Jan 30, 2016 - JS & KV - Oldies

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 31, 2016
Host:  John Simon & Kim Vaughan
Feature:  No-themed Oldies Show




 Tonight two of these three will bring you a conventional Oldies show  -  no real theme, but a loaded birthday calendar, a tribute to the late Paul Kantner, and plenty of room for your requests. It's "cheap date night." Let the games begin!

 

Birthday Calendar

January 24 - Ray Stevens - age 77

                   - Neil Diamond - age 75

                   - Aaron Neville - age 75

January 25 - Etta James - born in 1938

January 26 - Huey "Piano" Smith - age 82

                   - Merrilee Rush - age 72

January 27 - Bobby "Blue" Bland - born in 1930

                   - Thom Bell - age 73

January 29 - James Jamerson - born in 1936

January 30 - Marty Balin - age 74
  






Playlist


[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)

* Mr. Sandman - Chordettes (10/54; #1 for seven weeks - a request from three weeks earlier, featuring the heavenly four-part harmonies of the Wisconsin girl group. Band director and Cadence Records founder Archie Bleyer provides the resonant voice of "Mr. Sandman.")

Here It Comes Again - Chantels (3/62; #118)

What a Dream - Conway Twitty (10/60; #94 Cash Box)

The Slide (Pt. 1) - Googie Rene (12/60; #105)

* Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin (10/59; #1 for nine weeks - a string broken up by the Fleetwoods, whose "Mr. Blue" snuck in for one week. Bobby Darin was a versatile performer whose styles ranged from teen dream to crooner to Sixties "folkie." This was from his swingin' Bertolt Brecht period.)

 

* Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison (7/67; #10 - the chart debut from "The Belfast Cowboy" on the Bang Records label, going out from Woody in Danby "To all the brown eyed girls out there.")

* With A Girl Like You - Troggs (8/66; #29 - a leftover request from our buddy Brad. This was released here in the States as the b-side of "Wild Thing." In the UK it spent two weeks at the top on its own merits.)

  

Look Of Love - Lesley Gore (12/64; #27 - another bouncy pop tune from New Jersey's teen sensation. Mercury Records added jingling bells to the single this one for added holiday sales. Most CD versions are the LP version sans bells.)

Reflections - Diana Ross & The Supremes (8/67; #2 - the first single to give Diana Ross top billing also broke their string of four consecutive #1's. Coincidence, or contributing factor? Hmmm...)

* Fat Man In The Bathtub - Little Feat (1977; LP track - requested by listener Lew in Newfield, whose wife was away for the weekend. Here's the "live" version from Waiting For Columbus.)

Without Her - Nilsson (1967; LP track - from his Pandemonium Shadow Show LP, which The Beatles famously acclaimed as their favorite record. This oft-covered tune has become something of a "standard.")

 

* Joy - Nilsson (10/71; dnc - this novelty number was requested by listener George, who later wrote "Thank you for bringing Joy to the world...they made me turn off the radio after that. I can't imagine why." We can't either, George.)

Get Back - The Beatles (4/69; #1 - January 30 marks the 47th anniversary of The Beatles' final "live" performance, on a rooftop in England. This bootleg recording comes from that actual performance, proving again that these guys really could play together.)

* Big Iron - Marty Robbins (3/60; #26 Pop, #5 C&W - the follow-up to his big #1 record "El Paso" goes out to a young listener who called in and talked about music with great authority. There's hope for the future!)

7-8pm

Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show - Neil Diamond (1969, #22.  One of his favorites, this song has been his show-closer for over forty years.)

Shilo - Neil Diamond (2/70; #74 - originally released in the summer of 1968, but with no label support, this was re-released after Neil Diamond's career took off at UNI Records, but its time had passed.)

   

Angel Of The Morning - Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts (5/68; #7 - another great song written by Chip Taylor [who also wrote Wild Thing]. The original had been cut by Evie Sands just as her record label  -  Cameo-Parkway  -  was dissolving.)

Call On Me - Bobby "Blue" Bland (2/63; #22 Pop, #6 R&B - this was the b-side of That's The Way Love Is, which spent several weeks at #1 on the R&B chart.)

* At Last - Etta James (1/61; #47 Pop, #2 R&B - originally a hit for Glen Miller in the Forties, this has become Etta James' signature tune.)

 

Over You - Aaron Neville (9/60; #111 Pop, #21 R&B - the record label said "Arron Neville." He wouldn't be heard from again until 1967, when Tell It Like It Is became a worldwide smash.)

Party People - Ray Stevens (12/65; #130 - written by Joe South, this should have been a hit record for producer, arranger and singer Ray Stevens.)

You Made Me Fall - Marty Balin (1962; dnc - long before he co-founded Jefferson Airplane with the late Paul Kantner, Marty was trying to make a go of it as a teen heart-throb on Challenge Records. Here's an early track from that chapter.)

  

Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane (11/69; #65 - co-written by Marty Balin and Paul Kantner, this was the title track of their most politically-charged album. The definitive version may have been the one heard on the Woodstock soundtrack. Tonight we play the original mono 45 for you.)

* Lather - Jefferson Airplane

Spotlight on Motown bassist James Jamerson

Think about the first few seconds of The Temptations’ “My Girl,” that syrupy bass line leading to the opening flourish. That was James Jamerson. Or the rushing current underneath Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ “The Tears of a Clown.”
For almost a decade, the South Carolina native was the backbone of The Funk Brothers, the house band that defined the sound of Motown Records.

   

My Girl - Temptations (3/65; #1 - written by Smokey Robinson, who had recently penned My Guy for Mary Wells. This is one of the greatest Motown records of them all.)

 

Tears Of A Clown - Smokey Robinson & Miracles (12/70; #1 for two weeks - this smash hit was a three-year-old album track when a British DJ discovered it and started playing it. It took off like a bullet and Tamla issued it as a single. The rest is history.)

I Was Made To Love Her - Stevie Wonder (6/67; #2 Pop, #1 R&B - "The road bassists held Jamerson in the highest regard, but they had the unenviable task of trying to re-create his bass lines on stage." - Dr. Licks from Standing In The Shadows Of Motown.)

Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (5/67; #19 - the first of a string of singles for the greatest male-female duo of the Motown empire. Tammi Terrell would tragically die at the age of 24from a brain tumor.)

   

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Supremes & Temptations

(1/69; #2 - written by Gamble and Huff and first recorded by Dee Dee Warwick. James Jamerson's bass line turns a good song into a brilliant song.)

8-9pm




Don't You Just Know It - Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns (1958, #9.  Smith was the writer and original performer of the songs "Sea Cruise" and "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu", both of which were big hits for other people.)

* All Strung Out Over You - Chambers Brothers (2/67; #120 Cash Box - their first single on the Columbia Records label, requested by Mark in Virginia. This was the opening track of their Time Has Come Today album.)

* Green Tambourine - Lemon Pipers (1/68; #1 - a telephone request from listener Kelly, released on the Buddah Records label.)

   

* Leader of the Pack - Shangri-Las (11/64; #1 - two sets of sisters from Queens, NY were signed to Red Bird Records. Producer Shadow Morton coaxed a string of atmospheric singles from them. This was their biggest hit, requested by Barbara in Danby.)

 

* Samba Pa Ti - Santana (1971; LP track - this instrumental from the Abraxas album goes out to Joe-the-Cabbie, who wanted to hear "some distinctive guitar music." He mentioned George Benson or Carlos Santana. We went with Santana.)


              

* Duke Of Earl - Gene Chandler (2/62; #1 for three weeks - going out from Cindy in Hornell to Duke in Ithaca. The pinnacle of Gene Chandler's career.)

* Good Lovin' - Young Rascals (4/66; #1 - this Blue-Eyed Soul band dusted off an obscure R&B number and turned it into solid gold!)

Spotlight on Philly Soul producer Thom Bell:

Thom Bell was a major force on the "Philly Soul" scene, as a writer, a producer, a collaborator (often with Linda Creed) and a talent scout. He resuscitated the careers of The Spinners (who'd been pronounced "washed up and done" after a disappointing stretch at Motown) and was honored with a Grammy Award for "Producer of the Year" in 1975. Tonight we shine a spotlight on one of the unsung heroes behind the music. Happy birthday, Thom Bell!
 

  

La La Means I Love You - Delfonics (2/68; #4 Pop, #1 R&B - co-written and produced by Thom Bell, who was behind a number of the band's hits, including their Grammy-winning Didn't I Blow Your Mind.)

    

What's The Use of Breaking Up - Jerry Butler (8/69; #20 Pop, #4 R&B - this follow-up to Only The Strong Survive gave writers' credit to Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble, and....Thom Bell!)

 

I'll Be Around - Spinners (9/72; #3 Pop, #5 R&B for five weeks - after a disappointing tenure at Motown Records, the band was reinvigorated by producer Thom Bell, who co-wrote this song for their debut single at Atlantic Records. Originally the b-side, it soon became the first of a long string of big hits for The Spinners.)

  

 

Mama Can't Buy You Love - Elton John (6/79; #9 - Elton John was looking for inspiration. He found it in Philadelphia, where he cut an EP called "The Thom Bell Sessions." This song had all of Thom Bell's signature elements in it: wah-wah guitar, swirling strings, a driving beat and background vocals by...The Spinners!)

  

 
Play On Love - Jefferson Starship (12/75; #49 - Paul Kantner formed the Jefferson Airplane and later led its transformation into the Jefferson Starship. He passed away on January 28th at age 74. Here's one more record with his stamp on it. R.I.P.)

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






 





Host Next Week (2/6/16):  John Simon with a spotlight on early 1969





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.