but they did chart
three Top 15 hits, and this one goes out from Scottie to Peggy.)
* The Boys Are
Back in Town – Thin Lizzy (4/76; #12 – an
old buddy pointed out that guitarist Gary Moore also had a birthday today, and
that the Irish band’s biggest hit was released in April. I dug it up, cranked
it up in the studio monitors, and the place was jumpin’!)
Time of the
Season – The Zombies (4/69; #3 – this
record was peaking for the second week on this date at #3, and the band wasn’t
even together anymore! Date Records pulled it from their 1967 Odyssey &
Oracle LP after they’d gone their separate ways, and it slowly bubbled
around before it suddenly caught on like wildfire. Lead singer Colin Blunstone
had left for a solo career and the keyboardist had formed Argent, but they
would reunite several times over the course of fifty years and left behind a
short but spectacular legacy.)
45 Corner: Ooh Child –
Valerie Carter (4/77; #103 – this song
had been a hit for the 5 Stairsteps in 1970, but Valerie Carter dusted it off
and breathed new life into it. As a session singer she’d backed up many
luminaries, and a number of them returned the favor here. The Earth Wind &
Fire horns are here, along with bassist Verdine White. Meanwhile, background
vocalists include EWF’s Maurice White, Deniece Williams and Linda Ronstadt AND
Jackson Browne plays guitar, as does Lowell George from Little Feat! The
critics loved it, but not many people heard it.)
Kiss Me
Goodbye – Petula Clark (3/68; #15 – she’d
first arrived on these shores with 1965’s “Downtown,” and quietly became a
mainstay on the charts. This gorgeous ballad was her final Top 20 hit, and one
of her few singles not written by Tony Hatch.)
Only the
Strong Survive – Jerry Butler (4/69; #4 Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks – after a decade-long partnership with Curtis
Mayfield, Jerry turned to Philadelphia hit-makers Gamble & Huff to
jumpstart his career. The combination was undeniably successful, and this
became one of his signature songs. Tonight we hear the punchy mono version.)
CLOSING
THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Trivia Answer
Can’t Buy Me
Love (Capitol)
Twist &
Shout (Tollie)
She Loves You
(Swan)
I Want to Hold
Your Hand (Capitol)
Please Please
Me (Vee Jay)
Congratulations
to Prudie from Cortland, for correctly answering the question and winning a pair
of movie passes to Cinemapolis!
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
(4/11/26): Jan Hunsinger with a spotlight on Seventies Soul Hits
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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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to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support
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