April 30, 2016 - JS - Spotlight on Billboard

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:  April 30, 2016
Host:  John Simon
Feature:  Spotlight on Billboard Magazine






Tonight it's a little bit of a spotlight on Billboard Magazine - along with your requests. Join John Simon as he looks at some of the snapshot reviews from past issues and then plays the records in question. 6-9 Eastern time on 93.5 FM locally or wvbr.com on the web.

 

 

Birthday Calendar


April 24 – Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (CCR) - age 71 

April 25 – Stu Cook (CCR) - age 71
             -  Mike Brown (Left Banke) - born in 1949

April 26 – Duane Eddy - age 78
             -  Pete Ham (Badfinger) - born in 1947

April 27 – Sheena Easton - age 57

April 29 – Bob Miranda (Happenings) - age 74
             -  Tammi Terrell - born in 1945
             -  Tommy James - age 69

April 30 – Willie Nelson - age 83
             -  Johnny Farina (Santo & Johnny) - age 75
             -  Bobby Vee - age 73  





 


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)



* When You Walk In The Room - Jackie DeShannon (1/64; #99 - arranged and produced by Jack Nitzsche, this song would turn into a big hit for the Searchers and later for Karla Bonoff.)

   

* I Love You - People (4/68; #14 - this was released as a Zombies b-side, and would give the California band People its only charting hit. Tonight we hear the radio station mono 45 edit.)

* Wednesday - Royal Guardsmen (9/67; #97 - after three consecutive "Snoopy" novelty records, the Florida band released this pleasant Pop record. It just barely scraped into the Hot 100.)

Let Them Talk - Little Willie John (11/59; #100 Pop, #11 R&B - one of a string of stirring singles by the diminutive Detroit native. He would tragically die in prison at the tender age of 33.)

    

Dawn (Go Away) - 4 Seasons (2/64; #3 for three weeks - held out of the top slot by The Beatles, this American band held its own and continued to crank out great records for their new label Phillips Records.) 

Let Him Run Wild - Beach Boys (7/65; b-side - this gem was tucked on the back of the #3 smash California Girls. The band was churning out so much great material that they couldn't fit them all on a-sides!)

The Kind of Trouble That I Love - Reparata & The Del-Rons (3/67; dnc - Billboard had this to say: "Top-notch arrangement of strong teen-oriented material is delivered in fine style by the girls. Destined for top sales activity.")

    

 

* Georgy Girl - Seekers (12/66; #2 for two weeks - the title song from the Lynn Redgrave movie went to #1 on Cash Box and Record World  -  and on WABC in New York City. In the interest of full disclosure, this was the first contemporary hit single I ever bought. I had no idea what I was starting....)

Da Doo Ron Ron - Crystals (4/63; #3 - after releasing two consecutive "Crystals" records that were recorded by Darlene Love & The Blossoms, Phil Spector brought La La Brooks and the "real" Crystals in to record this classic.)

He's A Rebel - Vikki Carr (8/25/62; #115 - Billboard had this to say: "Miss Carr has a solid, dramatic touch on this fine new ballad of tribute to her guy. Good lyric idea and it's well handled against a stirring background that builds. It can happen.")

    

He's a Rebel - Crystals (8/25/62; #1 - Billboard had this to say: "The group has a winning sound on this new ballad. They handle it with much feeling over a martial-styled big ork background. Watch this one.")

Good Lovin' - Young Rascals (4/66; #1 - this record reached #1 on this very date in 1966. Billboard said "Hot follow-up to their initial hit...the exciting group has a definite winner in this driving, wailing rock number.")

Hang On Sloopy - McCoys (10/65; #1 - high school kids from Union City, Indiana scored big with this garage band classic.)

* Eve Of Destruction - Barry McGuire (9/65; #1 - this topical hit from the pen of P.F. Sloan continues to garner requests. It was #1 for exactly one week before being dislodged by Hang On Sloopy!)

* Angel Of The Morning - Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts   (5/68; #7 - Evie Sands' version came out just as her Philadelphia-based record label went under, but it somehow made its way to the Seattle area. This was Merrilee's biggest hit, and Juice Newton would take it to #4 thirteen years later.) 

7-8pm

Walk Away Renee - Left Banke (9/66; #5 - the first of three songs inspired by young Renee Fladen. This song would later be recorded the Four Tops, Southside Johnny, Rickie Lee Jones and others. The birth of "Classical Rock.")

    

She May Call You Up Tonight - Left Banke (6/67; #120 - after Pretty Ballerina, the band released this unsuccessful gem. Michael Brown would leave the band shortly thereafter.)

Mirage - Tommy James & Shondells (4/67; #10 - one of a string of great singles by the band, most co-written by band member Ritchie Cordell. This one came about by accident when the engineer accidentally played I Think We're Alone Now backwards. Really!)

 

You Could've Been With Me - Sheena Easton (11/81; #15 - a beautiful single with a most unusual male chorus. Many of her subsequent records would be aimed at the Dance Club set. This one is an atypical offering from the young Scottish chanteuse.)

     

 

First Love, First Tears - Duane Eddy & The Rebels (9/59; #59 - so many records to choose from. This is a long-lost beauty!)

Tear Drop - Santo & Johnny (11/59; #23 - Santo played the pedal steel; Johnny played the 6-string guitar. We play their Sleepwalk at the end of every show. This was its follow-up.)

* Walking With My Angel - Bobby Vee (11/61; #53 - the flipside of this was the big hit: Run To Me reached #3. I invited people to call in their Bobby Vee requests. The first caller got his record played!)

Funny How Time Slips Away - Jimmy Elledge (11/61; #22 - Willie Nelson got his start as a Nashville songwriter. This was one of his great creations.)

   

Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain - Willie Nelson (8/75; #21 Pop, #1 C&W - this clocks in at #302 in the RS500, and also won him a Grammy Award that year for Country Male Vocal.)

Born On The Bayou - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1/69; dnc - The title track of their Bayou Country LP ran about 6 minutes long. This edited version was the b-side of their big hit Proud Mary, and lopped 2+ minutes off the original.)

 

If This World Were Mine - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (3/68; #68 Pop, #27 R&B - this was the b-side of a big hit for them back in January. C-written by Marvin Gaye, this has been cited as Tammi's favorite of their records. She was taken too soon by brain cancer.)

      

 

45 Corner:  Girl On a Swing - Wyatt (9/70; dnc - Bob Miranda has the composer credit on this song, which was a medium-sized hit for Gerry & The Pacemakers a few years earlier. This record was produced by The Tokens for the Buddha label.)

 

Goodnight My Love - Happenings (12/66; #51 - not to be confused with the Jesse Belvin classic of the same name, this featured the soaring vocals of New Jersey's own Bob Miranda, 74 this week.)

* You Don't Know Like I Know - Sam & Dave (1/66; #90 Pop, #7 R&B - this was the first national hit for the Miami-based duo. A long string of great Soul stompers would soon follow.)

* Tramp - Otis & Carla (5/67; #26 Pop, #2 R&B - Carla Thomas was born into a musical family  -  her father was Rufus Thomas. Otis Redding was, well, Otis! Their records weren't nearly as sentimental as Marvin & Tammi's, but they certainly rocked.)

8-9pm



First of May - Bee Gees (3/69; #37 - tomorrow is the first of May. A perfect excuse to play this mournful reflection.)

    

You Know What I Mean - Turtles (8/67; #12 - for about two years these guys churned out a series of nearly-perfect Pop gems. This one had horns and strings arranged by Jack Nitzsche.)

I'm Making The Same Mistakes Again - Steve Lawrence (4/23/66; dnc - Billboard said "Lawrence has a highly commercial disk in this dance-beat blues ballad with lush string backing. Hot chart item." Maybe they missed the boat on this one, but it's a cool record.)

Treat Her Like a Lady - Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose (6/71; #3 Pop, #20 R&B - their first big hit, featuring the unmistakable voice of Brother Edward Cornelius. They were just getting started....)

* Kiss An Angel Good Morning - Charley Pride (11/71; #21 Pop, #1 C&W for five weeks - as unlikely as it seemed from up north, this Black C&W singer was the real deal, charting 29 #1s on the Country charts. This was his biggest Pop hit.)

 

Tracks Of My Tears - Linda Ronstadt (12/75; #25 - she scored big with two of Smokey Robinson's songs. This one was from her album Prisoner In Disguise.)

Apple Of My Eye - Badfinger (2/74; #102 - this was the band's final single for Apple Records before leaving for a more lucrative contract with Warner Brothers. A year later, Pete Ham would tragically hang himself.)

I Call Your Name - Switch (10/79; #83 Pop, #10 R&B - this Ohio group was signed by Motown and would soon morph into the family group called DeBarge. The single version of their 7+ minute LP track isn't available on CD or LP. You hear it tonight.)

* Goodbye - Mary Hopkin (4/69; #13 - long-time listener Don-from-Arkansas is moving to a new home without internet service for a while. He asked for this to be his final request....)

      

Lost In Love - Air Supply (2/80; #3 for four weeks (!) - this is the first of a dozen consecutive Top 40 hits for the Australian group, and my own personal favorite.)

They Don't Know - Tracey Ullman (2/84; #8 - one of the greatest re-creations of the Sixties' Girl Group sound to come out of the MTV generation. Look for Paul McCartney in the video!)

 

45 Corner:  End Of The World - The Tokens (8/30/69; dnc - Billboard said the following: "Smart and stylish updating of the Skeeter Davis hit of the past, this smooth ballad offering is sure to bring the group back to the Hot 100 and Easy Listening charts in short order. Top production and arrangement!" No cigar, Billboard.)

 

Happy Together - Turtles (1/28/67; #1 - Billboard had this to say: "Group scored high with their It Ain't Me Babe and this groovy folk-oriented item could repeat that success. Joe Wissert's production is tops." It would spend three weeks at the top starting on March 25th. They got that one right!)

    

 

Part Of The Plan - Dan Fogelberg   (2/75; #31 - the hit single from his LP Souvenirs  -  and his first hit  -  was produced by Joe Walsh, who played lead guitar on this track. Graham Nash added harmony vocals, and Dan Fogelberg was off to the races!)

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














Host Next Week (5/7/16):  Jan Hunsinger with a spotlight on May 1970