June 23, 2018 - JS - Oldies By "The Numbers"

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:  June 23, 2018
Host:  John Simon
Feature:  "Oldies By The Numbers"

Tonight on Rockin' Remnants: Oldies By The Numbers. There will be tears, miles, pounds of clay and telephone numbers. Loneliest numbers. Engine numbers. Random number numbers - and a cool trivia prize!
'50s/'60s/'70s, 6-9, 93.5. Do the math, baby!

Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia


There will be three Telephone number numbers. Your job is to add each digit in each telephone number together and call in your total. The first one with the correct answer wins a Family Four-Pack to Darien Lake Theme Park!

(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)


Hold What You've Got - Joe Tex (12/64; #5 Pop, #1 R&B - relationship advice from the soulful novelty-record singer says that things will happen "before you can count 1-2-3!")

1-2-3 - Len Barry (9/65; #2 BB, #1 Cashbox and in the UK - former lead singer for Philadelphia's Dovells breaks through with a massive numerical smash to kick off his solo career!)

Soul Time - Shirley Ellis (2/67; #67 Pop, #31 R&B - after a string of novelty records on the Congress label Shirley moved to Columbia and released this jumping number-filled record, but it didn't perform very well and was her final Hot 100 entry.)

ABC - Jackson 5 (4/71; #1 for two weeks Pop and R&B - this was their second consecutive #1 and they'd score two more before their streak would be broken. "It's like counting 1-2-3!")

A Hundred Pounds of Clay - Gene McDaniels (3/61; #3 - big strings and and a driving beat add to the excitement of this lush production. The words are dumb, but you can't escape the majesty of the record!)

* Love Potion #9 - Clovers (9/59; #23 - a slinky novelty record that winks all the way through, requested by Mark & Abby in Virginia. The Searchers would take this same song to #3 five years later when the British Invasion was in full swing.)

Sixteen Reasons - Connie Stevens (2/60; #3 - the biggest hit ever for this TV star, whose previous record was the goofy "Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb" which she wasn't even allowed to sing on! Turns out she had a lovely voice.)

 

5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love) - Presidents (10/70; #11 Pop, #5 R&B - prototypical Soul ballad from the early Seventies, counting by fives.)

Ten Commandments of Love - Little Anthony & Imperials (11/69; #82 - the original was a big hit for Harvey & The Moonglows. This very tasty remake just scraped into the chart, but deserves to be heard.)

Step By Step - The Crests (2/60; #14 - The Crests count the ways that lead singer Johnny Maestro fell in love  -  with a great dance beat, to boot!)

* Twenty Five Miles - Edwin Starr (2/69; #6 Pop and R&B - tough and funky gospel-tinged record celebrating the determination of a man on a mission!)

* Eight Miles High - The Byrds (4/66; #14 - banned in many markets because it seemed so drug-centered, this is ranked #151 in the RS500 and was requested by two different people tonight. Bam!)

45 Corner : Twenty Miles - Chubby Checker (2/63; #15 - one of a long string of bouncy dance singles on the Cameo-Parkway Records label had this gem on the B-side. It came in a picture sleeve and may not be available on CD anywhere.)

* 634-5789 (Soulsville, USA) - Wilson Pickett (2/66; #13 Pop, #1 R&B for SEVEN weeks! - two requests came in for this one. One of "the wicked Pickett's" signature numbers.)

Beechwood 4-5789 - Marvelettes (8/62; #17 Pop, #7 R&B - Wilson Pickett wasn't the first to tap these final five digits. Some callers were confused because they didn't realize that phone numbers started with "an exchange" name back in the day. That's why there are letters on the dial!)

867-5309 (Jenny Jenny) - Tommy Tutone (1/82; #4 - this is a certifiable "earworm." Sorry about that!)

7-8pm



Birthday Calendar


June 18 – Sir Paul McCartney – age 76
           
June 19 – Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane – age 76
           
June 20 – Brian Wilson (Beach Boys) – age 76
            – Anne Murray – age 73
            – Lionel Richie – age 69

June 21 – Ray Davies (Kinks) – age 74
           
June 22 – Peter Asher – age 74
            – Todd Rundgren – age 70

Surfer Girl - Beach Boys (8/63; #7 Pop, #18 R&B - the first ballad written by young Brian Wilson, the first record to credit him as producer/arranger, and one of the first to feature his stunning falsetto lead vocal. Wow!)

Till I Die - Beach Boys (1971; dnc - from the critically acclaimed Surf's Up LP, a haunting glimpse into the genius mind of Brian Wilson.)

I Saw Her Standing There - Beatles (2/64; #14 - Paul counts "one-two-three-fuh!" and they're off to the races! This was tucked away on the B-side of I Want To Hold Your Hand. Kids who bought that 45 certainly got their money's worth!)

 

You Won't See Me - Anne Murray (4/74; #8 - written by label-mates Lennon-McCartney, this is the original 45 version, available in no other format.)

Sunday Will Never Be the Same - Spanky & Our Gang (5/67; #9 - the first single that introduced most of us to the group. Spanky was later recruited to join John Phillips and Denny Doherty in a revised version of the Mamas & Papas.)

 

Good Vibrations - Todd Rundgren (6/76; #34 - Todd is known for his studio wizardry. One of his studio heroes is Brian Wilson. He recorded this true-to-the-original version of the Beach Boys' song on his LP entitled Faithful.)

Tired of Waiting - The Kinks (3/65; #6 Pop, #1 UK - their third big hit was a melodic departure from their jarring bombastic stylings. Breaking news: The Kinks are getting back together! Read about it here.)

Woman - Peter & Gordon (2/66; #14 - young Peter Asher had an inside track to The Beatles: his sister Jane was dating Paul. Paul wrote this one under the nom de plume of "Bernard Webb" to prove that his songs could be successful even if no one knew they were by a Beatle. He gave it to the boys and they proved his point!)

Land of 1,000 Dances - Wilson Pickett (8/66; #6 Pop, #1 R&B - here come four in a row where the "count-in" is the thing. Wilson starts this one with "1-2-3,-1-2-3!")

Hippy Hippy Shake - Swingin' Blue Jeans (3/64; #24 Pop, #1 UK - "1-2-3-For goodness' sake!" One minute and fifty seconds of pulsating mayhem ensues!)

Good Lovin' - Young Rascals (4/66; #1 - in stereo the count-off bounces from speaker to speaker: "one-two-three!" This would be their first of several #1 records, and it still thrills a crowd.)

Wooly Bully - Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs (4/65; #2 - "One, two, uno-dos-tres-QUATro!" Nobody knew what the song meant, but it was a sure-fire smash!)

1-2-3 Red Light - 1910 Fruitgum Company (7/68; #5 - from the Buddah Records label: a song with numbers in the title by a group with numbers in their name.)

96 Tears - ? Question Mark & The Mysterians (10/66; #1 - this early Punk Rock prototype was recorded in their manager's living room and rocketed to the top of the charts on the Cameo label.)

 

8-9pm



9,999,999 Tears - Dickey Lee (11/76; #52 Pop, #3 C&W - after a string of Pop hits as a teenager, Dickey Lee headed to Nashville to begin a successful career on the Country charts. This was his last entry on the Pop chart.)

Six O'Clock - Lovin' Spoonful (4/67; #18 - "there's somethin' special at six o'clock...")

Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon) - Mamas & Papas (8/67; #20 - semi-autobiographical musings about the difference between East Coast poverty and a free-wheeling Southern California experience.)

26 Miles (Catalina) - Four Preps (1/58; #2 for three weeks - this breezy vocal group was yet another influence on Brian Wilson's harmony arranging.)

Love On a Two-Way Street - Moments (4/70; #3 Pop, #1 R&B for five weeks - a note-for-note copy of the original by Lezli Valentine. Hear her version here!)

 

Five O'Clock World - Vogues (11/65; #4 - a great rocker from the hills of western Pennsylvania on the tiny Co and Ce Records label.)

500 Miles From My Home - Bobby Bare (5/63; #10 Pop, #5 C&W - an urbanized adaptation of the Folk classic 500 Miles. Bobby had a string of crossover Country records. This was one of the best.)

* 19th Nervous Breakdown - Rolling Stones (2/66; #2 for three weeks - the band was constantly in the Top Five during this period. The request came from downtown and hadn't even occurred to me!)

Westbound #9 - Flaming Ember (5/70; #24 Pop, #15 R&B - white Soul music from the pens of Holland-Dozier-Holland, on their Hot Wax Records label.)

* Concrete & Clay - Unit 4 + 2 (5/65; #28 Pop, #1 UK - the first request that came in for a BAND with a number in the title. There was a competing version here in the States that cut into the British version's chart success. Cool tune!)

Seven Year Ache - Rosanne Cash (4/82; #22 Pop, #1 C&W - the first big hit for Johnny Cash's daughter was this crossover gem on the Columbia label. It was the beginning of a long and successful career that isn't over yet....)

* 409 - Beach Boys (10/62; #76 - this was the b-side of their second hit record, Surfin' Safari - requested by tonight's qualifier for the Falcon Ridge ticket contest. Kathleen from T-burg: a double-winner!)

One - Three Dog Night (5/69; #5 - the first big hit from one of the biggest singles bands of the Seventies, written by Harry Nilsson.)

Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa - Gene Pitney (10/63; #17 - this moody piece captures the ache of despair that comes when you know that you've broken someone's heart.)

Three Times a Lady - Commodores (6/78; #1 Pop and R&B - their first Pop #1 was written by Lionel Richie and inspired by something his father one said about his wife. Happy birthday, Lionel Richie!)
 

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



 
Trivia Answer


6345789 2345789 and 8675309 added together digit-by-digit (after transposing BEechwood into "23") = 118.

Congratulations to Chip from Ithaca, for correctly answering the question and winning a Family Four-Pack to Darien Lake!








Host Next Week (DATE):  Jan Hunsinger with a spotlight on Psychedelic Pop



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.