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: July 12, 2014
Host: JR
Feature: 1972
JR says:
As I was putting together the songs, data, and trivia for this week’s chart date, I was hit with a flood of memories from the Summer of ’72: days spent on the golf course and nights spent at home listening to the radio and twirling the knob to find the big 50,000 watt AM stations that blasted out the big hits of the day every 90 minutes! I couldn’t get enough of those hits from Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Gallery, The Hollies, Argent, Alice Cooper, Mouth & Macneal, and so on and so forth. It was truly part of the Golden Age of Top 40 radio.
Along with the hits of ’72 we’ll check out the Birthday Calendar at 7:00, and also have a block of Summer-themed oldies. I hope this show jogs some good memories for you, too.
Sending out congratulations to Ruben who won the qualifier to Grass Roots, and Bill who correctly answered this week’s trivia question (below).
Birthday Calendar
Jul 6 – Bill Haley – born in 1925
Jul 7 – Ringo Starr (Beatles) – age 74
Jul 8 – Steve Lawrence – age 79
Jul 10 – Greg Kihn – age 64
– Arlo Guthrie – age 67
Jul 12 – Christine McVie (Fleetwood Mac) – age 71
– Walter Egan – age 66
Rock 'n' Roll Trivia
10 songs in the Remnants era (and beyond) have reached #1 on the BB Hot 100 in 2 different versions. What are they? (Name at least two…)
(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)
Playlist
[songs in bold are from the spotlight date of 7-12-72; 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)
Lean On Me (45 version) – Bill Withers – BB Hot 100 #1, 3 weeks. A cover version of this by
Club Nouveau peaked at BB Hot 100 #1, 2 weeks in 1987.
Too
Late To Turn Back Now – Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose – BB Hot 100 #4. The second Top 40 hit for
this Florida sibling quintet peaked at BB Hot 100 #2.
Daddy
Don’t You Walk So Fast – Wayne Newton – BB Hot 100 #8. The only Top 10 hit for “Mr.
Las Vegas” in a career that’s spanned over 5 decades, peaked at BB Hot 100 #4.
Nice
To Be With You – Gallery – BB Hot 100 #11.
The highest-charting of 3 singles released by this
Detroit band in 1972 (BB Hot 100 #4). They
hit the chart no more.
Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) (45 version) – Looking Glass – BB Hot 100 #12. BB Hot 100 #1 for 1 week on
8/26/1972.
How Do You Do – Mouth And Macneal – BB Hot 100 #13.
“Mouth” was William Duyn and “Macneal” was Sjoukje Van’t
Spijker. This was the only Top Ten for
this Dutch duo.
Rocket Man – Elton John – BB Hot 100 #7. Elton’s
career was blasting off in 1972, and he took this song to BB Hot 100 #6. Recently used in a VW television commercial.
Take
It Easy (mono 45 version) – Eagles – BB Hot 100 #17. The first single released
from The Eagles debut LP peaked at BB Hot 100 #12. I remember hearing this on the radio and the
DJ on the air gave the back story that it was actually The Byrds, who re-formed
to do one album and were breaking up again.
Well, the 5 original Byrds did re-form to cut one album, but that wasn’t
until 1973. Apparently this DJ got his
facts mixed up, which just goes to show you can’t always believe what you hear
on the radio :)
People
Make The World Go Round (45 version) – The Stylistics – BB Hot 100 #31. Peaked at BB Hot 100 #25;
one in a long string of 70’s soulful hits by this Philly quintet led by the
falsetto vocals of Russell Thompkins, Jr.
Day
By Day – Godspell – BB Hot 100 #28. The
original cast from the Broadway rock musical, featuring Robin Lamont on lead
vocal (not credited on the 45); peaked at BB Hot 100 #13.
I’ll
Take You There – The Staple Singers – BB Hot 100 #25. There were some great soul
sounds on the chart this date, and this was one of them! Led by Mavis and Pop
Staples, and produced in Muscle Shoals, this peaked at BB Hot 100 #1 for 1
week.
Oh Girl – The Chi-Lites – BB Hot 100 #24. One
of the great soul bands of the 70’s, led by the late Eugene Record, took this
winsome ballad to BB Hot 100 #1, the only chart-topper for this Chicago
quartet.
Skokiaan
(South African Song) – Bill Haley And His Comets, 1960. Bill’s last charting single of his group’s
original singles; BB Hot 100 #70. “Rock Around The Clock” re-charted in 1974
due to the inclusion in American Graffiti; BB Hot 100 #39.
Photograph
– Ringo Starr, 1973. BB Hot 100 #1 for 1
week on 11/24; George Harrison on harmony vocal and guitar.
Go
Away Little Girl – Steve Lawrence, 1963.
Written by Goffin/King; BB Hot 100 #1, 1/12/1963, 2 weeks.
The
City Of New Orleans – Arlo Guthrie, 1972.
Arlo’s only Top 40 single peaked at #18.
Written and originally recorded by Steve Goodman; Bubbling Under #113,
also in 1972.
Hold Me – Fleetwood Mac, 1982. Christine
McVie (nee Perfect) on lead vocals; peaked at BB Hot 100 #4, where it spent 7
straight weeks!
Magnet
And Steel – Walter Egan, 1978. Produced
by Lindsey Buckingham, with him and Stevie Nicks on background vocals; peaked at
BB Hot 100 #8.
It’s
Summertime, Summertime!
Here Comes Summer – Jerry Keller, 1959
See You In September – The Tempos, 1959
Sealed With A Kiss – Brian Hyland, 1962
Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days Of Summer – Nat “King” Cole,
1963
More
Chart Sounds From 7/12/1972
School’s
Out – Alice Cooper – BB Hot 100 #16. This
song definitely struck a nerve with younger record buyers in the Summer of ’72,
and propelled this “anthem” to BB Hot 100 #7.
It wasn’t until later we found out Alice was not a girl but a group, and that “Alice” was the moniker taken by lead singer Vince Furnier.
Song
Sung Blue – Neil Diamond – BB Hot 100 #2.
Neil’s 2nd BB Hot 100 #1, tumbling down the
chart this week after one week at the top.
Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress) – The Hollies – BB Hot 100 #33. Lead singer Allen Clarke
also played lead guitar on this CCR-ish sounding single. I actually went out and bought the sheet
music for this to decipher the lyrics!
Peaked at BB Hot 100 #2 for 2 weeks.
Hold Your Head Up (LP version) – Argent – BB Hot 100 #40. The 45 version trimmed over
3 minutes from the LP version. The Epic
Records single peaked at BB Hot 100 #5.
I was going to play the 45 version but changed my mind and went for the
full 6:15. This is one of the songs I
was dying to hear over and over again because of that guitar riff!
I
Need You – America – BB Hot 100 #9. The
follow-up to their big #1 hit “A Horse With No Name”, this peaked at BB Hot 100
#9. Original member Dan Peek passed
away in 2011.
You Don’t Mess Around With Jim – Jim Croce – BB Hot 100 #50. The late Jim Croce’s debut
single peaked at BB Hot 100 #8.
Motorcycle
Mama – Sailcat – BB Hot 100 #48. A
true “one-hit-wonder” band, the duo of Court Pickett and John Wyker took this
Elektra Records 45 to a peak at BB Hot 100 #12.
The
Runway – The Grass Roots – BB Hot 100 #45.
The last Top 40 hit for this SoCal pop group peaked at BB
Hot 100 #39. Despite its relatively poor
national ranking, this was a “local” hit here in Central New York and played a
lot on the radio in the Summer of ’72!
I’m
Coming Home – Stories – BB Hot 10 #55. Another
“local” hit, this peaked below The Top 40 at #42, but was played in heavy
rotation in Central New York. I own the
original Kama Sutra 45, temporarily lost in the JR-chives.
Powder
Blue Mercedes Queen – Raiders – BB Hot 10 #54. The chart hits were running out for this
Pacific Northwest rock and roll outfit.
After this 45 peaked on the Hot 100 on this date, their next two singles
checked in at #96 and #97, respectively, and the band headed straight to the
Oldies Revival circuit.
Vanilla
Olay– Jackie Deshannon – BB Hot 100 #80.
With the Atlantic Records power-production trio of Jerry
Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin behind this single, it should have been a huge
hit. It wasn’t; peaked at BB Hot 100 #76. This should have charted much higher; sweet,
blue-eyed soul vocal and meticulous production.
Shame.
Delta
Dawn – Tanya Tucker – BB Hot 100 #88. The
debut of this song by country teen torch singer Tucker, only made it to BB Hot
100 #72. A cover version by Helen Reddy
a year later made it all the way to #1 on 9/15/1973 for 1 week.
Sylvia’s Mother – Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show – BB Hot 100 #29. The debut chart hit for this
ragtag band from Union City, NJ, peaked at BB Hot 100 #5. The band later shortened its name to just
“Dr. Hook”.
When
You Say Love – Sonny & Cher – BB Hot 100 #99. Adapted from a Budweiser jingle, this single made its debut just one spot from the bottom of the chart,
but eventually cracked that Top 40, peaking at #32, the last time the duo saw
that chart height.
CLOSING
THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Trivia Answer
In
addition to the chart-topping versions of “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers and by Club
Nouveau, here are nine other songs that reached #1 by two different artists:
“Young Love” – Sonny James, 1957, #1, 1 week; Tab Hunter,
1957, #1, 6 weeks.
“Please Mr. Postman” – The Marvelettes, 1961, #1, 1 week;
The Carpenters, 1975, #1, 1 week.
“The Loco-Motion” – Little Eva, 1961, #1, 1 week, Grand
Funk, 1974, #1, 2 weeks.
“Go Away Little Girl” – Steve Lawrence, 1963, #1, 2
weeks; Donny Osmond, 1971, #1, 3 weeks.
“You Keep Me Hangin’ On” – The Supremes, 1966, #1, 2
weeks; Kim Wilde, 1987, #1, 1 week.
“When A Man Loves A Woman” – Percy Sledge, 1966, #1, 2
weeks; Michael Bolton, 1991, #1, 1 week.
“Venus” – The Shocking Blue, 1970, #1, 1 week;
Bananarama, 1986, #1, 1 week.
“I’ll Be There” – The Jackson 5, 1970, #1, 5 weeks;
Mariah Carey, 1992, #1, 2 weeks.
“Lady Marmalade” – LaBelle, 1975, #1, 1 week; Christina
Aguilera w/ Lil’ Kim, Mya & Pink, 2001, #1, 5 weeks.
Congratulations to Bill for correctly naming at least two of these, and winning a prize!
Host Next Week (July 19): Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on 1964
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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