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: 6/27/15
Host: John Simon
Feature: 1964 and Rain Songs
From Facebook:
Late June 1964 on this rainy summer Saturday from 6-9 p.m. It's cheap date night on 93.5 FM and wvbr.com. I'll be qualifying lucky listeners for both GrassRoots AND Falcon Ridge tickets this evening - plus taking your requests. Par-tayyy!
But first....a couple of songs to reflect the relentless rain we've been enduring !
[Note: what was intended to be "a couple of songs" turned into a full hour as the Request Line lit up. June 1964 didn't really begin until the second hour!]
Birthday Calendar
June 21 – Ray Davies (Kinks) – age 71
– Nils Lofgren – age 63
June 22 – Peter Asher (Peter & Gordon) – age 71
– Howard Kaylan (Turtles) – age 68
June 23 – Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) – age73
– Jeff Beck – age 71
– Colin Blunstone (Zombies) – age 70
June 24 – Eddie Floyd – age 80
– Carly Simon – age 70
Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia
April 4, 1964 was a momentous day in music history: The Beatles held down the top 5 slots on Billboard's Hot 100 Chart. Can you name those five records?
(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)
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)
Raindrops - Dee Clark (5/61; #2 - a clap of thunder followed by three minutes of NYC mournful Soul to kick off the rain segment!)
Rain - The Beatles (6/66; #23 - the b-side of Paperback Writer features one of Paul's toughest bass lines. Tonight we hear the mono 45 version)
Yesterday's Rain - Spanky & Our Gang (12/68; #94 - one of the band's more experimental songs, complete with sound effects and an intricate vocal arrangement)
It's Raining - Irma Thomas (9/62; #134 - an obscure single released on the Minit Records label that got mass exposure in the independent film Down By Law in 1986)
As Tears Go By - Rolling Stones (12/65; #6 - "All I hear is the sound of rain falling on the ground...I sit and watch as tears go by.")
* Like Rain - Nils Lofgren (1970 - a jump-start on the birthday calendar. Nils fronted the band Grin and later served with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band)
Let It Rain - Eric Clapton (9/72; #48 - co-written by Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett and featured on Clapton's first solo album)
* Cryin' In the Rain - Everly Brothers (1/62; #6 - a plaintive ballad from the pen of young Carole King)
Both Sides Now - Judy Collins (11/68; #8 - from the pen of young Joni Mitchell. We had just played an ad for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, featuring a snippet of this song. "I've looked at clouds from both sides now...")
Don't Let The Rain Fall Down On Me - Critters (7/67; #39 - their final Top 40 record on the Kapp Records label. The band had split by the time this one was released.)
* Rhapsody In The Rain - Lou Christie (4/66; #16 - the racy lyrics didn't stop this record - banned in many markets - from reaching the Top 20. The caller declared it "one of the greatest Rain songs of them all" and asked that I dedicate it to "the life-blood of the rain." Done.)
* Bus Stop - Hollies (7/66; #5 - a truly great summertime rain song from one of truly great bands of the British Invasion.)
Don't Sleep In The Subway - Petula Clark(6/67; #5 - "Don't sleep in the subway darlin', don't stand in the pouring rain....")
See My Friend - Kinks (10/65; #111 Pop - written by Ray Davies after a visit to India. The unfamiliar harmonies and chord structures didn't resonate with American fans, but the record went to #10 in the UK.)
Shapes Of Things - Yardbirds (3/66; #11 - Eric Clapton had left the band over creative differences - he felt they were abandoning their Blues roots for "too-poppy" a sound. Jeff Beck stepped in and introduced fuzz and a psychedelic flavour. Later, Jimmy Page would replace Jeff Beck.)
She's My Girl - Turtles (11/67; #14 - the final of four big hits for The Turtles in 1967, featuring the vocal stylings of Howard Kaylan - the "Eddie" of "Flo & Eddie.")
Cuddlebug - Simon Sisters (1964; dnc - released on Kapp Records here in the States and as a single on London Records in the UK. Carly Simon (left, in the photo) would eventually win a Grammy in 1971 for Best New Artist, and go on to have a fabulous career.)
Nothing's Changed - Zombies (3/65 - this was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Bunny Lake Is Missing. Never released as a single, but a shining example of birthday boy Colin Blunstone's haunting vocals.)
Time Of The Season - Zombies (2/69; #3 - released as a single on the Date Records label after the band had already split up, making a supporting tour impossible. Sigh.)
I Get Around - Beach Boys (6/64; #2 - headed for a two-week run at the top starting next week. The flip side of this one will close our show tonight. Many say it was the better recording....)
Chapel Of Love - Dixie Cups (6/64; #3 - down from a three-week run at the top)
No Particular Place To Go - Chuck Berry (6/64; #14 - headed to #10, this was one of a string of successful records for this legendary pioneer, released after a stint in prison for violation of The Mann Act.)
* Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin' - Gerry & Pacemakers (6/64; #7 - headed to #4. This was perhaps the second-most successful of the bands to arrive from Liverpool)
Love Me With All Your Heart - Ray Charles Singers (6/64; #8 - down from a peak of #3. These Ray Charles Singers were distinctly different from the other Ray Charles and HIS singers! Notice the tiny third billing for Ray and his Singers...)
Do I Love You - Ronettes (6/64; #78 - this lush ballad was just beginning to climb to its eventual perch of #34 on the Pop chart.)
Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann - Round Robin (6/64; #68 - Round Robin sounded a lot like Chubby Checker. This record was produced and arranged by Jack Nitzsche at LA's Gold Star Studio.)
Juliet - Four Pennies (6/64; #129 - this disc would only reach #116 here in the US, but it was a #1 hit in the band's native England.)
The Girl's Alright With Me - Temptations 6/64; #105 - this b-side would stall at #101, while its flip side - I'll Be In Trouble - would reach #33.)
All My Lovin' - Beatles (6/64; #92 - there were five different labels issuing Beatles singles during this crazy time. Capitol US decided to fight fire with fire by releasing a 4-song EP. Not many people bought it, and it only reached #92 on the Billboard chart. Today a mint copy is worth well over $300!)
I Can't Hear You - Betty Everett (6/64; #79 - this record would only reach #66 two weeks later, and deserved to do much better. Gerry Goffin calls it one of the best records he & Carole King ever created.)
* Devil With a Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels (10/66; #4 - the highest-charting release from this high-octane Detroit band would later be copied faithfully by Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band.)
* Fire & Rain - James Taylor (9/70; #3 - the first charting single in the long career of JT)
* Who'll Stop The Rain - CCR (1/70; #2 - John Fogerty wanted to call this "Who'll Stop The War". Fantasy Records said "no").
* Laughter In The Rain - Neil Sedaka (10/74; #1, 1 week - A nice comeback for Neil, whose last Hot 100 charting single was in 1966).
* Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - BJ Thomas (12/69; #1, 4 weeks - Oscar winner for Best Song from Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.
* 45 Corner: Riders On The Storm - Doors (7/71; #14 - The studio engineers at Elektra Records worked some 16-track editing magic back in 1971, transforming the 7:30 album version into the 4:30 single version. Only available on 45 rpm, 7" vinyl.)
* Rainy Days & Mondays - Carpenters (6/71; #2 - listener Barbara called this one "the saddest rain song I know." Written by Paul Williams.)
* Raining In My Heart - Buddy Holly (3/59; #88 - b-side to It Doesn't Matter Anymore," which was released two weeks after the plane crash that happened on "the day the music died.")
Shenandoah - Goldebriars (6/64; #109 - released on Epic Records by the Holmberg Sisters and a young Curt Boettcher, who would go on to greater heights.)
Don't Worry Baby - Beach Boys (6/64; #29 - headed to #24, this b-side to "I Get Around" has been lauded as one of the greatest records of all time by both Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked it #176 on the RS500.)
Storms - Fleetwood Mac (1979 - from the double album called Tusk, one last rain song for the evening - this from the pen of Stevie Nicks.)
Trivia Answer
On April 4, 1964 The Beatles had twelve songs on the Hot 100. Five of them were the Top 5 songs in the country - a feat that was unprecedented and that remains unequaled.
1) Can't Buy Me Love
2) Twist & Shout
3) She Loves You
4) I Want To Hold Your Hand
5) Please Please Me
Congratulations to Dave from Ithaca, for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of tickets to Cinemapolis! Honorable mention goes to Chip from Ithaca and to Ed from Houston who also knew the answer.
Host Next Week (7/4/15): Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on Independence Day!
