August 25, 2018- GJ- Off the Charts: Some Cool Songs by Big Acts that Did Not Chart

  

Rockin' Remnants


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Date:  8/25/18
Host:  Gregory James
Feature:  Off the Charts: Some Cool Songs by Big Acts that Did Not Chart.

Rockin’ Remnants – August 2018 – Birthday List

August 19

Ginger Baker (Cream)               79  
Johnny Nash                             78  
Billy J. Kramer                           75 
Ian Gillan (Deep Purple)            73  

August 20

Robert Plant                              70
Isaac Hayes                              1942

August 21

Jackie DeShannon                    74  
Joe Strummer (Clash)               1952     

August 22

John Lee Hooker                       1917

August 23

Rick Springfield                         69
Keith Moon (Who)                     1947     

August 24

Mason Williams                         80
Jim Capaldi (Traffic)                  1944

August 25

Gene Simmons (KISS)               69
Elvis Costello                             64  

 Playlist

·     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

·     a glossary of terms is below the playlist

 OPENING THEME:  Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969, #29, produced by Jimi Hendrix)

Elvis Presley 
That’s All Right ’54
An Arthur Crudup composition recorded on Sun Records

The Beatles 
Please Please Me ‘63
Featuring harmonica by Lennon, a feature of several early Beatles tracks.

Fats Domino
Boogie Woogie Baby ‘50
Notable for Domino’s fantastic piano work.

620 × 400 - kpbs.org

David Bowie
Suffragette City ‘76
You know about the references to Clockwork Orange, right?

The Band
Rag Mama Rag ‘73
As it happens, this did chart at #57. Garth Hudson plays his usual mind bending piano.

Chuck Berry
You Can’t Catch Me ‘56
Here come old flat top down the New Jersey Turnpike.

355 × 355 - amazon.com 

The Rolling Stones
Sympathy For The Devil ‘69
Charting at #55, the track has a samba rhythm with the “woo-woo’s” performed by Bill Wyman and Keith Richards.

220 × 218 - en.wikipedia.org 

*Cream (Request)
Anyone for Tennis?
Jack Bruce plays the goofy riff on recorder.

Olivia Newton-John
Xanadu (Introduction to my interview with Dev Janki, the director of the Hangar Theatre Company’s production of the stage musical of the same name, and Thena Gitlin, the Hangar’s Marketing and Public Relations Manager.)


Queen
Keep Yourself Alive ‘73
The only Queen single not to chart in the U.K.

Aretha Franklin
Until You Were Gone ‘66
The Queen of Soul Forever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAtp3lQAlPw

Bob Dylan
All Along The Watchtower ‘67
Live version. According to Dylan's own website, he has performed the song live over 2,000 times.

Johnny Nash (birthday)                          
I Can See Clearly ‘72
Charting at #1

Deep Purple  (Ian Gillan Birthday)   
Hush  ‘68
Vocals by Rod Evans on this version, as a listener kindly pointed out. Ian Gillan sang on the 1988 version.

220 × 218 - en.wikipedia.org 

Aerosmith
Walk This Way ‘77
Charting at #10, composer Steven Tyler lost the first version of the lyrics in a taxi.

Chicago
Beginnings  ‘69
Terry Kath plays the acoustic guitar intro, followed up by Danny Seraphine’s usual stellar drumming.

Jackie DeShannon ‘65                     
What the World Needs Now
Charting at #7 in the US (#1 in Canada), lyricist Hal David wrote the main melody and chorus in 1962, but the bridge took him until 1964 to complete.

220 × 217 - en.wikipedia.org 

Warren Zevon
Excitable Boy ‘78
Back up singers include Linda Ronstadt, Jennifer Warnes, Jackson Browne and J.D. Souther.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Alison ‘77
You know the story: Costello claims (perhaps apocryphally) that the song describes a supermarket cashier.

Little Richard
Ain’t Nothing Happening ‘52
Check out how young he looks and sounds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGY2kYGUSIA

Van Morrison
Crazy Love ‘70
The woman on the record sleeve is Janet “Planet” Rigsbee, his wife at the time.

220 × 221 - en.wikipedia.org

Electric Light Orchestra
Evil Woman (another nod to the Hangar Theatre’s production of the stage musical Xanadu)

The Everly Brothers
Rip It Up ‘59
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvXlJZN0vk8

ZZ Top
Beer Drinkers/Hell Raisers ‘73
One of the tres hombres most popular tracks, vocals alternate between Billy gibbons and Dusy Hill.

Buddy Holly & The Crickets
Words Of Love ‘57
Through the magic of primitive audiotape overdubbing, Holly actually harmonizes with himself.

Bob Marley
Stir It Up ‘67
Marley’s first track to succeed outside of Jamaica.

Harry Nilsson
One ‘68
Try this: call a land line phone number you know is busy and does not have voice mail and listen if the busy signal tone is the same as the opening notes to “One” (as Nilsson claims).

480 × 360 - youtube.com

Mott The Hoople
All The Way From Memphis ‘73
The sad, but all too common, tale of a guitarist’s axe being shipped to Oriole KY instead of Memphis TN.

Supertramp
Dreamer ‘74
Composed by Roger Hodgson on the Wurlitzer piano at his mother’s house when he was 19 years old.

Richard Berry
Louie Louie ‘57
Here they are: the real squeaky clean lyrics!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-2CKsaq5r8

Bo Diddley
Diddy Wah Diddy  ‘56
Diddley’s fourth single release on Checker Records features the Moonglows on backing vocals and Little Willie Smith on harmonica.

Lynyrd Skynyrd
Gimme Three Steps ‘73
Based on a true story. Careful who you dance with!

Neil Young
The Loner ‘69
Depending on who you ask, the track, Young’s first solo single release, is either about Stephen Stills or Young himself.

1024 × 1024 - cdandlp.com 

The Who
Substitute ‘66
Pete Townshend’s inspiration came from the lyric: “Although she may be cute, she’s just a substitute” from  “The Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

Jackson Browne
Fountain Of Sorrow ‘74
One of the finest examples of Browne’s skill at crafting songs that are simultaneously personal and universal.

500 × 500 - amazon.com

Bob Seger
Fire Down Below ‘77
Lots of debate over what this song might mean, but it rocks.

Bruce Springsteen
Spirit In The Night ‘73
A late addition to Greetings from Asbury Park, the track is performed by Vini Lopez, Clarence Clemons and Springsteen.

636 × 433 - gvshp.org  

240 × 300 - fineartamerica.com 

Paul Simon
Have A Good Time ‘76
The fabulous alto saxophone solo at the end is performed by Phil Woods.

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


Glossary of Terms:

dnc = did not chart

nr = not released as a single at the time

AC = Billboard’s chart for “Adult Contemporary” records

BB = Billboard Magazine, which publishes the Hot 100 chart (previously known as the Top 100), along with several other charts

Bubbling Under = songs that were ranked but fell below the top 100

C&W = Billboard’s chart for “Country & Western” records

R&B = Billboard’s chart for “Rhythm & Blues” records

RRHOF = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
RS500 = Rolling Stone Magazine’s ranked list of the top 500 singles of all-time



Host Next Week (9/1/18):  Jan Hunsinger with a spotlight on songs about cars and the end of summer.


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