Feb 6, 2016 - JS - 1969

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: February 6, 2016
Host:  John Simon
Feature:  Early February 1969





This was the WABC chart from late January 1969. Tonight's show will focus on the list from two weeks later. A lot would change from week to week in radioland. C'mon over and join the fray - if you can (internet stream is still down) from 6-9 on 93.5 FM.

  Note: tonight's show included fifteen requests (plus some we didn't get to). It was a group effort! Thanks to all who contributed.

Birthday Calendar


February 1 - Don Everly - age 78
           

February 2 - Graham Nash - age 74
            
February 3 - Dave Davies - age 69
                  - Melanie - age 69

February 4 - Alice Cooper - age 67

February 5 - Hal Blaine - age 87
                  - Cory Wells (Three Dog Night) - born in 1942

February 6 - Bob Marley
          








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)

Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & Shondells (#1 on this date for the first of two weeks - Tommy James and the boys go psychedelic on this one  -  wah-wah, echo and trippy lyrics  -  and it pays off!)

Every Day People - Sly & The Family Stone  (at #2 this week, headed for a four week run at #1 on the Pop chart - a timely anthem to racial harmony that still sounds fresh today.)

     

Touch Me - The Doors (at #4, headed to #3 - The Doors change their sound and add a fat saxophone to this one, which got stuck behind Tommy James' and Sly Stone's big #1 records.)

Hooked On A Feeling - BJ Thomas (at #11, down from #5 - this record spent over twenty weeks working its way up to #5. Tonight we hear the punchy mono 45 version.)

   

I Started A Joke - Bee Gees (peaking on this date at #6 - no one really knew what the words meant, but many record buyers agreed that it was a beautiful ballad.)

* Running Scared - Roy Orbison (6/61; #1 - this was his first #1 record, and has the distinction of not having a real chorus. Strange song structure...but it worked!)

Our Winter Love - Bill Pursell (2/63; #9 - a haunting instrumental with a fuzz bass solo in the middle. Tasty!)

Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) - Temptations (9/64; #26 Pop - this was one of the last records to feature tenor Eddie Kendrick on lead vocals. David Ruffin [bottom left in the photo] was waiting in the wings, and their next big record  -  My Girl - would be the beginning of the David Ruffin era.) 

     

Beginning Of My End - Unifics (peaking at #36 on this date on the Pop chart and #9 R&B - this young quartet from Howard University scored three charting singles for the Kapp Records label. This one features a lush string-laden arrangement and a sad story of brokenhearted regret.)

  

* Cry To Me - Solomon Burke (1/62; #44 Pop, #5 R&B - The single was released on the Atlantic Records label and later used to great effect in the film Dirty Dancing.)

* Tracks Of My Tears - Miracles (7/65; #16 Pop, #2 R&B - Rolling Stone ranks it at #50 in the RS500 list: a true Motown classic!)

  

* Peppermint Twist - Joey Dee & Starliters (1/62; #1 for three weeks - going out from Bill to Gail on the listener line. This record bumped Chubby Checker's The Twist from the top slot. Those were twistin' times, my friends!.)

Honey Chile - Martha Reeves & The Vandellas (11/67; #11 Pop, #5 R&B - their first record to list Ms. Reeves full name was also their final big hit. Nice way to go out, though.)

   

* I'm A Man - Chicago (10/71; #49 - an edited single was released two years after it appeared on their debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. We hear the full-length album version tonight.)


 

7-8pm

Beautiful People - Melanie (11/69; #104 - according to one of our listeners, this was the very song Melanie was playing at Woodstock when tens-of-thousands of candles were being lit on the rainy hillsides. She was inspired to write a song about that moment, and it would become a big hit for her.)

Waiting In Vain - Bob Marley & The Wailers (10/77; #114 - this was selected as a single from his Exodus album, to little response. It has since become a classic.)

     

Tired of Waiting - The Kinks (3/65; #6 - their third big single was much less of an aural assault  -  and much more melodic  -  than their first two. It also reached #1 in their native England.)

Always It's You - Everly Brothers (5/60; #56 - this was the b-side of their first single for their new label. Cathy's Clown spent five weeks at #1 and the Everly family breathed a big collective sigh of relief.)

On A Carousel - The Hollies (3/67; #11 - The Hollies had just signed with Epic Records and this would be their last big hit on the Imperial label, featuring the lead voice of Graham Nash.)

  

     

Lady Of The Island - Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969; dnc - this track comes from their Atlantic Records debut album. According to listener Greg Perreault, the subject of the song was none other than Joni Mitchell.)

     

* Eighteen - Alice Cooper (2/71; #21 - this was the first big charting single from the band fronted by Vince Furnier. Rolling Stone ranks it at #482 in its RS500 list.)

* See Emily Play - Pink Floyd (9/67; #134 - their first charting single here in The States, requested by a friend of Angela, who was celebrating a birthday this night. We'd later play HER request for a Joni Mitchell song. Happy birthday!)

 

Tribute to the late Maurice White:

News reached us on Thursday that this seminal figure in popular music had passed away after a long struggle with Parkinsons disease. Before founding the band Earth, Wind & Fire, Maurice White was house drummer for the Chess Records family of labels and played on dozens of hit records. Tonight we'll play two of them and then a requested E,W&F niumber. R.I.P. Maurice White, dead at age 74.

Rescue Me - Fontella Bass (9/65; #4 Pop, #1 R&B for four weeks - driven by the propulsive drumming of Maurice White, this would be Fontella Bass' biggest hit.)

    

 
Cross My Heart - Billy Stewart (1/68; #86 Pop, #34 R&B - Billy Stewart recorded a string of great singles on the Chess label. Many tributes reference Maurice White's drumming on Summertime, but this is pretty tasty, too.)

  

* That's The Way of The World - Earth, Wind & Fire (7/75; #12 Pop, #5 R&B - the title track of their breakthrough album was actually the second single from the LP. The first  -  Shining Star  -  went to #1 on both Pop and R&B charts.)

       

* From Me To You - The Beatles (8/63; #116  -  re-released 3/64 by Vee-Jay Records to capitalize on the Beatles' runaway success, and it reached #41.)

   

* May I - Bill Deal & The Rondells (#70 on this date, headed to #39 - this "blue-eyed soul band" continues to be popular among the "Beach Music" fans of the Carolina coast. Thanks for the request, George!)

* Feelin' Alright - Traffic (10/68; #123 - from their first album, simply called "Traffic." The caller hit this one on the head when he said "all this stuff makes me want to hear some Traffic!")

 

8-9pm




Soulful Strut - Young-Holt, Unlimited (#17 Pop, down from #3 - Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt left Ramsey Lewis to form their own group, paving the way for Maurice White to join the new Ramsey Lewis Trio. Small world!)

Can I Change My Mind - Tyrone Davis (at #10 Pop this week, headed to #5, and to #1 R&B - this was originally designated the b-side of his debut single for Dakar Records. What were they thinking??!?)

         

Someday Soon - Judy Collins (at #85 this week, headed to #55 - written by Ian Tyson and produced by Stephen Stills, who also played bass on the record. This should've been a much bigger hit.)

I've Never Been To Spain - Three Dog Night (12/71; #5 - co-founder of the band Cory Wells sang lead on this one. He passed away back in October in the sleepy upstate hamlet of Dunkirk, NY. Yesterday would've been his 75th birthday.)

* Ode To Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry (8/67; #1 for four weeks - another request in honor of listener Angela's birthday [she was born in 1967], this was one of the great out-of-the-blue debut singles of the Rockin' Remnants era. A girl, a guitar and a mournful mysterious tale set around a dinner table. It won her a Grammy Award, and Rolling Stone ranked it at #412 in its RS500.]

Dizzy - Tommy Roe (#44 this week, headed to #1 for four weeks - drummer Hal Blaine played on over 150 Top Ten records. This is one of them.)

* Aquarius/Flesh Failures/Let The Sun Shine In - 5th Dimension (this one would be released just a few weeks from this date and would go on to spend six weeks at #1. It would be one of six consecutive Records Of The Year featuring the playing of session drummer Hal Blaine. The bass player on this was the amazing Joe Osborn.)

   

Sophisticated Cissy - The Meters (debuting on this date at #71, headed to #34 Pop and #7 R&B - this New Orleans rhythm band is still making great music together. This was their very first charting single.)

     

Good Lovin' Ain't Easy To Come By - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (at #45 this week, headed to #30 Pop and #11 R&B - young Tammi Terrell had collapsed on stage in Marvin Gaye's arms just fourteen months earlier. The diagnosis was brain cancer. She would pass away in March of 1970, just shy of her 25th birthday.)

45 Corner:  Getting The Corners - TSU Tornadoes (peaking on this date at #75, headed to #34 R&B - trivia buffs might know that these Tornadoes had already cut a #1 record for the Atlantic label, but the credit went to the vocal group who sang the "Tighten Up" chorus: Archie Bell and The Drells. This would be the last gasp for the Texas State University ensemble. A Rockin' Remnants exclusive!)

* Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight & Pips (10/73; #1 Pop for two weeks, R&B for four weeks - this record won a Grammy and made it to #432 in the RS500. This video features an unlikely bunch of substitute "Pips." Enjoy!)

* Free Man In Paris - Joni Mitchell (7/74; #22 - with backing vocals from Graham Nash and David Crosby and guitar support from Larry Carlton and Jose Feliciano, this is our final request from birthday girl Angela and her wild bunch of party people. Good call!)

Tragedy - Brian Hyland (at #65 this week, headed to a peak of #56 - his career ranged from pre-teen Novelty singer to Pop singer to interpreter of classic Oldies. This mournful cover of the Fleetwoods' big hit is how we'll end tonight's show.)

  

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






 






Host Next Week (2/13/16):  Kim Vaughan with a  Valentine's spotlight called "I Sing The Body Electric!"




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.