Feb 15, 2014 - JR - 1972

Rockin' Remnants




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Date:  Feb 15, 2014

Host:  John Rudan

Features: 1972

It’s the great Billboard Hot 100 sounds of February, 1972! Hear the cool sounds of Al Green, Led Zeppelin, Bobby Womack, Paul Simon, The Stylistics, lesser lights like Climax, Apollo 100, Beverly Bremers, The English Congregation and chart debuts this week from B.J. Thomas, Rod Stewart, Yes, and The Grass Roots. 

Birthday Calendar





Feb 9 – Carole King (b. Carole Klein) – age 72

            – Barry Mann – age 75

             – Barbara Lewis – age 70





Feb 10 – Roberta Flack – age 76





Feb 11 – Sergio Mendes – age 73

            – Gerry Goffin – age 75

             – Gene Vincent – born in 1935




Feb 12 – Ray Manzarek (The Doors) – born in 1939





Feb 13 – "Tennessee" Ernie Ford – born in 1919




Feb 15 – Brian Holland – age 73

            – Melissa Manchester – age 63

Trivia Question

One of the 1^st five songs played on the show tonight was written by the late Hoyt Axton.  Which one?

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist) 











Playlist





[songs in bold are from the spotlight date of 2-15-72; 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)

Let’s Stay Together (45 version) – Al Green – BB Hot 100 #1, 1 week

American Pie (45 version) – Don McLean – BB Hot 100 #2. Dropping from 4 weeks at #1, this mysterious tale of the early days of Rock and Roll is the dj 45 edit, which starts off right into the chorus “Bye Bye Miss American Pie…” and is a totally different version from the conventional LP or 45 versions which start out with the lyric “Long, long time ago…”  This rare 45 version also has a unique guitar overdub right before the fadeout.  

 

Without You – Nilsson – BB Hot 100 #3. This would ascend to #1 for 4 weeks on 2/19/1972.  Although thought of as a “singer/songwriter” of the early 70’s, this song was penned by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger (originally on their LP No Dice).

Precious and Few – Climax – BB Hot 100 #4. The only Top 40 hit for this Ohio-based band.  Lead singer Sonny Geraci was also vocalist for The Outsiders (“Time Won’t Let Me”, 1966).

 

Never Been To Spain – Three Dog Night – BB Hot 100 #5. Off the prolific pen of Hoyt Axton, this peaked on the BB Hot 100 on this date.

Joy – Apollo 100 – BB Hot 100 #8. Based on Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring written in 1716.  The oldest cover version ever?  The follow up to this was “Mendelssohn’s 4^th (Second Movement)” and while the former peaked at # 6, the latter stiffed at #94.

Clean Up Woman – Betty Wright – BB Hot 100 #11

Sunshine – Jonathan Edwards – BB Hot 100 #12. The only Top 40 single for this early 70’s “singer/songwriter”.  Like "Revival" by the Allman Brothers, this 45 was originally released on Atco, while later pressings and the LP were on Capricorn.

 

Black Dog (dj 45 mono version) – Led Zeppelin – BB Hot 100 #15. The second highest charting 45 for Led Zep (“Whole Lotta Love” #4), this version is not available on LP, CD or MP3.

 

Scorpio – Dennis Coffey And The Detroit Guitar Band – BB Hot 100 #18. The follow-up to this, “Taurus”, peaked at #18, 12 spots lower than its predecessor.  What’s your sign, man?

You Are Everything – The Stylistics – BB Hot 100 #20. Featuring the great falsetto vocal styling of Russell Thompkins, Jr. and sweet soul production by Thom Bell.

Don’t Say You Don’t Remember – Beverly Bremers – BB Hot 100 #23. The only Top 20 hit for this Chicago songstress had an uncanny vocal resemblance to Karen Carpenter, probably accounting for its chart success.

 

That’s The Way I Feel About Cha – Bobby Womack & Peace – BB Hot 100 #27

Everything I Own – Bread – BB Hot 100 #28

7-8pm

It Might As Well Rain Until September – Carole King, 1962

Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp Bomp Bomp) – Barry Mann, 1961

 

Although best known as songwriters (with Gerry Goffin and Cynthia Weil, respectively, as partners) the above two songs were the BB Hot 100 debuts for both.  For a list of the extensive catalog of songs written by Goffin-King and Mann-Weil, click on the links below:

songs written by Goffin and King

songs written by Mann and Weil

Make Me Your Baby – Barbara Lewis, 1965

Mas Que Nada – Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66, 1966. The BB Hot 100 debut for this Brazilian keyboardist/bandleader peaked at #47.

Be-Bop-A-Lula – Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, 1956

 

Sixteen Tons – “Tennessee” Ernie Ford, 1955. #1 for 8 big weeks on the BB Top 100, he also charted Country and Gospel hits in a career that spanned from the 40’s to the 80’s.

Where Did Our Love Go – The Supremes, 1964. First #1 single for the legendary Motown songwriters/producers Brian Holland-Lamont Dozier-Eddie Holland.  See link below for their monster catalog:


Holland-Dozier-Holland

In 1967, H-D-H, as they were familiarly called, entered into a dispute with Berry Gordy Jr. over profit-sharing and royalties. Eddie Holland had the others stage a work slowdown, and by early 1968 the trio had left the label. They started their own labels, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, which were modestly successful. When Motown sued for breach of contract, H-D-H countersued. The subsequent litigation was one of the longest legal battles in music industry history. Because of the lawsuit, H-D-H used the alias "Edythe Wayne" in their songwriting credits. The lawsuit was settled in 1977.

Kicks – Paul Revere And The Raiders Featuring Mark Lindsay, 1966. Written by Mann-Weil, peaked at Hot 100 #4, first Top Ten single for Idaho band.

 

Rubberneckin’ – Elvis Presley, 1969. From the movie Change Of Habit, co-starring Mary Tyler Moore.

 

(I Wanna) Love My Life Away – Gene Pitney, 1961. The first hit for the “Rockville Rocket”, he wrote it, played most of the instruments and sang all the vocals.  Not bad for a first effort.

Lady Godiva – Peter And Gordon, 1966

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes – The Platters, 1958.  #1 for 3 weeks in late ’58.  A cover version of this song, written in 1934, done by the band Blue Haze peaked at Hot 100 #27 in 1973.

 

Will You Be Staying After Sunday – The Peppermint Rainbow, 1969. The only Top 40 hit for this 3-man, 2-woman band from Baltimore.  Groovy threads!

 

That Acapulco Gold – The Rainy Daze, 1967 

 

Shake – Otis Redding, 1967. Originally recorded by Sam Cooke and released posthumously in 1965.

Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte – Patti Page, 1965. From the movie of the same name, this was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to “Chim Chim Cher-ee” from Mary Poppins.

Corinna, Corinna – Ray Peterson, 1961. An early Phil Spector production, this was a #2 R&B hit for Big Joe Turner in 1956.

 

Stagger Lee – Lloyd Price, 1959. Despite topping the Hot 100 for 4 weeks, Lloyd had to record a “sanitized” version to get it played, and to lip-synch on American Bandstand!

Release Me – Esther Phillips, “Little Esther”, 1962

The Pied Piper – Crispian St. Peters, 1966. Cris, born Peter Smith, had a Top 40 cover version of “You Were On My Mind” in 1967.

 

8-9pm

Where Is The Love – Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway, 1972. One of 6 charting duets with the late Donny Hathaway (“You’ve Got A Friend”, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’”, “The Closer I Get To You”, “You Are My Heaven”, and “Back Together Again”).

Riders On The Storm – The Doors, 1971. This is still a favorite keyboard solo from the late Ray Manzarek in its full LP version.

Band Of Gold – Freda Payne, 1970. Written under the pseudonym of “Edythe Wayne” by H-D-H.  Also contributing to the song was Invictus staff writer Ronald Dunbar.

Pretty Girls – Melissa Manchester, 1979. Peaked at BB Hot 100 #39 in late ’79.

Chart Debuts

Rock And Roll Lullaby (45 version) – B.J. Thomas – BB Hot 100 #71. This 45 version is now available on the CD The Complete Scepter Singles.  Yet another Mann-Weil composition.

 

Handbags And Gladrags – Rod Stewart – BB Hot 100 #80

Written by Mike D’Abo of Manfred Mann fame, this single was originally released in 1969.

Roundabout (original mono 45 version) – Yes – BB Hot 100 #88

Yes’s second charting single (“Your Move”, 1971) peaked at #13.  Not available on LP, CD or MP3.

 

Glory Bound – The Grass Roots – BB Hot 100 #89

Ubiquitous 60’s and 70’s L.A. pop group peaked at #34 with this release.

More Chart Hits from 2/15/1972

Softly Whispering I Love You – The English Congregation – BB Hot 100 #41. This band was called just " The Congregation” in the U.K., but changed its name in the U.S. to avoid confusion with “The Mike Curb Congregation”.  A cover version of this by Paul Young peaked at U.K. #21 in 1992.  

 

We’ve Got To Get It On Again – The Addrisi Brothers – BB Hot 100 #48. While they weren’t Don & Phil, this brotherly duo of Don & Dick also wrote “Never My Love” for the Association.

Mother And Child Reunion – Paul Simon – BB Hot 100 #51. Paul’s first solo 45 release peaked at #4.

Slippin’ Into Darkness – War – BB Hot 100 #68


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













Trivia Answer



“Never Been To Spain” by Three Dog Night was written by Hoyt Axton.

 












Host Next Week (Feb 22): John Simon











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