Aug 22, 2015 - JR - 1970

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:  August 22, 2015
Host:  JR
Feature:  1970 & The Neil Songbook

It’s the late summer of 1970, and we have got what I call a 

quintessential chart date!  It doesn’t get more 70’s than 

Bread and The Carpenters at #1 and #2, eh?  There were 

great soul sounds from Motown, H-D-H, Memphis and 

Chicago (the city), Three Dog Night was on the chart; also

CCR, The Who, The Guess Who, Blood, Sweat & Tears, one hit wonders Mungo Jerry and Alive and Kickin’, and little ol’ Anne Murray.  I love the diversity of these old Hot 100 Charts!  We’ll check in with the Birthday Calendar at 7:00 play some Remnants trivia with some cool summertime prizes and to wind down the show: The Neil Songbook!  Great stuff…

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]

6pm – 7pm

Make It With You – Bread – BB Hot 100 #1, 1 week

The debut Hot 100 single from Bread was their only chart-

topper, this week 45 years ago.

(The Long To Be) Close To You – Carpenters – BB Hot 

100 #2

The Carpenters second charting single usurped 

Bread at the top slot the next week and stayed there for 4 

weeks.

Spill The Wine – Eric Burdon and War – BB Hot 100 #3

Eric Burdon had a soul man inside his body yearning to get 

out, and this was the closest he got, backed by this funky 

L.A. band; peaked on the Hot 100 this week.

In The Summertime – Mungo Jerry – BB Hot 100 #5

One last gasp for this Brit one-hit-wonder; dusted off and 

played for 3 months every year for the past 45 years.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder – 

BB Hot 100 #6

Stevie Wonder cranked out hit singles for Motown for 5 

decades!  This entry peaked at Hot 100 #3.

Patches – Clarence Carter – BB Hot 100 #7

This tear-jerker was the highest charting single for this blind 

singer/guitarist from Alabama; also won Grammy for Best 

R&B Song.

Band Of Gold – Freda Payne – BB Hot 100 #8

When producers/songwriters Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier,

 Brian Holland (H-D-H) left Motown in 1968, they formed 

Invictus/Hot Wax Records to release their recordings.  Freda

 Payne had one of their earliest hits, featuring a fine electric

 sitar line, along with a stunning vocal.  Click here to learn 

more about H-D-H.

I Just Can’t Help Believing – B.J. – BB Hot 100 #9

Off the pen of Mann/Weil, this peaked at Hot 100 this week 

in 1970.

Tighter, Tighter – Alive And Kicking – BB Hot 100 #10

Originally recorded by Tommy James & The Shondells, this

 “cover” version was also co-produced by James.

O-o-h Child – The Five Stairsteps – BB Hot 100 #16

This sibling group from Chicago had 14 Top 40 R&B 

charters between 1966 and 1980, but this was their only Hot 

100 Top 40 hit, peaking at #8.

Ball Of Confusion – The Temptations – BB Hot 100 #14

This is yet another socially-conscious single from Motown 

produced by Norman Whitfield; see #4 this week.

45 Corner

Mama Told Me (Not To Come) – Three Dog Night – BB 

Hot 100 #15

The first #1 single for this 70’s pop music powerhouse, 

written by Randy Newman, this 45 version is only available 

on 7” vinyl.  The single is in mono, instead of stereo like all 

LP and CD versions, and fades out instead of ending cold.

A Rockin’ Remnants exclusive!

Hi-De-Ho – Blood, Sweat & Tears – BB Hot 100 #22

Off the pen of Goffin/King, this peaked at Hot 100 #14 in 

1970.

Tell It All Brother – Kenny Roger And The First Edition – 

BB Hot 100 #19

Happy Birthday this past week to K. Rogers, who turned 77 

on the 21^st, which leads right into…

7pm – 8pm

Birthday Calendar

August 19^th – Peter “Ginger” Baker, 76

                     Johnny Nash, 75

                     Ian Gillian (Deep Purple), 70

                            

 August 20^th – Robert “Bob” Plant, 67

                       Isaac Hayes, 1942

                     

 August 21^st – Kenny Rogers, 77

                       James Burton (guitar The Wrecking Crew), 75

                       Jackie DeShannon, 70

               

“White Room” (45 version) – Cream, 1968

Ginger Baker is considered one of the best rock drummers, and besides Cream, he drummed for Blind Faith, The Air Force, and Baker-Gurvitz Army, as well as Hawkwind and Masters Of Reality.

“Hold Me Tight”  (45 version)– Johnny Nash, 1968

Johnny’s career started in the late 50’s when he was just 17!  He was one of the first Americans to record in Jamaica and champion reggae music and Bob Marley.

 “Black Night” – Deep Purple, 1970

Deep Purple turned it up to 11 and transformed from pop band to heavy metal band in the late 60’s with the addition of vocalist Ian Gillian, whose banshee wail vocals were a big part of their sound through the 70’s.  This was their first single with Gillian on lead; peaked at Hot 100 #66.

“Tall Cool One” – Robert Plant, 1988

What about 2 great heavy metal British vocalists back-to-back here on Remnants???  Does it get any better???  Jimmy Page on guitar with Led Zep samples “Whole Lotta Love”, “Dazed And Confused”, “The Ocean” and “Custard Pie”.  Classic!

“Theme From Shaft” – Isaac Hayes, 1971

#1 for 2 weeks, Oscar winner for Best song, 1970; tonight we hear the extended LP version on Enterprise Records.  Can ya dig it?  Right on!   (I mentioned on the show the promo copy of this LP came in to our studios on Linden Ave.  In 1971 we were still in The Straight.  Correction noted).

“Mississippi” – John Phillips, 1970

James Burton was part of L.A.’s Wrecking Crew and played sessions for Dale Hawkins, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Glen Campbell, John Denver and so on and so forth!  He plays dobro on this solo recording from Papa John, and even gets a shout out, “ Do it to me, James!” right before his solo.
Hear it here!

“What The World Needs Now Is Love” – Jackie DeShannon, 1965

Born Sharon Myers in Kentucky, Jackie’s biggest pop hit was for Kim Carnes, who took her composition of “Bette Davis Eyes” to Hot 100 9 weeks in 1981!

 Back to our chart date of 8/22/1970

Groovy Situation – Gene Chandler – BB Hot 100 #34

After scoring in the 60’s with the #1 “Duke Of Earl” and soul 

hits, this Chicago native made a real nice comeback with this

 single in 1970; it was his last Top 40 entry.

(I Know) I’m Losing You – Rare Earth– BB Hot 100 #37

This rock band signed to a Motown subsidiary label scored 

their first 2 chart hits with covers of The Temptations, “Get 

Ready” and this, which peaked at Hot 100 #7.

Snowbird – Anne Murray – BB Hot 100 #38

The first Hot 100 hit for this Canadian songbird peaked at 

Hot 100 #8.



Trivia Question:

The first single release by The Carpenters, a Beatles 

cover, did not even crack the Top 40.  Name that tune!

Scroll down past the playlist to see the answer.

8pm – 9pm The Neil Songbook

For the last hour of Remnants tonight we feature the music 

of Neil Sedaka. Neil Diamond and Neil Young!

First up is Neil Sedaka, who besides having a pretty 

successful solo career in the early 60’s, was also a 

songwriter, mainly along with partner Howie Greenfield. 

Working out of the Brill Building, he penned songs for a 

staple of artists in the Don Kirshner stable.  After a brief 

“retirement” in the late 60’s, Sedaka had a big comeback in 

the mid 70’s with a return to the charts with his solo 

recordings, and also penning the #1 Hot 100 single of 1974!

“Stupid Cupid” – Connie Francis, 1958, BB Top 100 #14

“Working On A Groovy Thing” – The Fifth Dimension, 1969, 

BB Hot 100 #20

 “Love Will Keep Us Together” – The Captain And Tenille, 

1974, BB Hot 100 #1, 4 wks

Neil Diamond was on a fencing scholarship at NYU, when 

interest in songwriting led him to the infamous Brill Building,

 and again working under the auspices of Don Kirshner, who

 plugged his song to his main interest at the time, The 

Monkees.  And it was the Monkees that really launched 

Neil’s career by recording “I’m A Believer”, #1 for 7 weeks 

and the #1 Hot 100 single of 1967.  Neil then started a solo 

career with Jeff Barry on BANG Records, and then moved to 

UNI in 1968 where he had the bulk of his solo success.  

Along the way, many of his contemporary artists covered 

Neil’s originals and had their own hit versions.

“Sunday And Me” – Jay & The Americans, 1965, BB Hot 100 

#18

“A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” – The Monkees, 1967, BB 

Hot 100 #2

“The Boat That I Row” – Lulu, Bubbling Under #115

“Kentucky Woman” – Deep Purple, 1968, BB Hot 100 #38

“And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind” – Mark Lindsay, 1970,

 BB Hot 100 #44

“Holly Holy” – Jr. Walker & The All Stars, 1971, BB R&B #33

“Sweet Caroline” – Bobby Womack, 1973, BB R&B #16

“Red, Red Wine” – UB40, 1983, 1988, BB Hot 100 #1, 1 

week

Our final Neil is Mr. Young, who first came to fame as a 

member of Buffalo Springfield, which released 2 of his 

compositions as singles (both flopped). Embarking on a solo

 career in 1969, Neil scored both hit LP’s and hit singles, 

which made him uncomfortable so he largely made very 

uncommercial LP’s for the rest of the decade.  However his 

songs were definitely noticed by other artists and cover 

version created hit singles for others.

“Cinnamon Girl” – The Gentrys, 1970, BB Hot 100 #52 (this 

actually charted higher that Neil’s version with Crazy Horse,

 Hot 100 #55!)

 “Down By The River” – McKendree Spring, 1972, Did not 

chart.  Dedicated to the memory of my friend Larry Tucker, 

bass player, who is second from the left in the photo.

“After The Goldrush” – Prelude, 1974, BB Hot 100 #22

“Love Is A Rose” – Linda Ronstadt, 1975, BB Hot 100 #63

“Lotta Love” – Nicolette Larson, 1978, BB Hot 100 #8



Trivia Answer:


"Ticket To Ride", released on 2/14/70, peaking at Hot 100 #54.


Congratulations to Dave from Ithaca for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of passes to Cinemapolis and two free drinks from Ithaca Coffee Company!








Host Next Week (8/29/15):  John Simon and Kim Vaughan double team!





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