March 19, 2016 - JS - Alternate Universe

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:  March 19, 2016
Host:  John Simon
Feature:  Alternate Universe Oldies



Tonight: three hours of alternate interpretations of songs you know from the Rockin' Remnants era. Covers, original versions, b-sides, LP tracks, competing versions....it's all fair game. Sometimes the song is the star!

 

Birthday Calendar


March 15 – Mike Love (Beach Boys) – age 75
            – Sly Stone – age 72
           

March 16 – Nancy Wilson (Heart) – age 62
            

March 17 – John Sebastian – age 72
          




Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia


An audio challenge tonight!
"Can you name the composer AND the singer of this oft-recorded classic song?"

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)




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)


The Way You Look Tonight - Jaguars (1956; dnc - a mixed-race Doo Wop group from a Los Angeles high school had a regional hit with this Jazz standard. The Lettermen would later score a big national hit with it.) 

This I Swear - Skyliners (6/59; #26 - sometimes the DJ makes a mistake and the wrong song plays. That's the case tonight. This is the original and best version of this one: a Rockin' Remnants bonus track!)

Fever - Little Caesar & The Romans (9/61 - this was the b-side of their low-charting Those Oldies But Goodies Remind Me Of You. Tasty!)

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Dee Dee Warwick (12/66; #88 Pop, #13 R&B -  many artists have recorded this Gamble & Huff composition [see the very end of the show, for instance], but Dee Dee was the first. The Supremes & Temptations would collaborate and reach #2 in 1968 with  faithful remake of this version.)

   

I'm Into Something Good - Earl-Jean (6/64; #38 - Carole King wrote it, Earl-Jean recorded it, but Herman's Hermits had the big hit with it. Here's the original version.)

Good Night My Love - Ben E. King (1/66; #91 - there's not a bad version of this one out there, but this is my new favorite. Sublime!)

          

Devoted - Brian Hyland (1964; dnc - as he was transitioning from teen Novelty singer, young Brian made some great records. This one was closer to the Everlys' interpretation but didn't chart.)

She Lets Her Hair Down - Don Young (12/69; #104 - three versions of this song based on a shampoo commercial were released within two weeks of each other. Gene Pitney reached #89 and the Tokens made it to #61. If just one version had been released, I predict that it would've been a Top 20 smash.) 

  

* Ballad Of Thunder Road - Robert Mitchum (9/58; #62 - this is a leftover request from two weeks earlier. It's not an alternate version  -  just a requested novelty number.)

* Vehicle - Ides Of March (3/70; #2 - the request came from a listener who had a birthday on the ides of March. These guys started recording in high school. Warner Brothers added horns to this track and reinvented the signature sound of the band.)

  

* Where The Boys Are - Connie Francis (1/61; #4 - Ithaca College is on Spring Break this week, Cornell is next week. Listener Barbara requests this one every year at this time in honor of the occasion. No alternate version here  -  just a great Oldie!)

    

It's All Over Now - Valentinos (6/64; #94 - Bobby Womack and his brothers released this version, which ended up in the hands of the Rolling Stones. The Stones had the big hit. Here's the original.)

   

Lady Madonna - Fats Domino (9/68; #100 - in the "full-circle department," Paul McCartney wrote this one as a tribute to one of his musical heroes. The Beatles' version had recently fallen off the chart when this  -  Paul's hero Fats Domino's final charting hit  -  scratched the bottom of the chart.)

     

 Reach Out For Me - Lou Johnson (10/63; #74 - the first of three Bacharach/David compositions tonight, this was recorded by the duos favorite male vocalist. Ironically, Dionne Warwick  -  who would reach the Top 20 with this song one year later  -  is one of Lou's back-up singers on this record.)

   

Don't Make Me Over - Swinging Blue Jeans (3/66; #116 - this was Dionne Warwick's first hit, written after she had confronted the songwriters about being strung along. Her quote? "Don't make me ovah!")

    

My Little Red Book - Manfred Mann (6/65; #124 - Arthur Lee's band Love had the hit here in The States, reaching #52 the following Spring. Manfred Mann took it to the Top Ten in The UK.)

      

7-8pm

  Younger Girl - Hondells (5/66; #52 - John Sebastian had written the song and released it as an album track. Two versions were released as singles. The Hondells version was bigger west of the Mississppi and The Critters did better back East, reaching #42 nationally) 

   

 Wendy - Beach Boys (10/64; #65 - Mike Love shares a writer's credit with Brian Wilson on this one, which was released on a 4-song EP. Had it been released as a single, I predict Top Ten!)

    

Somebody's Watching You - Sly & Family Stone (7/69; from their LP Stand! - this album track was covered by a group called Little Sister, who had the hit. Here's Sly's original.)

Tell It Like It Is - Heart (11/80; #8 - Aaron Neville recorded the definitive version, but this cover made it to the Top Ten, propelled by Nancy Wilson's tasty guitar work and harmony vocals).

   

Kiss Me Baby - Beach Boys (4/65; b-side - the A-side was Help Me, Rhonda  -  a #1 smash from the pen of Brian Wilson. This beautiful b-side was co-written by Mike Love, who is 75 years old this week. This stunning stereo version is a Rockin' Remnants exclusive just for you!)

* Kansas  City - Trini Lopez (11/63; #23 - Trini Lopez made a career of recording spiffed-up versions of Folk songs and other cool covers. Our man George requested this one, and I had miraculously brought this very 45 in tonight. It's fate!)

       

Blue Moon - Ventures (10/61; #54 - The Marcels took it to #1 a few years earlier. Here's a swingin' Surf version for you!)

Here Comes The Night - Lulu (11/64; #52 UK - Van Morrison & Them would have the big hit with this Bert Berns composition a few months later. Studio guitarist Jimmy Page played on both versions. Majestic beauty here!)

    

* Cry - Ray Charles (2/65; #58 - the request from Joe-the-Cabbie, who said "I don't really have a request because the songs are great, but did Ray Charles do any alternate universe hits?" Johnnie Ray had a big hit with this one ten years earlier.)

* Dancing In The Moonlight - Boffalongo (ca. 1970 - the original version of King Harvest's big hit originated in Ithaca. Here it is, from the pen of Sherman Kelly. Take that!)

By The Time I Get To Phoenix - Billy Stewart (1971; dnc - this was released after Billy had died in a car accident. Our trivia question tonight was "Can you name the composer AND the singer of this oft-recorded classic song?" The answer was......no.)

A Million To One - Five Stairsteps & Cubie (1/68; #68 Pop, #28 R&B - Jimmy Charles had the big hit, but this is an under-appreciated beauty on the Buddha label, complements of "The First Family of Soul.") 

    

A Lovers Concerto - Mrs. Miller (5/66; #95 - this two-sided charter was released on the Capitol Records label. Poor Mrs. Miller was something of a laughing stock, but there's something magical within these grooves. Three callers thought they were hearing Tiny Tim. Listener Jeff knew the real answer.)

Hurt - Little Anthony the Imperials (1/66; #51 - Miss Toni Fisher had the big hit, but this is a tasty remake by the Brooklyn quartet.)

8-9pm





 Evil Woman - Black Sabbath (3/70; dnc - released as a single in the UK, this was Black Sabbath's first record  -  nearly a note-for-note remake of the original by the Minneapolis-based "Crow.")

     

Lodi - Al Wilson (8/69; #67 - this John Fogerty number was Creedence Clearwater Revival's b-side to Bad Moon Rising. Al Wilson released his version six months later and almost had a hit with it. His next release  -  Show & Tell  -  would reach #1.)

A Whiter Shade Of Pale - RB Greaves (12/70; #82 - this soulful remake of the Procol Harum anthem was a low-charter with some very tasty guitar fills.)

My Baby Loves Lovin' - Joe Jeffrey Group (4/70; #115 - two versions of this song were released on April 17, 1970. White Plains took it to #13 on the Deram label, while Joe Jeffrey & Co. stalled on the Bubbling Under chart.)

    

Do Right Man, Do Right Woman - Otis Clay (1971; Cotillion Records - Aretha put this song on the b-side of Respect, which guaranteed hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalty checks. Otis Clay's version didn't chart, but it's a beautiful interpretation.)

* (The Lament of The Cherokee) Indian Reservation - Don Fardon (8/68; #20 - this version was eclipsed by the Raiders' smash #1 version three years later, but it was a respectable hit in its own right for the British singer)

I Can Hear Music - Larry Lurex (9/73; #115 - The Ronettes recorded it first, followed by the Beach Boys. This version was attributed to "Larry Lurex," but the man's real name was....Freddie Mercury!)

   

God Only Knows - The Vogues (1/70; #101 - several vocal groups, including the Tokens, attempted to cover classic Beach Boys songs. This one is interesting, but nobody could touch the original!)

Nights On Broadway - Candi Staton (9/77; #102 Pop, #16 R&B - this is one of the first songs written by the Bee Gees in their second wave of hits. Next would come their full-blown Disco phase. This funky dance arrangement holds up well nearly forty years later.)

Yes I'm Ready - Teri DeSario with K.C. (11/79; #2 - Barbara Mason recorded the original. This one eclipsed her version in terms of chart success, but the original is still the classic and definitive interpretation.)

45 Corner:  Rosie - Chubby Checker (6/64; #116 - the b-side of Lazy Elsie Molly, which made it to #40 on the Parkway Records label. This one goes out to Rosie Simon who had a baby shower just today.)

      

I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips (9/71; dnc - this fully-produced Motown version was pulled from release at the last minute, but it's a fine way to end this edition of Rockin' Remnants.)

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






Trivia Answer




Congratulations to Jeff from Brooktondale, for correctly answering the question and winning an hour of free bowling at Atlas Bowl in Turmansburg!








Host Next Week (3/26/16):  Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on late March 1964