Jan 25, 2014 - JS - instrumentals

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:  Jan 25, 2014

Host:  John Simon

Features:  instrumentals

Birthday Calendar

Jan 19 – Phil Everly – born in 1939

            – Dolly Parton – age 68

            – Janis Joplin – born in 1943

Jan 21 – Edwin Starr – age 72

            – Billy Ocean – age 64

Jan 22 – Sam Cooke – born in 1935

Jan 24 – Ray Stevens – age 75

            – Neil Diamond – age 73

            – Tammi Terrell – born in 1946

            – Warren Zevon – born in 1947

Jan 25 – Etta James – born in 1938

         

Tonight’s spotlight shines not on a specific year, but on a specific genre: Instrumentals of the Rockin’ Remnants era, at the request and suggestion of long-time listeners Scot & Jana Taylor. Here’s what our Facebook entry promised:

There are no words for tomorrow's show. Why? Because JS is shining a spotlight on great instrumentals from the Rockin' Remnants era! Sure, there'll be Ventures. There'll also be Shadows and MGs and orchestras and big bands (like Ray Charles with the Count Basie Orchestra).

Not to worry - the second hour will feature some of the greatest singers of the era (look at this week's Birthday Calendar: Sam Cooke, Dolly Parton, Tammi Terrell, Etta James and Janis Joplin, and songwriters Neil Diamond and Warren Zevon). Something for everyone, scout's honor! 6-9 p.m. on wvbr.com (or 93.5 FM locally). Any requests?

Surf tunes, TV and movie themes, dance hits, majestic orchestral numbers, novelty records…it’s all fair game. Here’s the line-up…. 

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)

Our Winter Love – Bill Pursell [2/63; #9]

Pipeline – Chantay's [3/63; #4]

 

Atlantis – Shadows [5/63; #2 UK] The Shadows were the British equivalent of America’s Ventures: a guitar-driven instrumental combo who’ve been together for decades. In addition to cutting dozens of singles and albums, they were the backing band for British singing star Cliff Richard.

Soul Limbo – Booker T & the MGs [7/68; #17] This long-lasting quartet was also the house band for Stax Records in Memphis (“MGs” stood for “Memphis Group”) and churned out dozens of swinging dance singles in their day.

 

Music to Watch Girls By – Bob Crewe Generation [1/67; #15] New York record producer Bob Crewe’s biggest hit under his own name was featured in a Pepsi Cola commercial and also yielded a hit record (with words) for singer Andy Williams.

* Harlem Nocturne – Viscounts [12/59; #52, re-released in late 1965 and reached #39]

* Telstar – Tornadoes [12/62; #1 for three weeks] This record has the distinction of being the first #1 record in the US to come out of England.

Theme from “A Summer Place” – Lettermen [6/65; #16] This vocal treatment of Percy Faith’s 1960 smash (9 weeks at #1) was their highest charting single since their chart debut in 1961.

Love Is All Right – Cliff Nobles [5/68; b-side of the #2 smash “The Horse,” attributed to “Cliff Nobles and Company,” a rare case of the featured artist NOT appearing on the hit side of the record!]

 

Am I the Same Girl – Barbara Acklin [2/69; #79, #33 R&B] Instrumental track is the same one recorded by Young-Holt Unlimited for their 1968 hit “Soulful Strut.”

* Soul Serenade – Willie Mitchell [3/68; #23]

* Peter Gunn Theme – Duane Eddy [10/60; #27] Multiple requests came in for Duane Eddy’s twangy guitar tonight. We went with this one.

Batman Theme – Marketts [2/66; #17] This was the highest charting of the many records released on the heels of the popular TV show. The Marketts were actually the LA session group known informally as The Wrecking Crew.


 

* Classical Gas – Mason Williams [6/68; #2]

7-8pm (birthdays – with vocals!)

Jolene – Dolly Parton [1/74; #60, #1 C&W] The first cross-over Pop record for the Country superstar.

Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon – Neil Diamond [4/67; #10]

 

* Help! – The Beatles [a dedication going out to 10 year-old Rudy in Connecticut]

Twenty-Five Miles – Edwin Starr [2/69; #6]

I’d Rather Go Blind – Etta James [11/67; b-side of her big hit Tell Mama.]

 

That’s Where It’s At – Sam Cooke [10/64; #93] The b-side of his Top 20 Cousin of Mine, this one charted on its own merits.

If This World Were Mine – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell [3/68; #68, #27 R&B] This is another b-side (If I Could Build My World Around You) that charted independently.

Come On and See Me – Tammi Terrell [4/66; #80, #25 R&B] A solo single released before her immensely successful pairing with Marvin Gaye yielded a string of big hits.

Mr. Businessman – Ray Stevens [8/68; #28] There were at least two sides to Ray Stevens (not including his prolific side as a record producer for others): the Novelty Records guy and the Topical guy. Here’s one of his “topical” numbers.

 

L.O.D. (Love On Delivery) – Billy Ocean [8/76; #106 Pop, #55 R&B, #19 U.K.]

Move Over – Janis Joplin [9/71; the b-side of her final charting single Get It While You Can, this was also the opening track of her critically acclaimed album “Pearl.” She had died of a drug overdose just a year earlier.]

* Cast Your Fate to The Wind – Sounds Orchestral [3/65; #10] This was the most successful of four charting versions (including a vocal version by Shelby Flint).

* Wild Weekend – The Rebels [12/62; #8] This one has become Remnants co-host KV’s theme music. Here it is in its entirety!

Blues Theme – The Arrows [4/67; #27] From the film Wild Angels, starring Peter Fonda.

Forever – Pete Drake and His Talking Guitar [3/64; #25]

Ame Caline (Soul Coaxing) – Raymond LeFevre & His Orchestra [2/68; #37]

* Hey, Leroy, Your Mama’s Callin' You – Jimmy Castor Bunch [12/66; #31]

8-9pm

Grazing In the Grass – Hugh Masekela [7/68; #1 (2 weeks)]

* Love Is Blue – Paul Mauriat Orchestra [2/68; #1 (5 weeks)]

Mah-Na-Mah-Na – Piero Umiliani [2/69; #59] From the film Sweden Heaven and Hell; also used in both Sesame Street and Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.  
Piero also supplied the whistling on "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly" by Hugo Montenegro.

* Wipe Out – Surfaris [6/63; #2, re-released in 7/66; #16 and 8/70; #110]

* Green Onions – Booker T & the MGs [8/62; #3 Pop, #1 R&B (4 weeks)]

In the Mood – Henhouse Five (Plus Too) [1/77; #40 Pop, #39 C&W] The “novelty” side of Ray Stevens, clucking out the melody for this Swing Dance classic in the style of a chicken (or five  -  or seven).

 

Pick Up the Pieces – AWB [1/75; #1]

* Samba Pa Ti – Santana [2/70; from the LP “Abraxas,” and also found on the b-side of the Oye Como Va single (which reached #13 on Billboard’s Hot 100)]

Watermelon Man – Mongo Santamaria [3/63; #10]

Way Back Home – Jazz Crusaders [1970; from their short tenure at Motown Records (and before they became, simply, The Crusaders), this would later be released as a charting single for Junior Walker with an added vocal track.]

 

Theme Without a Name – Dave Clark Five [8/64; the instrumental b-side to the smash hit single Because]

 

Hand Clappin’ – Red Prysock [9/55; did not chart]

Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny [9/59; #1 (2 weeks)] Our weekly closing theme is the perfect way to wrap up this week’s spotlight on Instrumentals of the Rockin’ Remnants era. Thank you and good night!

Host Next Week (Feb 1):  John Simon

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.