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: 4/23/16
Host: John Simon
Feature: Diggin' Deep: Obscure Oldies
Each week the Billboard Hot 100 prints a new list of the biggest records in the country (based on a combination of record sales, radio plays, reported requests and other vague criteria). Tonight we'll feature records that - for whatever reason - never broke through. Nothing higher than #90 tonight (with a few exceptions) - and then almost nothing but your requests in the final hour. Let's dig deep into the vaults on this edition of Rockin' Remnants!
Birthday Calendar
April 19 – Alan Price (Animals) – age74
– Mark Volman (Turtles) – age 72
April 22 – Jack Nitzsche – born in1937
– Glen Campbell – age 80
April 23 – Roy Orbison – born in 1936
– Ray Peterson – born in 1939
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)
Don't Take the Stars – Mystics (10/59; #93 - Follow-up to Hushabye mysteriously stalled in the lower regions. Laurie Records.)
A Little Like Lovin' - Cascades (8/63; #116 - RCA signed the band away from Valiant Records and this was their first single for the new label. Wha' happened???)
How Long Has It Been - Casinos (6/67; #121 - follow-up to Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye also came up surprisingly short.)
Baby Make Me Feel So Good - Five Stairsteps & Cubie (2/69; #101 - this lush and majestic single stalled right at the edge of the Hot 100. A shame. It would, however, go to #12 R&B.)
I Can't Let Go - Nobody's Children (3/68; dnc - this cover of the Hollies' cover of the Evie Sands record [got that???] may have gotten airplay somewhere, but very little info is available on the web. Nice use of horns on this one!)
I'm Alive - Hollies (8/65; #103 - this early Hollies single reached #1 in the UK, but missed the mark in the States. Their next single would mark the beginning of a string of Top 40 records for the band.)
Roller Coaster - Ides Of March (9/66; #92 - four high school kids from Ohio would flirt with the national charts, but wouldn't hit it big until 1970's Vehicle stormed the Top 5.)
I Can't Go On - Charlie Rich (12/65; #132 - one of several great recordings released on the Smash Records label. He was too "Country" for the Pop market and too soulful for the C&W market. Ironically, a number of his '70s classics were recorded back in 1965.)
The Last Thing On My Mind - The Womenfolk (5/66; #105 - Tom Paxton wrote it, but RCA couldn't get a hit with it.)
Up On the Bridge - Chiffons (10/68; dnc - another flop for Laurie Records, although they were still churning out hits for Dion and the Music Explosion at this time. This is a great little record! I'll be playing it again....)
Love (It's Getting Better) - The Groove (11/67; dnc - a great blend of Soul and "Bubblegum" sounds that would've been a big hit just a year later. Ahead of its time....)
I'm Hypnotized - Anthony & The Imperials (2/68; #98 - he dropped the "Little" from his name and recorded this catchy pop tune that somehow missed the mark.)
45 Corner: Day Tripper - Vontastics (9/66; #100 - this Chicago soul group cut a sizzling version of the Lennon-McCartney tune for the St. Lawrence Records label. Stuck at the lowest rung of the Pop chart and not available on CD, as far as I can tell.)
Some Kind Of Wonderful - Soul Brothers Six (6/67; #91 Pop - even more mysterious is why this record spent one solitary week on the Pop chart - and NO time on the R&B charts. Grand Funk would cover it and take it to the Top 5 six years later.)
I Guess That Don't Make Me a Loser - Brothers Of Soul (3/68; #128 Cash Box - just because it wasn't a hit doesn't mean it's a loser.)
Across the Street (Is a Million Miles Away) - Ray Peterson (12/64; #106 - produced and arranged by Ray Stevens, this one failed to crack the Hot 100. Great track!)
Walk With a Winner - Gene McDaniel (1965; dnc - this Liberty Records release was one of Jack Nitzsche's great lost records. Shoulda beena hit!)
Rumble - Jack Nitzsche (11/63; #91 - chosen as the follow-up to his Lonely Surfer, this re-make of the Link Wray instrumental featured crisp horns and big drums. Way cool....)
Me About You - Turtles (11/70; #105 - The Turtles had already disbanded when White Whale Records released this album track as a single. Many acts - Lovin' Spoonful, Mamas & Papas, Jackie DeShannon - had recorded it, but this version is the best!)
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell (11/68; #3 Pop, #1 C&W - no low-charter here - just one of the greatest records to come out of LA's famed Gold Star Studio. Let's celebrate Glen Campbell while he's still alive.)
I Put A Spell On You - Alan Price Set (7/66; #80 - after he left the Animals, their keyboard man released a couple of singles. This one was the highest-charting one, released here in the States on Parrot Records.)
Sittin' In The Park - Georgie Fame (3/66; #35 UK - another great English organ player with limited success in the States. He'd later become the leader of Van Morrison's touring band. This one totally missed in America.)
Substitute - The Who (5/66; #106 Record World - this was a big hit in England, but America was slow to embrace the Who for at least another year. This US-only version changed the line "I look all white but me dad is Black" to "I try walking forward but my feet walk back," but it still went nowhere.)
Under My Thumb - Del Shannon (9/66; #128 - Del heard this one when he toured with the Rolling Stones. He cut it as a single when it became clear that they wouldn't, and his version was faithful to the original. No hit, though.)
45 Corner: See That Girl - The Vogues (11/69; #108 Cashbox - this song was written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weill and originally appeared on a Righteous Brothers LP. It didn't achieve hit status, but it's a cool slab of vinyl.)
See That Girl - Righteous Brothers (1965 - from their album Just Once In My Life, this was virtually a solo performance by Bill Medley. According to our telephone survey, this is the preferred version. Case closed.)
I Can't See Nobody - Bee Gees (6/67; #124 - this was the b-side of the brothers' first single and it got some airplay on its own steam.)
You Should Know (I'm Still Your Baby) - Sammi Lynn (10/61; dnc - answer to the #1 smash Take Good Care Of My Baby.)
You Don't Have To Be a Tower of Strength - Gloria Lynne (12/61; #100 - Answer to Gene McDaniel's Tower Of Strength. Both of these answer records had high production value. Neither of them made much of a splash....)
A Fork in the Road - Miracles (7/65; #124 - tucked onto the b-side of Tracks Of My Tears, this is one of my personal favorites of all time.)
* Don't Forget About Me - Dusty Springfield (3/69; #64 - this gem from the writing team of Goffin and King was one of several singles from the Dusty In Memphis LP. The American Breed had released this as a single two years prior. It didn't chart.)
* To Sir With Love - Lulu (10/67; #1 for five weeks - clearly, we've strayed from the original theme. This one turned out to be Billboard's Record of The Year.)
* Lil' Red Riding Hood - Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs (6/66; #2 - and the hits just keep on comin'....)
* Reflections - Diana Ross & Supremes (8/67; #2 - one of the first prominent singles to feature the Moog synthesizer is also one of our most consistently requested tunes.)
* Baby Let Me Take You Home - Animals (9/64; #102 - this had been the first Animals single released in the States. M-G-M re-released it after the runaway success of House Of The Rising Sun, but it stalled just beyond the Hot 100.)
* Sealed With a Kiss - Brian Hyland (6/62; #3 - one of the classic summertime hits was requested by a guy who grew up right up the block from the Hyland brothers on Long Island. This one was dedicated to Victoria.)
* Whenever You're Ready - Zombies (9/65; #110 - this one was called in by listener Chip, who pointed out that the single was best known as the "a-side" of the b-side I Love You, later covered by the band called "People.")
Cheryl's Going Home - Bob Lind (1/66; dnc - "folkie" Bob Lind was assigned to producer Jack "Specs" Nitzsche for his first album. "Specs" selected this one as the proposed hit side, but DJs literally flipped for the b-side: The Elusive Butterfly.)
Peace Of Mind - Magnificent Men (8/66; #141 Record World - this blue-eyed soul group from Harrisburg, PA was signed to Capitol Records, where they released a series of great singles with little commercial success. This one should've been a hit!)
* Black & White - Three Dog Night (9/72; #1 - the caller requesting this song actually sang part of the chorus on the phone. How could I say no???)
Us & Them (45 edit) - Pink Floyd (9/73; #101 - this one was selected from one of the most successful albums of the past fifty years. The heavily-edited single didn't chart in the States, but the full-length album version got plenty of FM radio play.)
Goodnight My Love - Ben E. King (1/66; #91 - Jesse Belvin's original somehow failed to crack the Hot 100 back in the Fifties. This is a stunning interpretation of the original, and with this one we say....."Good Night.")
Host Next Week (4/30/16): John Simon with a spotlight 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.
