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: 1-10-15
Host: John Simon
Feature: "Alternate Universe" Oldies
"'Alternate Universe Radio Show!' Some of them are re-makes, some are the original versions, but most of them are different from the ones you usually hear. Ordinarily we might dispense with the Birthday Calendar with a theme like this, but Elvis would've been 80 this week, Little Anthony is 75 and Rod Stewart turns 70 today. Watch for a shortened tribute at 7 - and then back to the theme! 6-9 p.m. with your host, the Si-Man."
Birthday Calendar
January 8 – Elvis Presley – born in 1935
– Little Anthony Gourdine – 75 years old
January 9 – Scott Walker (Walker Bros.) – 72 years old
– Jimmy Page – 71 years old
January 10 – Rod Stewart – 70 years old
Playlist
[songs in bold are from the spotlight date of DATE; 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)
Blue Moon - Ventures (10/61; #54 - the original was written in 1934 by songwriters Rodgers & Hart, but the Marcels took it for a three-week ride at #1 in early 1961. Six months later the Ventures gave it a ride of their own)
I Can Hear Music - Ronettes (10/66; #100 - barely squeaking into the Hot 100 for one week, this rough gem would be polished up by the Beach Boys three years later and reach #24 on the charts)
Pied Piper - Changin' Times (11/65; #87 - written by the duo of Steve Duboff and Artie Kornfield who first recorded the song in 1965 as The Changin' Times. However, it was British pop singer Crispian St. Peters, who scored a major hit with the song during the summer of 1966, when his single went to #4 in the US, #5 in the UK and #1 in Canada)
It's All Over Now - Valentinos (6/64; #94 - Bobby Womack and his brothers received writing royalties, but the Rolling Stones totally obscured the original version when theirs came out a month later. #24 Pop and #1 in the UK!)
Around and Around - Rolling Stones (another "borrowed" tune from an American artist. Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode b-side appeared on the Stones' 1964 "12 X 5" LP. Check it out!)
Bye Bye Love - Ray Charles (the opening track from his 1962 Modern Sounds in Country Music LP was a big, swinging version of the Everly Bros' hit.)
You're No Good - Dee Dee Warwick (10/63; dnc - this version was produced by the team of Leiber and Stoller, but it went nowhere until Vee Jay records released a version by Betty Everett. Twelve years later Linda Ronstadt would take it to the top of the charts)
* Crying - Jay & The Americans (5/66; #25 - Jay Black and the band achieved great success covering classic hits by other artists. This one was written by Roy Orbison. Don McLean also had a hit with a cover version of this in 1981, Hot 100 #5)
Under My Thumb - Del Shannon (9/66; #128 - this album track from the Rolling Stones was covered faithfully by the Detroit-based rocker - right down to the recurring marimba riff and his Mick Jagger impression - but it failed to make the big time)
* Go Now - Bessie Banks (1964; dnc - released on the tiny Tiger Records label, this one ended up in the hands of Denny Laine's R&B band called the Moody Blues. Their recording launched a career that continues to this day, albeit with some personnel changes over the years)
I Hear a Symphony - Isley Brothers (7/66 - tucked away on the b-side of the low-charting I Guess I'll Always Love You, this is basically a solo performance featuring the smooth vocals of Ronald Isley)
Rumble - Jack Nitzsche (11/63; #91 - one of two charting instrumentals released by Phil Spector's sidekick and string arranger. Link Wray's original went to #16 in the spring of '58)
* Positively 4th Street - Johnny Rivers (1968 - the final track of his Imperial Records LP Realization, which opens with the hit Summer Rain)
The Look of Love - Dusty Springfield (7/67; #22 - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 would take this one to #4 just about a year later)
Hurt - Little Anthony & Imperials (1/66; #51 - after a string of hits penned by Teddy Randazzo, the group turned to covers of classic Oldies. This one reached #4 for Timi Yuro in the Summer of '61)
Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley (4/56; #20 - Carl Perkins, recording for Elvis' former Sun Records label, released this one a month before Elvis did. Carl's version spent four weeks at #2 - blocked from #1 by Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel, which spent eight weeks in the top slot)
Make It Easy On Yourself - Walker Brothers (10/65; #16 - a faithful cover of Jerry Butler's Top 20 hit from 1962 lent itself perfectly to Scott Walker's deep baritone interpretation)
* You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - Dionne Warwick (9/69; #16 - a rare departure from her usual source of material: songwriting mentor Burt Bacharach. This one was a massive hit for the Righteous Brothers in early 1965, minus the "g", and would also strike gold for Hall & Oates in the early '80s)
Got to Get You Into My Life - Blood, Sweat & Tears (6/75; #62 - The Beatles didn't originally release this track from their Revolver LP as a single, but BS&T - and Earth Wind & Fire - would both chart with it in the '70s. When Capitol Records released The Beatles' version in 1976, it reached #7!)
A Million to One - Five Stairsteps (1/68; #68 - their second release on the Buddah label was a re-make of Jimmy Charles' #5 hit from 1960. They'd rejoin Curtis Mayfield's Curtom Records roster after one more low-charting single, but achieve their greatest success back on Buddah with 1970's Ooh Child)
Yes I'm Ready - Teri DeSario with KC (11/79; #2 - a tasty duet of Barbara Mason's big hit from '65, featuring the distinctive voice of the Sunshine Band's "KC" spent two weeks at #2 )
Lady Madonna - Fats Domino (9/68; #100 for two weeks - the Beatles' version reached #4 in the Spring of 1968 and was written by Paul McCartney as an attempt to honor the New Orleans giant. This would be Fats Domino's final charting single - practically a note-for-note re-creation of the Beatles' hit from six months prior.)
45 Corner: Walking in the Rain - Reparata & Del-Rons (9/69; dnc - Jay & The Americans found out that Reparata was recording this Ronettes classic just as they were, and rushed their release to get there first. As a little twist of the knife, Jay's producer etched the message "Sorry Reparata" into the dead wax on the single. The Americans scored a Top Twenty hit. Reparata got no play.)
Silence Is Golden - 4 Seasons (6/64; non-charting b-side of Rag Doll, which reached #1 - Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe co-wrote this mournful ballad which later became a big hit for The Tremeloes in the Summer of '67, albeit in a much more raucous form)
That's How Heartaches Are Made - Marvelettes (11/69; #97 - the Marvelettes' final charting record was a re-make of Baby Washington's Top 40 hit from 1963. It's a beautiful record.)
* Love Hurts - Jim Capaldi (12/75; #97 - written by Boudleaux Bryant and recorded by the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and - perhaps most famously - by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, this was released at the same time rock group Nazareth's version. Nazareth had the big hit stateside, but Jim Capaldi reached #4 in the UK)
Good Morning Starshine - Strawberry Alarm Clock (5/69; #87 - from the Off-Broadway Tribal Rock Musical Hair, this version was released on the same day as Oliver's version. Oliver reached #3 and the Strawberry Alarm Clock settled for an honorable mention)
She's Gone - Tavares (10/74; #50 Pop, #1 R&B - released after Hall & Oates' edited version limped to #60 on the Pop charts. Atlantic Records would re-release the H&O version in 1976, when it would soar to #7. Tavares was a family group from New Bedford, MA according to crack researcher John Rudan)
Sukiyaki - A Taste of Honey (3/81; #3 Pop
for three weeks, #1 R&B - the original version by Kyu Sakamoto spent three weeks at #1 in 1963. This sensuous version was NOT a literal translation of the original Japanese, and neither version had anything to do with food)
Blue Suede Shoes - Elvis Presley (4/56; #20 - Carl Perkins, recording for Elvis' former Sun Records label, released this one a month before Elvis did. Carl's version spent four weeks at #2 - blocked from #1 by Elvis' Heartbreak Hotel, which spent eight weeks in the top slot)
Make It Easy On Yourself - Walker Brothers (10/65; #16 - a faithful cover of Jerry Butler's Top 20 hit from 1962 lent itself perfectly to Scott Walker's deep baritone interpretation)
* You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - Dionne Warwick (9/69; #16 - a rare departure from her usual source of material: songwriting mentor Burt Bacharach. This one was a massive hit for the Righteous Brothers in early 1965, minus the "g", and would also strike gold for Hall & Oates in the early '80s)
Got to Get You Into My Life - Blood, Sweat & Tears (6/75; #62 - The Beatles didn't originally release this track from their Revolver LP as a single, but BS&T - and Earth Wind & Fire - would both chart with it in the '70s. When Capitol Records released The Beatles' version in 1976, it reached #7!)
A Million to One - Five Stairsteps (1/68; #68 - their second release on the Buddah label was a re-make of Jimmy Charles' #5 hit from 1960. They'd rejoin Curtis Mayfield's Curtom Records roster after one more low-charting single, but achieve their greatest success back on Buddah with 1970's Ooh Child)
Yes I'm Ready - Teri DeSario with KC (11/79; #2 - a tasty duet of Barbara Mason's big hit from '65, featuring the distinctive voice of the Sunshine Band's "KC" spent two weeks at #2 )
Lady Madonna - Fats Domino (9/68; #100 for two weeks - the Beatles' version reached #4 in the Spring of 1968 and was written by Paul McCartney as an attempt to honor the New Orleans giant. This would be Fats Domino's final charting single - practically a note-for-note re-creation of the Beatles' hit from six months prior.)
45 Corner: Walking in the Rain - Reparata & Del-Rons (9/69; dnc - Jay & The Americans found out that Reparata was recording this Ronettes classic just as they were, and rushed their release to get there first. As a little twist of the knife, Jay's producer etched the message "Sorry Reparata" into the dead wax on the single. The Americans scored a Top Twenty hit. Reparata got no play.)
Silence Is Golden - 4 Seasons (6/64; non-charting b-side of Rag Doll, which reached #1 - Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe co-wrote this mournful ballad which later became a big hit for The Tremeloes in the Summer of '67, albeit in a much more raucous form)
That's How Heartaches Are Made - Marvelettes (11/69; #97 - the Marvelettes' final charting record was a re-make of Baby Washington's Top 40 hit from 1963. It's a beautiful record.)
* Love Hurts - Jim Capaldi (12/75; #97 - written by Boudleaux Bryant and recorded by the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and - perhaps most famously - by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, this was released at the same time rock group Nazareth's version. Nazareth had the big hit stateside, but Jim Capaldi reached #4 in the UK)
Good Morning Starshine - Strawberry Alarm Clock (5/69; #87 - from the Off-Broadway Tribal Rock Musical Hair, this version was released on the same day as Oliver's version. Oliver reached #3 and the Strawberry Alarm Clock settled for an honorable mention)
She's Gone - Tavares (10/74; #50 Pop, #1 R&B - released after Hall & Oates' edited version limped to #60 on the Pop charts. Atlantic Records would re-release the H&O version in 1976, when it would soar to #7. Tavares was a family group from New Bedford, MA according to crack researcher John Rudan)
Sukiyaki - A Taste of Honey (3/81; #3 Pop
for three weeks, #1 R&B - the original version by Kyu Sakamoto spent three weeks at #1 in 1963. This sensuous version was NOT a literal translation of the original Japanese, and neither version had anything to do with food)
Wear Your Love Like Heaven - Peggy Lipton (6/70; #108 - co-star of television's "Mod Squad" was signed to boyfriend Lou Adler's new Ode Records label. This Donovan cover fell 85 spots short of Donovan's #23 in late 1967)
Don't It Make You Want To Go Home - Brook Benton with the Dixie Flyers (5/70; #45 - a gentle reading of songwriter Joe South's #41 recording from the Summer of '69)
* Twistin' the Night Away - Rod Stewart and The Faces (8/73; #59 - a rockin' version of the Sam Cooke hit from early '62, which spent three weeks at #1 R&B)
Darling Be Home Soon - Association (5/72; #104 - their lone charting single for Columbia Records was a tasty reading of the Lovin' Spoonful #15 from early '67)
California Dreamin' - Bobby Womack (12/68; #43 - curiously, the journeyman session player and prolific songwriter started his solo career by covering Pop standards, including this Mamas & Papas hit. His own compositions would serve him better, but this is one cool cover)
Don't Worry Baby - Tokens (3/70; #95 - one of several charting versions of this Beach Boys classic turned out to be the final charting single for the boys from Brooklyn under the "Tokens" name - until their Lion Sleeps Tonight reached #54 in 1994, thanks to its inclusion in Disney's "The Lion King")
He's So Fine - Jody Miller (6/71; #53 - shortly after the infamous plagiarism suit against George Harrison was first filed, this version of the Chiffons' #1 was released - complete with "My Sweet Lord" styled slide guitar licks. George would eventually lose the case)
45 Corner: My Sweet Lord - Chiffons (4/75; dnc - in a crazy full-circle turn of events, the original "He's So Fine" girls recorded George's massive hit from 1971. This jazzy flute-driven version is a pretty cool slice of audio irony. A Rockin' Remnants exclusive!)
I Want to Hold Your Hand - Lakeside (2/82; #102 Pop, #5 R&B - a soulful ballad version of The Beatles' first runaway smash here in the States)
I'll Cry Instead - Joe Cocker (6/64; dnc - released in England as a single after its appearance in the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night," this early Joe Cocker recording included session guitarists Big Jim Sullivan and Little Jimmy Page. We lost Joe Cocker just before Christmas this year. R.I.P.)
One Final Tune: Don't Worry Baby - Lorrie Morgan with The Beach Boys (9/96; #73 C&W)
Host Next Week (1/17/15): Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on January 1957
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