July 2. 2016 - JS - 1967

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:  6/2/16
Host:  John Simon
Feature:  July 1967

 

It's the Summer of Love on Rockin' Remnants tonight - plus qualifiers for GrassRoots and Falcon Ridge tix, a gift card to Atlas Bowl in Trumansburg and listener requests. Open the window to that Summer Breeze and let the music flow.... wvbr.com or 93.5 FM!






Birthday Calendar


June 26 - Billy Davis, Jr. (Fifth Dimension) - age76
            – Georgie Fame - age 73

June 27 - Doc Pomus - born in 1925            

June 29 - Little Eva - age 71
            
June 30 - Florence Ballard (Supremes) - born in 1943

July 2 - Paul Williams (Temptations) - 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)

New York Mining Disaster 1941 - Bee Gees (#42, down from #14 - the Brothers Gibb's first charter in the US, opening the door to one of the biggest careers in the Rockin' Remnants era)

    

* Soul Finger - Bar-Kays (peaking at #17 Pop, #3 R&B - DJ Anna  -  M/T/W from 6-9 a.m.  -  said "This is a real song? I've only ever heard it on Tompkins County Trivia!" It was their first charting hit, and the first request of the evening.)



Don't Sleep In The Subway - Petula Clark (peaking at #5 for the first of two weeks - co-written by Ms. Clark and her long-time producer Tony Hatch as two separate songs that somehow fit together seamlessly.)

 

I

Let's Live For Today - Grass Roots (peaking at #8 for the first of two weeks - the band started to shed its Folk Rock roots for a heavier sound. Tonight we hear the original uncensored single version that says "I need feel you inside of me," a line that was later changed to say "I need to feel you beside me.")

Come On Down To My Boat - Every Mothers Son (peaking at #6 for the first of two weeks - their debut single was a near-perfect Pop gem from a simpler and happier time. Each consecutive single would chart lower than the previous. Within two short years they would fade to obscurity.)


Let The Good Times Roll & Feel So Good - Bunny Sigler (#61, headed to #21 - a rare stereo version of one of the final big hits for Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway Records label. Mr. Sigler would continue to record for Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label, but this was his big hit.)

     

I Could Be So Happy - Magnificent Men (at #133, headed to a peak of #93 - a pretty big hit in their native Harrisburg, PA, but not so much on the national charts. They were nearly booed off the stage at the Apollo when the curtains opened on an 8-piece white group, but they soon won the audience over with their soulful performance.)

      

* San Francisco (Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie (in its first week at #4  -  for five weeks! - one of the signature songs of the Summer, written by John Phillips for his old friend to record  -  going out to Woody in Danby.)


Hypnotized - Linda Jones (#51, headed to #21 Pop and #4 R&B - this lush Soul ballad on the Loma Records label would be one of several R&B hits for LJ, but the Pop world didn't hear much from her again.)


* Pay You Back With Interest - Hollies (peaking at #28 - this was their final release on the Imperial Records label, and was going head-to-head with the Hollies' first release on Epic. Carrie-Anne would win the chart battle and Imperial would release several more singles from Hollies LPs, but the race was pretty much over.)

     

* Carrie Anne - Hollies (at #34 this week, headed to #9 - Epic released the group's first single in a picture sleeve, and their confidence was justified.)


45 Corner:  Blues Theme - Davie Allan & The Arrows (at #99, headed to #37 - this motorcycle-infused instrumental actually first surfaced on April 22nd and faded until this week. It wouldn't peak until mid-September, meaning that it was on the radio for nearly six months!)

(I Wanna) Testify - Parliaments (at #72, headed to #20 Pop and #3 R&B  -  this was the group's transition from NJ Doo Wop group to Soul group  -  and then to Psychedlic Funk band Parliament Funkadelic. Johnnie Taylor would later release a high-charting revival of this song.)

Together - Intruders (at #116, headed to #48 Pop and #9 R&B - another Philly group that would find greater success in the hands of Gamble & Huff.)

Little Bit O' Soul - Music Explosion (first of three weeks at #2 - a one-hit smash for the Laurie Records label. It could never dislodge Windy from the top slot, but #2 is a pretty good showing....)

7-8pm

All I Need - Temptations (4/67; #8 Pop, #2 R&B for four weeks - just off the Pop chart, this was one of a string of hits featuring the incomparable David Ruffin on lead vocals and the smooth dance moves of founding member Paul Williams and Co.)

        

 

* Reflections - Diana Ross & Supremes (9/67; #2 - The Happening was still riding high on the charts after reaching #1. This  -  their next single  -  would give Diana top billing and break their string of 4 consecutive #1's.)

Yeh Yeh - Georgie Fame (2/66; #21 - Billy Fury left the Blue Caps and vocal duties fell on keyboardist Georgie Fame, who clearly rose to the occasion. Mongo Santamaria had a hit with this one several years earlier.)


Some Kinda Wonderful - Little Eva (2/62; dnc - this demo of the Goffin-King tune that was written for The Drifters was included on a hastily-thrown-together LP for the young singer with the surprise smash The Locomotion. Happy birthday Little Eva!)

Jerome "Doc" Pomus was a producer and co-writer (along with Mort Shuman) of a number of big hits for NYC groups  -  and a couple of Memphis guys, as well. Here are three in a row that had his name under the title on the label. 

 

  

Hushabye - Mystics (5/59; #20 - the Queens group had the biggest hit with this one. The Beach Boys and Jay & The Americans would also record tasty versions.)

Suspicion - Elvis Presley (5/64; #103 - this was a throwaway album track until Terry Stafford released it in February of '64, doing a very credible Elvis impersonation. RCA released it as a b-side and it almost charted. Either way, Pomus & Shuman got some nice royalty checks!)

Save The Last Dance for Me - Drifters (10/60; #1 - one of a string of great songs for the Drifters composed by lyricist Pomus and pianist Shuman - but the only one to top the charts.)

* San Francisco Bay Blues - Richie Havens (1966 - the request was for "anything from Richie Havens, circa 1967." This was from his 1966 Mixed Bag LP. A personal favorite.)

Up, Up and Away - Fifth Dimension (peaking at #7, first of three weeks - this was a nice birthday present for Billy Davis. It would also eventually garner a Grammy for Record Of The Year for songwriter Jim Webb, studio players from "The Wrecking Crew" and the 5th D.)

 

Windy - Association (#1 for the second of four weeks - one of the signature sounds of the Summer of Love, featuring the stellar playing of LA's "Wrecking Crew." Yep, that's Hal Blaine on drums!)

Tracks Of My Tears - Johnny Rivers (peaking at #10 this week - Johnny scored two consecutive Top Tens with Motown covers, both featuring the Wrecking Crew  -  and Darlene Love and The Blossoms on background vocals. Smokey's version only made it to #16.)

More Love - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (at #30, headed to #23 Pop and #5 R&B - nobody sang Smokey like Smokey Robinson. He wrote this for his wife Cynthia, who'd left the group to become a mother, and who lost her baby in childbirth.)

     

* Light My Fire - Doors (at #12, headed to four weeks at #1 - this was edited down from the 6+ minute album track that gets played on Classic Rock radio all the time. Lew called it in as a dedication to Jayne. Judy called in to say "thanks for playing my song." Something for everyone!)

Daylight Savin' Time - Keith (peaking at #79 - the third in a series of great records on the Mercury label for the Philadelphia teen. This is a long-lost summertime classic.)

8-9pm

Lovin' Sound - Ian & Sylvia (at #131, headed to a peak of #101 - this was the closest this Canadian duo came to having a charting single here in the States, although their Four Strong Winds and You Were On My Mind were hits for others over the years.)

 

Gentle On My Mind - Glen Campbell (at #100 this week, headed to #62 - John Hartford wrote this song that would later become Glen Campbell's theme song. Capitol re-released it a year later following Glen's success as a TV star and it would reach #39.)

* Dance With Me - Orleans (10/75; #6 - this request came in from Watkins Glen, who cited the band's connection to Ithaca. John Hall and his wife Johanna shared a songwriting credit on it.)

* The Love I Lost - Harold Melvin & Blue Notes (11/73; #7 Pop, #1 R&B for two weeks - featuring the soulful testifying of Teddy Pendergrass, this is the full-length version 6:34 from our vinyl library. The radio hit was edited down to 3:25, and labeled as "Pt. I.")

* How Can You Mend a Broken Heart - Bee Gees (7/71; #1 - listener Betsy requested this in honor of her husband David's one-year anniversary of a life-changing heart procedure. It was the trio's first US #1. Who knew just how successful they'd become later in the decade??!?)

* Heartbeat - Buddy Holly (11/58; #82 - we turned this one into a "double-shot" for David & Betsy. A low-charting record in the States, it actually reached #30 twice in the UK.)

* Sunny Days - Lighthouse (12/72; #34 - requested by our drummer friend JSF, this is a classic summertime tune that former Remnants jok Bobby Comstock says " I used to play that too much when I did the show ... one of my all time favs!")

Some Guys Have All The Luck - Persuaders (/73; #39 Pop, #7 R&B - Rod Stewart would have the big hit with it ten years later, but this Atco single is my personal preference. A brief informal poll resulted in a 2-1 victory for The Persuaders.)

         

Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts (8/72; #6 - tonight was the perfect night for this one, with a cooling breeze carrying the sounds and smells of an early summer evening.)

Shannon - Henry Gross (5/76; #6 - this breezy summertime ode to a recently-deceased pet was actually at the center of an infamous Pop-culture scandal, when Casey Kasem broke into an expletive-laden tirade during a production session for his American Top Forty radio program ten years later.)


45 Corner:  Respect - Dick Hyman & The Group (9/68; dnc - this cool nugget was tucked away on the b-side of the non-charting In The Heat Of The Night. Dick Hyman continues to play piano into his nineties, and he and his daughter Judy  -  of Ithaca  -  released an album of duets just three summers ago. I picked this single up at the Friends Of The Library Book Sale!)

 

Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues - Danny O'Keefe (9/72; #9 - a tasty mournful classic from the early Seventies.)

She - Tommy James & The Shondells (8/69; #23 - clocking in at just under 2:00, this is one of the prettiest songs in TJ's catalog. Tonight it takes us right up to the top of the hour and the end of another show.)


 

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






  Congratulations to Bruce from Ithaca, for winning an hour of free bowling at Atlas Bowl in Trumansburg! We'll do it every week this summer. Y'all come back now, hear???








Host Next Week (7/9/16):  JR 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.