June 25, 2016 - JH: Summer Songs

Monday, June 27, 2016

June 25, 2016 - JH - Summer Songs

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:  6/25/16
Host:  Jan Hunsinger
Feature:  Summer Songs

Back in the Saturday night saddle. Rockin' Remnants from now 'til 9 p.m. Cheap date night - but you don't always get what you pay for....

 

Birthday Calendar

June 19 - Tommy DeVito (Four Seasons) - age 81
- Shirley Goodman - age 80
- Al Wilson - born 1939
- Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane - age 76 

June 20 - Billy Guy (Coasters) born 1936
Bobby Nunn (Coasters) born 1936
Jerry Keller - age 79  
Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) - age 74 
Dolores Brooks - (Crystals) - age 69

June 21 - Ocie Lee "O.C." Smith - born 1932
Ray Davies (Kinks) - age 72 
Joey Molland (Badfinger) - age 69 
Brenda Holloway - age 69 

June 22 - Kris Kristofferson - age 80
Verne Allison (Dells) - age 80 
Bobby Harrison (Procol Harum) age 67
Peter Asher (Peter & Gordon) age 72
Howard Kaylan (The Turtles) age 71
Todd Rundgren - age 68

June 23 - Phil Harris - born 1904
Arthur Brown (Crazy World of Arthur Brown) - age 74
Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac) - age 69  

June 25 - Harold Melvin (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes) - age 80
Carly Simon - age 71 

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 Ol' Rock 'n' Roll   – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)

Groovy Summertime - Love Generation (1967 - an uncharted release from the Summer of Love!) 



 Vacation - Connie Francis (#9/1962 - what all of the area high school students are looking forward to)

Hot Fun in the Summertime - Sly & the Family Stone (#2/1969 - Rolling Stone voted it #247 in its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  The song does swing.)

Summertime, Summertime - The Jamies (#26/1958 - a one-hit wonder that made the charts again in 1962)

One Summer Night - The Danleers (#7/1958 - another summer one-hit wonder from 1958)

Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran (#8/1958 - an oft-covered classic, Eddie died in a car accident in England at the age of 22.)

Honeycomb - Jimmie Rodgers (#1/1957 - interrupted our string of summer songs because the DJ had the wrong song cued up.  An extra but a good one.)

The Long Hot Summer - Jimmie Rodgers (#77/1958 - movie theme that completes set of summer songs from 1958) 

 Summertime - Billy Stewart (#10/1967 - written by George Gershwin for Porgy and Bess in 1935, this jazz standard has been covered over 33,000 times)

Summer in the City - Lovin' Spoonful (#1/1966 -  caller told story of how song was written by Mark Sebastion who was attending Binghamton High School at the time.  The yearbook turned down his poem but big brother John asked to use it for his band, complete with honking car horns and jackhammer.  Voted #401 in RS 500 Greatest Songs.)

*Summer Wind - Frank Sinatra (#25/1966 - originally a German song, Johnny Mercer re-wrote it with English lyrics. Old Blue Eyes is backed by the Nelson Riddle orchestra.) 

Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh - Allan Sherman (#2/1963 - what would summer be without summer camp?  Allan Sherman had a string of comedy LPs in the 60s.)



Save Your Heart for Me - Gary Lewis and the Playboys (#2/1965 - A summer lament clocking in at under 2:00, Gary Lewis said "It was played everywhere. DJs loved it."  Yes, we do, Gary.)

Indian Lake - The Cowsills (#10/1968 - sunshine pop sound from the real-life family band that became a model for the Partridge Family.  A million seller.)
 

45 corner 
That's Where I Went Wrong - The Poppy Family featuring Susan Jacks - (#29/1970 - group out of Canada that got its name out of the dictionary.  Husband Terry Jacks would score big with "Seasons in the Sun" a couple of years later.)


  Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer - Nat King Cole (#6/1963 - banjo helps to make this song upbeat and light.)

The Door Into Summer - The Monkess (1967 - track off of the LP Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones Ltd.) 

 

 
  Summer Days - The Partridge Family (1971 - LP track from TV's answer to the Cowsills)

Summer Nights - Marianne Faithful (#24/1965 - another short summer song, this one by Mick Jagger's girlfriend clocks in at 1:46.)
 
 7-8pm 
Walk Like a Man - Four Seasons (#1/1963 - one of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons' early hits, spent 3 weeks at #1)

Let the Good Times Roll - Shirley Goodman (#20/1956 - million seller that hit #1 on the R&B charts)


Show and Tell - Al Wilson (#1/1973 - on Rocky Road records, spent 1 week at #1)

Like to Get to Know You - Spanky and Our Gang (#17/1968 - members of the Wrecking Crew backed up the vocals on this great 60s song.)  

Poison Ivy - The Coasters (#7/1959 - the Clown Princes of Rock took this Lieber & Stoller penned song up the charts.)

Here Comes Summer - Jerry Keller (#14/1959 - Keller also wrote this one-hit wonder)

When I Grow Up (to be a Man) - The Beach Boys (#9/1964 - Brian Wilson and Mike Love teamed up to write this song about growing up.)


Uptown - the Crystals (#13/1962 - Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil penned this example of a Phil Spector produced hit) 

Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith (#2/1968 - also a top 40 hit for Roger Miller in 1968, this song won two Grammy Awards for songwriter Bobby Russell ["Saturday Morning Confusion"]: Song of the Year and Best Country Song.)

Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks (#14/1966 - Ray Davies wrote this song with a music hall flavor.  Spent 3 weeks at #1 in the UK)


No Matter What - Badfinger (#8/1970 - great false ending on this track)

Every Little Bit Hurts - Brenda Holloway (#13/1964 - The Spencer Davis Group and Small Faces covered this track but the original was the biggest hit.)

Sunday Morning Coming Down - Johnny Cash (#44/1970 - voted the Country Music Association Song of the Year for 1970, Kristofferson said that this was the song that allowed him to quit working for a living.  We heard the original 45 from a performance on the Johnny Cash Show.)


Stay in My Corner - The Dells (#10/1968 - originally released in 1965, this song spent 3 weeks at #1 on teh R&B charts.)



8-9pm

Conquistador - Procol Harum (#16/1972 - the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra backed the band in a concert in Edmontaon, Alberta.  Neat trick considering the orchestra had no time to rehearse the song.)

Nobody I Know - Peter & Gordon (#12/1964 - song was written for the duo by Sir Paul McCartney.  Peter Asher would go on to produce albums for James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, among others.)

You Know What I Mean - The Turtles (#12/1967 - slice of sunshine pop by this eternally touring band.)



We Gotta Get You a Woman - Runt (#20/1971 - Todd Rundgren wrote and produced every song on the LP.)

South Street - The Orlons (#3/1963 - out of Philadelphia on Cameo-Parkway records.) 

The Thing - Phil Harris (#1/1950 - song spent 14 weeks on the charts; Harris would be the voice of Baloo in the Disney movie The Jungle Book.  Song was used in the film The Last Picture Show.)

Fire - Crazy World of Arthur Brown (#2/1968 - one-hit wonder from England, Arthur Brown, the God of Hellfire,  is considered a pioneer of shock rock)

 Heroes Are Hard to Find - Fleetwood Mac (1974 - released as a single and went nowhere, has a nice intro drum lick by birthday boy Mick Fleetwood)

If You Don't Know Me By Now - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes (#3/1972 - soul group out of Philadelphia that featured lead vocalist Teddy Pendergrass)

The Right Thing to Do - Carly Simon (#17/1973 - written by Carly for then-husband James Taylor.  She says that she got the line "loving you is the right thing to do" from the movie The Last Picture Show.  Spooky coincidence?)

Graduation Day - The Four Freshmen (#17/1956 - a song to kick off a tribute to the local high school holding graduation ceremonies this weekend)


Be True to Your School - The Beach Boys (#6/1963 - another Brian Wilson, Mike Love penned hit)

Graduation's Here - The Fleetwoods (#39/1959 - the sweet harmonies of a trio that met in high school in Olympia, Washington)

Summer Means Fun - Bruce & Terry (#72/1964 - Bruce Hohnston & Terry Melcher; Melcher is Doris Day's son and went on to produce the first two albums by the Byrds as well as most of Paul Revere & the Raiders hits.  He also performed with the Rip Chords)



 *Summer Wages - Ian & Sylvia (1967; caller wanted to hear the version form Tyson's "Cowboyography" LP, but 'just happened' to have this one.)


Summer - War (#7/1976 - released as a single from their Greatest Hits LP)

That Sunday, That Summer - Nat King Cole (#12/1963 - another summer song from 1963 by Nat featuring the banjo)

Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown - Frank Sinatra (#83/1974 - Old Blue Eyes really makes this one swing)

And in my excitement the New Guy forgot to play Sleepwalk, the customary sign-off song!  Next time.


Host Next Week (7/2):  JS with a spotlight on 1972!





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.

June 18, 2016 - JS - Random 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:  6/18/16
Host:  John Simon
Feature:  Random Oldies Show





Back in the Saturday night saddle. Rockin' Remnants from now 'til 9 p.m. Cheap date night - but you don't always get what you pay for....

 

Birthday Calendar


June 12 – Len Barry (Dovells) – age 74
            – Reg Presley (Troggs) – born in 1941
           

June 13 – Marv Tarplin (Miracles) – born in 1941
           

June 14 – Rod Argent (Zombies) – age 71
          

June 15 – Ian Matthews – age 70
            – Harry Nilsson –born in 1941



June 18 – Paul McCartney – age 74
             




 

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 Ol' Rock 'n' Roll   – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)


Groovin' - Young Rascals (6/67; #1 - the perfect song for a perfect day like today. This was a radical departure from their driving sound, and the record company was reluctant to release it. Good thing they did....)

Dancing In the Street - Martha & Vandellas (8/64; #2 for two weeks - another one that reflects the weather and the day's activities: the Southside Community Center hosts its annual Juneteenth Festival this afternoon and young people are  -  literally  -  dancing in the street. Rolling Stone ranks this at #40 in the RS500 list.)

Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue) - Temptations (9/64; #26 - Smokey Robinson was the main producer and Eddie Kendrick was the main voice on the band's early hits. Their next single would be My Girl, and David Ruffin would soon become their main man.)

  

Opus 17 (Don't Worry About Me) - 4 Seasons (6/66; #13 - one of a great string of hits from the Jersey Boys who took their name from a bowling alley marquee.)

Hungry - Paul Revere & The Raiders Featuring Mark Lindsay (6/65 - follow-up to their smash Kicks, this is the mono 45 version of one of the hardest-rocking Pop singles of the era.)

MacArthur Park - Richard Harris (5/68 - every once in a while you need a 7-minute record so you can run to the request library. This one featured the core members of "the Wrecking Crew" - Larry Knechtel on piano, Joe Osborn on bass, Hal Blaine on drums and Tommy Tedesco on guitar  -  along with composer Jim Webb on a keyboard.)

   

 * The First Time We Fall In Love - Kinks (1975 - from the album Schoolboys In Disgrace, this retro-sounding request was new to me. Pretty cool.)

* (I Washed My Hands In) Muddy Water - Johnny Rivers (6/66; #19 - a request from a guy who'd been working in the garden, and who has a birthday next weekend. How could I say no???)

Runaway Girl - Dion (9/61; dnc - buried on the b-side of the runaway smash Runaround Sue was this little gem with a nice little piano lick and an infectious melody. A Rockin' Remnants exclusive!)

Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King (1/61; #10 - his first big solo hit after leaving The Drifters. Aretha had a hit with it and Laura Nyro recorded a haunting version, but this is the original mono release and it's a classic.)

   

Oh My Angel - Bertha Tillman (5/62; #61 - the only charter for this one-hit wonder from southern California. It's not well-known, but it should be!)

* Peaceful Easy Feeling - Eagles (12/72; #22 - we had a bunch of people listening from their decks tonight. Woody from Danby called this one in, saying "It's an Eagles kind of evening, don'tcha think?")

* Judy's Turn To Cry - Lesley Gore (7/63; #5 - this request was inspired by the "mondegreen"* lyric from Groovin', where "you & me endlessly" sounds to some like "you & me 'n' Lesley." We'll have two more mondegreens before the night is through. Stay tuned....)

Along Comes Mary - Association (6/66; #7 - their national chart debut on the Valiant Records label was banned in some markets because of its alleged drug references. Listener Betsy heard "when we met I was sure out to lunch" as "when we made out for sure after lunch." Mondegreen #2.)

Red Rubber Ball - Cyrkle (6/66; #2 - co-written by Paul Simon and The Seekers' Bruce Woodley  -  and produced by none other than John Simon! Of course, that would be the other John Simon.)

7-8pm

1-2-3 - Len Barry (9/65; #2 - his first record as a solo artist raced to the top of the charts. It would be pretty much downhill from there, but this was a great record.)

   

You Can't Sit Down - Dovells (4/63; #3 - a sizzling single from the Philadelphia teens. This same song had been an instrumental hit for Phil Upchurch a few years earlier.)

Day Tripper - Beatles (1/66; #5 - who else but the Beatles would bury this on the b-side of a record  -  and still have it reach #5??? Critic Dave Marsh says "Paul McCartney has never cut a deeper bass groove." DJ JS says "Paul McCartney has never sang a tougher vocal, either.")

We Can Work It Out - Beatles (1/66; #1 - a classic example of the Lennon-McCartney dynamic: Paul wrote the gently melodic verses, while John wrote the darker bridge "Life is very short and there's no ti-i-i-ime for fussing and fighting my friend!")


With A Girl Like You - Troggs (8/66; #29 - released here in the States as the b-side of Wild Thing, which reached #1 in June of 1966.)

My Girl Has Gone - Miracles (9/65; #14 - this is the second most memorable guitar figure played by founding member Marv Tarplin. The first was on their previous single Tracks Of My Tears.) 

 

Mare Take Me Home - Matthews Southern Comfort (7/71; #96 - banjo, acoustic guitar and bass and Ian Matthews' dulcet singing all made for a beautiful LP. This is one of three charting singles taken from it, the biggest of which we'll play shortly.)

She's Not There - Zombies (10/64; #2 - their first single was this monster, featuring the sizzling electric piano of Rod Argent and the haunting voice of Colin Blunstone. An amazing debut!)

Singalong Junk - Paul McCartney (1970 - the first solo Beatle project was Paul's McCartney album, on which he played all of the instruments in his home studio. This is the instrumental version of the song called "Junk," and it's the perfect bed for me to talk over as I make some community announcements.)

Saint Paul - Terry Knight (6/69; #114 - Terry Knight flew to England to audition for the Beatles' new Apple Records label. After an unsatisfying and frustrating interaction with Paul McCartney, TK composed this bitter song on the flight home. He also borrowed the coda of Paul's Hey Jude, and ended up having to split the royalties with him. Bummer!)

The Grass (Will Sing for You) - Lonnie Youngblood (8/66; dnc - a rich Soul ballad on the Cameo-Parkway-affiliated label that failed to chart just as the label was collapsing.)

Society's Child - Janis Ian (5/67; #14 - Janis was attending NYC's High School of Music & Art when she was signed to Verve Records and recorded this bit of political commentary. It floundered until Leonard Bernstein featured it on a TV special about young classically-influenced musicians, and then it rocketed up the charts.)

Woodstock - Matthews Southern Comfort (3/71; #23 - Joni Mitchell recorded the original. CSNY had a hit with it, and then Ian Matthews did. This is the edited 45 version, turning a 5+ minute album track into a 3 1/2 minute single.)

You'll Never Walk Alone - Gerry & Pacemakers (6/65; #48 - this was the b-side of a big hit from the previous summer: How Do You Do It. This has become an unofficial anthem in honor of the Orlando shooting victims last weekend.)

 

8-9pm




You'll Never Walk Alone - The Blue Belles (1/64; #34 - this was before Patti LaBelle claimed top billing. She was still a teenager and she blew the doors off of this one.)

I Met Him On a Sunday > The Bells - Laura Nyro & LaBelle (9/71- recorded in Philadelphia by Gamble and Huff and chosen to open the Gonna Take a Miracle album, this was a perfect blending of Laura Nyro's talents and Patti & Company's voices.)

Ball Of Fire - Tommy James & Shondells (10/69; #19 - the third consecutive peace and love anthem by Tommy and the band, as we ease ourselves into the Seventies hour of the show.)

Get Together - Youngbloods (6/69; #9 - this had been a low-charting hit a year-and-a-half earlier, but it re-surfaced as a radio PSA for the National Conference of Christians and Jews and became an anthem for a generation.)

Someday Soon - Judy Collins (2/69; #55 - written by Ian Tyson and produced by Stephen Stills, who also played bass on this recording by his then-sweetheart "sweet Judy blue-eyes.")

Clean-Up Woman - Betty Wright (11/71; #6 Pop, #2 R&B - three guitar players propelled this song up the charts, where it spent EIGHT WEEKS at #2 on Billboard's R&B listings!)

Mull of Kintyre - Paul McCartney (11/77; dnc - this record spent a whopping nine weeks at #1 in the UK, but was relegated to the b-side of Girl's School here in the States, which only reached #33.)

* Leavin' On Your Mind - Patsy Cline (1/63; #83 Pop, #8 C&W - this was the final single released before her tragic airplane accident, and comes as a request from one of my favorite listeners out there  -  a middle-schooler who knows his stuff!)

* Here Comes My Baby - Tremeloes (4/67; #13 - a relatively unknown songwriter named Cat Stevens penned this one. The Tremeloes' gimmick was to make all of their songs sound like they were recorded live at a wild party. This was a feel-good party record right before the Summer Of Love.)

   

* Apricot Brandy - Rhinoceros (2/69; #48 - clocking in at 1:49, this is one of the shortest kick-ass instrumentals of the late Sixties. It goes out to Lou from Florida, listening in on wvbr.com.)

   

Never Can Say Goodbye - Isaac Hayes (5/71; #22 Pop, #5 R&B - The Jackson 5 and Isaac Hayes released this one at about the same time, but their version spent three weeks at #2  -  right behind Joy To The World. Gloria Gaynor would have a big hit with it about seven years later.)

* Love Gangster - Manassas (4/72; dnc - this one never seems to have been released as a single, but it closes out Stephen Stills' fourth solo album  -  if you can call the group Manassas 'a solo album.' Chris Hillman and Dallas Taylor were among the group members.)

45 Corner:   So Bad - Paul McCartney (12/83; #23 - Paul is said to have written this for Michael Jackson to sing. When Michael declined, Paul cut it himself  -  in the 'style' of Michael Jackson! Check out the drummer in the video. And the keyboardist. Happy birthday, Paul.)

* 60/40 - Bernie Milton & The Soul Patrol (1985; dnc - Ithaca has produced some great entertainers over the years, and Bernie was one of the best. He used to do a show on Ithaca College's WICB, and their manager once told me about getting a telephone request for "...that song about the six-day party." Mondegreen #3.)

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

* Golden Slumbers > Carry That Weight > The End - The Beatles (1969 - we close the show with a request that came in pretty early: the final few tracks that end Side Two of Abbey Road,  the recording that ended The Beatles' work together as a band. "And in the end the love you make is equal to the love you make." Goodnight.)





Congratulations to Barbara from Ulysses, who is now entered into the lottery for a pair of all-Festival passes to the Falcoln Ridge Folk Festival!








Host Next Week (6/25):  JH with a spotlight on Summertime!





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.