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: January 2, 2016
Host: John Simon
Feature: Generic Oldies Show
Tonight there's no Spotlight Date, no particular theme.....just a bunch of classic oldies with a great birthday calendar, a look back at one of my favorite "holiday" films, a spotlight on the late Snuff Garrett and your requests. Happy New Year, everybody. Let's have some fun!
Birthday Calendar
December 27 - Mike Pinder (Moody Blues) - age 74
December 28 - Alex Chilton (Box Tops, Big Star) - Born 1950
December 29 - Bobby Comstock - age 74
- Ray Thomas (Moody Blues) - age 74
- Marianne Faithfull - age 69
December 30 - Bo Diddley - born in 1928
- Skeeter Davis - born in 1931
- Del Shannon - born in 1939
- Mike Nesmith (Monkees) - age 73
- Davy Jones (Monkees) - born in 1945
December 31 - Burton Cummings (Guess Who) - age 68
January 02 - Earl Grant - born in 1931
- Roger Miller - born in 1936
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)
Duke Of Earl - Gene Chandler (1/62; #1 Pop for three weeks, R&B for five - the actual artists were The Dukays, with Gene Chandler in the lead. This record would lead to his departure from the group and launch a career that would stretch into the Eighties.)
I Understand (Just How You Feel) - G-Clefs (9/61; #9 - three brothers and their two buddies from the Boston suburbs. Just listen to those accents! This one also folds in the chorus of Auld Lang Syne, making it a perennial New Year's song in some circles....)
Silhouettes - The Rays (10/57; #3 - a big hit on the Cameo-Parkway label that was almost lost to obscurity, if it weren't for the fact that it got stuck on continuous play on a popular radio show one night. This from Wikipedia: The song received a break when popular local disc jockey Hy Lit fell asleep with a stack of newly released records on his record player. "Silhouettes" happened to be the last to play, and so it repeated until he woke up. He began to play the song on his show.[1] It became popular enough that Cameo-Parkway picked it up for national distribution, and it eventually reached number 3 on Billboard Top 100, while also hitting the top five on both the sales and airplay charts. It was the group's only top 40 hit.)
Please Mr. Postman - Marvelettes (12/61; #1 Pop, #1 R&B for seven weeks! - the very first record from the Motown family to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.)
Alice In Wonderland - Neil Sedaka (2/63; #17 - this would be the last Top 20 hit for this Brill Building songwriter/performer until his famous comeback in the mid-Seventies.)
* Runaway - Del Shannon (4/61; #1 for four weeks - his first release made it all the way to the top and paved the way to an enduring career, especially in the UK.)
Kind Of A Drag - Buckinghams (1/67; #1 - the only #1 record for the tiny USA Records label. This would be their first of five Top Twenty hits for the calendar year, making them the most successful singles band of 1967.)
Uptight (Everything's Alright) - Stevie Wonder (12/65; #3 Pop, #1 R&B for five weeks - this single finally signaled the end of his "Little Stevie Wonder" days. It was tough, confident and loaded with punch!)
* Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley (6/58; #1 for six weeks! - the original request was from a listener "...in a Dr. Demento-type mood." The motion was seconded by a listener in Canada, and it tied in with a Facebook message that a two-year old and a four-year old were tuned in in Boston. Looks like we had no choice.)
Iko Iko - Dixie Cups (4/65; #20 - their final Top Twenty hit was a recording of an old Mardi Gras street favorite.)
* Warmth Of The Sun - Beach Boys (11/64; b-side - the flip was Dance, Dance, Dance, which reached #8. This is the more enduring side, and sounded especially good on this cold winter's night.)
* How Can I Be Sure - Young Rascals (9/67; #4 - the request: "in honor of the New Year and Strauss waltzes, I'd like to hear some tunes in 3/4 time. eg How Can I Be Sure--(Young) Rascals, Kiss From a Rose--Seal, Time In a Bottle --Croce, Times They are A-Changin'--Dylan (in order of preference)." Eddie Brigati's signature song, comin' atcha!)
* Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce (12/73; #1 - at #3 last week on JR's show, this would close out the year - and kick off 1974 - at the top of the chart. It also completes a double shot of waltz requests.)
* 59th Street Bridge Song - Simon & Garfunkel (3/67; b-side - the other side is At The Zoo, but this one gets lots of requests. When S&G decided not to release it as an "A side," Harpers Bizarre did - and took it to a respectable #13.)
* Dance With Me - Orleans (7/75; #6 - going out to Sara from "Glen In Watkins Glen" for her birthday. Another one co-written by front man John Hall and his wife Johanna.)
Cheryl's Goin' Home - Cascades (4/66; #131 - this was slated to be songwriter Bob Lind's breakthrough record, but deejays flipped for the flip-side, "The Elusive Butterfly." The Blues Project included it in their Projections LP, but nobody could get a hit out of it - including The Cascades.)
Neon Rainbow - Box Tops (11/67; #24 - the follow-up to their out-of-nowhere smash The Letter. This one created less of a splash than their first record, but was a nice showcase for Alex Chilton's soulful voice.)
Watching And Waiting - Moody Blues (11/69; dnc - Co-written by Ray Thomas and Justin Hayward and built around the swirling organ of Mike Pinder, this was released as a single on the Threshold label, with the expectation that it would mirror the success of their Nights In White Satin. Alas and alack, it didn't even scratch the bottom of the charts. This is a personal favorite of mine.)
You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover - Bo Diddley (8/62; #48 - one of the last charting singles for this seminal figure of the Rock music world, featuring his signature chunka-chunk-chunk guitar rhythm and growling tongue-in-cheek vocal delivery. Listener Bill called in to say "Now THAT was Bo Diddley!")
The Wayward Wind - Bobby Comstock & The Counts (1960; dnc - the only Ithaca native to reach the national charts in the 20th Century, but not with this record. Gogi Grant's original spent six weeks at #1. Bobby's version failed to make much noise outside of Central NY.)
Let Me Get Close To You - Skeeter Davis (8/64; #106 - born Mary Frances Penick in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, "Skeeter" took the name of her singing partner Betty Jack Davis. Betty died in a car accident shortly after their biggest C&W hit had taken off. Skeeter went on to a fine solo career, but this record - from the pens of Goffin & King - mysteriously stalled at #106.)
Love Is Only Sleeping - Monkees (8/67; dnc - this Mike Nesmith number was originally intended as an A-side for the "Pre-Fab Four," but the title seemed a bit suggestive for the teeny-bopper market. After testing it in Canada, Colgems decided to replace it with Goin' Down [is that any less suggestive???], but the other side proved to be the hit anyway. It was called Daydream Believer.)
It's Nice To Be With You - Monkees (6/68; #51 - this dreamy ballad was paired with the novelty number D.W. Washburn. D.W. Washburn charted higher than Davy Jones' solo number, which spent four consecutive weeks at #51 in July of 1968!)
Laughing - Guess Who (7/69; #10 - this was a two-sided hit for the band, although Undun wouldn't reach the chart until this one had run its course. Both were co-written by Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman, who would eventually be unable to reconcile their differences, going separate ways.)
England Swings - Roger Miller (11/65; #8 - much of this record's success was probably attributed to America's temporary obsession with all things England. Short and sweet, it clocks in at 1:47.)
45 Corner: Whistle Stop (from the Walt Disney Film "Robin Hood") - Roger Miller (3/74; #86 C&W - Roger was tapped to score Disney's animated film, and he actually played a roving troubadour in the film, albeit in the form of a chicken-with-a-lute. Columbia released this novelty number which actually got some airplay on C&W radio.)
King Of The Road - Roger Miller (1/65; #4 - this was his biggest hit, and it actually won FOUR Grammy Awards: Country Record, Male Country Vocal, Rock Record and Male Rock Vocal. How's that for a successful "crossover" hit??!?)
Music From The Film "Love Actually":
'tis the season of Holiday movies, and this is a personal favorite (although I've heard it panned in some circles). The all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley....come ON!) is part of the appeal, but I love the use of popular music, too. Here are three examples (and we won't even mention the Pointer Sisters this time around....)
Love Is All Around - Troggs (2/68; #7 - Bill Nighy plays an aging rocker trying for a comeback with a Christmas version of this classic power ballad. The band Wet, Wet, Wet would also have a hit with this one thanks to another Hugh Grant film: Four Weddings And A Funeral.)
Bye Bye Baby - Bay City Rollers (3/75; #1 UK for six weeks - this never even scratched the lower regions of the US charts, but was a monster hit in England. The original was of course done by the 4 Seasons. Here's the film version.)
Music From The Film "Love Actually":
'tis the season of Holiday movies, and this is a personal favorite (although I've heard it panned in some circles). The all-star cast (Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley....come ON!) is part of the appeal, but I love the use of popular music, too. Here are three examples (and we won't even mention the Pointer Sisters this time around....)
Love Is All Around - Troggs (2/68; #7 - Bill Nighy plays an aging rocker trying for a comeback with a Christmas version of this classic power ballad. The band Wet, Wet, Wet would also have a hit with this one thanks to another Hugh Grant film: Four Weddings And A Funeral.)
Bye Bye Baby - Bay City Rollers (3/75; #1 UK for six weeks - this never even scratched the lower regions of the US charts, but was a monster hit in England. The original was of course done by the 4 Seasons. Here's the film version.)
God Only Knows - Beach Boys (8/66; #39 - a special edit was used to roll over over the closing credits of the film. Paul McCartney was once quoted as saying this song was "...the greatest song ever written." Radio programmers, however, may have been uncomfortable with having "God" in the title, because it was blacklisted in some markets and was hence not the hit it deserved to be.)
A Tribute To Producer Snuff Garrett (b. 7/5/36, d. 12/17/15)
Run To Him - Bobby Vee (11/61; #2 - "...the best record I'd ever cut!" - Snuff Garrett)
Dreamin' - Johnny Burnette (7/60; #11 - a classic Snuff Garrett production: swirling strings, big background chorus and a driving beat.)
Old Rivers - Walter Brennan (4/62; #5 - Snuff had been trying to find somebody to record this song: Johnny Cash? Tennessee Ernie Ford? He finally convinced an aging TV actor to do it, and got Leon Russell to play the piano. It was the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership.)
A Hundred Pounds Of Clay - Gene McDaniels (3/61; #3 for two weeks - his biggest hit as a Pop singer, but he also had a great career in the Jazz world.)
3000 Miles - Brian Hyland (4/66; #99 - Snuff Garrett was brought in to produce some hit records for the floundering teen singer, using the same musicians and formula - double-tracked vocals, glockenspiel and bouncy rhythms - that worked on the Gary Lewis sessions. Great singles, but less success.)
Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves - Cher (11/71; #1 for two weeks - Sonny Bono asked his old associate from the Phil Spector days to help jump start his floundering career. Snuff had just the song - he said "I wanted a song like Son Of a Preacher Man." This was the one.)
(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin (9/67; #8 - this week the internet has been flooded with footage of Aretha's performance of this Carole King classic at the Kennedy Center Awards ceremony. Tonight we play the original hit version, but here's a peek at the version that's creating such a stir.)
How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees (12/77; #1 for three weeks - the final chart-topper of 1977 - and the first of 1978 - was also the first of six consecutive #1s for the band of brothers.)
Say You Love Me - Fleetwood Mac (7/76; #11 - the third Top 20 single from their breakthrough LP [with the addition of Buckingham and Nicks], tonight you get the special radio version with lots of crunchy guitars added to generate more excitement!)
* Midnight Blue - Melissa Manchester (5/75; #6 - the charting debut for this Bronx native, requested from our buddy David in Vancouver.)
Run Run Run - Jo Jo Gunne (3/72; #27 - a driving old-skool rocker from a quartet formed by two members of Spirit, and named after a Chuck Berry tune.)
(At) The End (Of The Rainbow) - Earl Grant (9/58; #7 - known primarily as a Jazz keyboardist, this cat could also sing. Some pressings simply said "The End," and this is how we'll choose to end the show tonight, which also happens to be Earl Grant's birthday.)
Host Next Week (1/9/16): John Simon with a spotlight on TBD
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment