10/17/15 - JS & KV - 1963

Rockin' Remnants




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Date:  October 17, 2015
Host:  John Simon and Kim Vaughan
Feature:  1963

 

Birthday Calendar


October 12 – Sam Moore (Sam & Dave) – age 80
            – Melvin Franklin (Temptations) – born in 1942
           

October 13 – Paul Simon – age 74
            
October 14 – Sir Cliff Richard – age 75
            

October 15 – Richard Carpenter – age 69
          








Playlist


[songs in bold are from the spotlight date of 10-17-63; 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)

Sugar Shack - Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs (#1 for the second of five weeks - recorded at Norm Petty's studio, where he paired a young singer with a successful local instrumental band. This song went on to become Record Of The Year.  Jimmy is the guy on the far left.





Be My Baby - The Ronettes (#2 for the second of three weeks - featuring the stunning drumming of "The Wrecking Crew's" Hal Blaine, this one has been ranked at #22 in the RS500)

Talk To Me - Sunny & The Sunglows (#16, on the way to #11 - this tasty re-make of Little Willie John's original hit put this San Antonio quintet on the map.)

A Walkin' Miracle - The Essex (at #34, down from a peak of #12 - follow-up to their surprise #1 hit "Easier Said Then Done," which had the distinction of being the only #1 record recorded by a group who were all currently serving in the military!)

Mickey's Monkey - The Miracles (at #23, down from a peak of #12 - Smokey's hits alternated between catchy dance records and dreamy ballads. This is one of the former.)

Wonderful, Wonderful - The Tymes (#27, down from a peak of #7 - a faithful re-make of Johnny Mathis' big hit from five years earlier, hot on the heels of their #1 "So In Love.")

I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight - Barry & The Tamerlanes (debuting at #83, headed to #21 - Barry was actually Valiant Records' leader Barry DeVorzon, who would also go on to become a film composer and score an international hit with "Nadia's Theme.")





Enamorado - Keith Colley (at #67, headed to #66 - the only Pop hit for this non-Latino songwriter from Washington state, released on the Unical label.)





Surfer Girl - Beach Boys (#20, down from two weeks at #7 - featuring the smooth and soaring lead vocal of songwriter Brian Wilson.)

Reach Out For Me - Lou Johnson (at #100, headed to a peak of #74 - before he discovered Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach considered Lou Johnson the perfect vehicle for his compositions. This was released on the Big Top label and would later prove a hit for Dionne herself.)







I Can't Stay Mad At You - Skeeter Davis (down to #12 from a peak of #7 - penned by the husband-and-wife team of Goffin-King, but sounding an awful lot like a Neil Sedaka composition. Not unsurprising, considering they all worked together in NYC's Brill Building.)

* Walk Right In - Rooftop Singers (this one spent two weeks at #1 in January of 1963, making it something of "an oldie" at this point in time. Founding member Erik Darling had been with the Tarriers and a later version of The Weavers before forming this trio.)

45 Corner:  It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World - The Shirelles (#96, down from #92 - something of a novelty record from a madcap comedy film starring Spencer Tracy. This record may have never appeared on CD, making it a perfect candidate for "the 45 Corner.")




* Blue Bayou - Roy Orbison (peaking on this date at #29 - its A-side was Mean Woman Blues," which reached the Top Five.)


* Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton (in its second week at #3, after a three-week run at #1)


 

7-8pm

* If It's Magic - Stevie Wonder (1976 - from the Grammy-winning double album "Song In The Key Of Life," which Stevie Wonder is currently performing in concert in its entirety. He had just played Connecticut and our friend Carolyn couldn't get tickets.)

* 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) - Simon & Garfunkel (3/67 - the B-side of "At The Zoo." Harpers Bizarre would release it as a single on the WB label at about the same time and make it #13.)

My Baby Must Be a Magician - Marvelettes (12/67; #17 - the voice of "the genie" that opens this record is none other than Temptations' bass man -  and birthday guy  -  Melvin Franklin!)

Hold On! I'm Coming - Sam & Dave (4/66; #21 Pop, #1 R&B - a signature tune from the Miami duo, released on the Stax Records label.)

45 Corner:  Talkin' Baseball (Mets Version) - Terry Cashman (1981 - Cashman has recorded over 30 versions of this song, including updated versions every year for teams that may make the World Series. This is the original Mets' version. I was worried about jinxing them by playing it on the night of their first big game against the Cubs [because I played the Yankee version two weeks ago and they promptly lost their one-shot "wildcard" game], but the Mets won four in a row and are now headed to the World Series!)

The Next Time - Cliff Richard (9/63; #1 UK - one of a long string of hit records for Cliff Richard in England. He didn't make much of a splash over here, but he's been knighted by the Queen in the UK, and is considered the British equivalent of our own Elvis Presley.)

Foot Tapper - The Shadows (3/63; #1 UK - Hank Marvin and The Shadows are the British equivalent of our Ventures, and backed Cliff Richard on almost all of his hits. Surprisingly, they never had a charting single here in The States.)

Late In The Evening - Paul Simon (1980, #6, from the movie in which he starred, One-Trick Pony)

Top of the World - The Carpenters (1973, #1 for two weeks, co-written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis)


Little Beatle Boy - The Angels (1964, did not chart)


You've Got Your Troubles - The Fortunes (1965, #7)

Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight (1971, #2 for two weeks, #1 on the R&B chart)

Don't You Just Know It - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns (1958, #9)

Do You Love Me - The Contours (1962, #3 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.  The same version re-charted in 1988 when it was used in the soundtrack to the movie Dirty Dancing, this time peaking at #11.)

Will Power - The Cookies (1963, #72) 

8-9pm




Since You've Been Gone - Rainbow (1979, #57)

Give a Little Bit - Supertramp (1977, #15)

I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song - Jim Croce (1974, #9 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart)

Look What You've Done - Bread (from their 1970 album On the Waters)

Love Is Like Oxygen - Sweet (1978, #8)

I Think I Love You - The Partridge Family (1970, spent three weeks at #1)

Groove Me - King Floyd (peaked at #6 in 1971, and reached #1 on the R&B chart)

Chestnut Mare - The Byrds (1970, #121)

* Without You - Nilsson (spent four weeks at #1 in early 1972)

Nothing From Nothing - Billy Preston (1974, #1)

One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (Pt. 1) - Honey Cone (peaked at #15 in early 1972)

Oh Carol - Smokie (1978, did not chart in the U.S. but was a Top Ten in three European countries)

* Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John & Kiki Dee (1976, four weeks at #1)     

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













Host Next Week (10/24/15):  JR with a spotlight on vinyl!  And a birthday tribute to Chuck Berry...





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