February 29 - JS - Before and After

Rockin' Remnants




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Date:  John Simon
Host:  2/29/20
Feature:  Before And After

Tonight on Rockin' Remnants: 
"Before and After" - early versions of songs that did better when the same artists re-invented them and re-released them! Isley Brothers, Dells, Todd Rundgren, James Taylor, Brenda Holloway.... Plus: a birthday calendar that just won't quit, plus your requests, and your chance to win tickets to the movies. 6-9pm locally on 93.5, streaming at wvbr.com.




  
 Trivia Question

Two songs from the early Sixties were re-imagined by the original artists and made it to the Top Ten both times. One was Neil Sedaka's Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (#1 in 1962, with a slowed-down interpretation reaching #8 in early 1976). Who was the other artist/group and what was the song? 

 
(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist – and to find a glossary of terms)




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

6-7pm 



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

Who's That Lady - Isley Brothers (6/64; dnc - this Bert Berns production was Latin-based and good enough for a b-side. Years later the Brothers would dust it off, add some steaming guitar and have themselves a smash hit with it!)  

Oh What a Nite - The Dells (10/56; #4 R&B - a classic Doo-Wop treasure that completely missed the Pop Chart, but would come back like gangbusters thirteen years later.)


Hello It's Me - Nazz (2/69; #71 - written by young Todd Rundgren and released as an A-side with Stewkey singing the melody. Todd would later speed it up, add some horns and some women singing back-up and have a smash on his own!)

Out Of Time - Rolling Stones (7/67; dnc - from the LP Flowers, this one featured a marimba part by Brian Jones. They would re-release an orchestral version eight years later, long after Brian was dead and buried. It would chart.)

Every Little Bit Hurts - Brenda Holloway (1963; dnc - this was released as a single on the Del-Fi label to very little response. Berry Gordy, though, was very taken by the stunning California-born singer. He signed her to Motown, had them re-record it, and the rest is history.)

 

Castles In The Air - Don McLean (2/71; dnc - this was picked from his first LP and released as the b-side of Vincent, hot on the heels of American Pie. When Media Arts Records realized that he was "going somewhere," they re-released the LP and added some synthesizer to make it sound more "happenin'!" Years later, he'd re-record it as a slowed-down ballad and have a hit with it. Tonight we hear the original LP version.)

Carolina On My Mind - James Taylor (4/69; #67 - this was first released on the Apple Records label and announced JT's arrival on the scene. Warner Brothers picked up his contract, and had him re-record his early hit for inclusion on a Greatest Hits album. That's the version most people know. Tonight we hear the Apple version.)

 

* Hurt So Bad - Little Anthony & The Imperials (2/65; #10 - this one has little to do with our theme, but I did promise to honor some requests. In this case, it leads nicely into the next song!)

Every Little Bit Hurts - Brenda Holloway (5/64; #13 - same song, same arrangement, but this one was graced by the Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony strings and the magical Motown engineering team. Voila!)

45 Corner:  Dedicated to the One I Love - Shirelles (1973; dnc - this one has been covered by many artists of many genres, but the creative team at U-A Records thought that the original group could get one more hit out of it. They were wrong. This is that version, found on an old radio-station promo 45 that used to belong to the legendary Bernie Milton. Enjoy!)

* The Warmth of The Sun - Beach Boys (11/64; dnc - this killer b-side goes out to our buddy George, tuning in from disappointingly chilly Florida. In fact, we'll give him three in a row!)

I Live for The Sun - Sunrays (9/65; #51 - this one almost ties in....when the Beach Boys fired their manager - and father -  Murry Wilson, he signed another group of southern California teens and produced this record. They weren't nearly as good, and his song wasn't either  -  but here it is.)

I'll Follow The Sun - Beatles (1965; dnc - this little gem clocks in at 1:46. It wasn't released as a single, and appeared here in the States on Beatles '65. In the UK it was on Beatles For Sale.)

 

7-8pm

 Birthday Calendar


February 23 – Johnny Winter – born in 1944
            – Rusty Young (Poco) – age 74
          
February 24 – Paul Jones (Manfred Mann) – age 78
            – Rupert Holmes – age 73
            – Nicky Hopkins – born in 1944

February 25 – Emmitt Rhodes – age 70
            – George Harrison – born in 1943 


February 26 – Fats Domino – born in1928
            – Paul Cotton (Poco) – age 77
            – Mitch Ryder – age 75
            – Evie Sands – age 73
           
February 27 – Guy Mitchell – born in 1927



February 28 – Joe South – born in 1940
            – Brian Jones (Rolling Stones) – born in 1942

February 29 – Gretchen Christopher (Fleetwoods) – age 20*
           

  
Jumpin' Jack Flash - Johnny Winter (5/71; #89 - this sizzling live version is representative of Johnny Winter's high-energy Blues-drenched showmanship.) 

Heart of The Night - Poco (5/79; #20 Pop, #96 C&W - Rusty Young and Paul Cotton both had birthdays this week, and re-formed the band to release this single - and the accompanying LP. Rusty plays the pedal steel, Paul wrote it and sang it.) 

Come Tomorrow - Manfred Mann (2/65; #50 - I read a quote about lead singer Paul Jones [middle of photo] somewhere: "Paul made two of the worst decisions in the history of rock and roll. First, he turned down Keith Richards and Brian Jones when asked to be the lead singer of their newly forming group in 1963 or thereabouts and then in 1966 when Manfred Mann was at the peak of their success he decided to go solo which was briefly successful but short lived for him and caused Manfred Mann to scramble a bit in the wake of the move.")

Jennifer Tomkins - Street People (1/70; #36 - before he made his mark writing commercial jingles and singing about Pina Coladas, Rupert Holmes fronted this little bubblegum outfit. This was their one Top Forty hit!)

She's a Rainbow - Rolling Stones (12/67; #25 - Brian Jones was still in the band, but guest pianist Nicky Hopkins was at the heart of this psychedelic slice of vinyl. Nicky also played with a bunch of bands from the Bay area, and would famously join Jefferson Airplane onstage at Woodstock. Hear Grace Slick introduce him here.)

Live - Merry-Go-Round (4/67; #63 - he was a songwriters' songwriter and his name was Emmitt Rhodes. He'd later gather royalties when The Bangles recorded this song. Here's the original.)

Don't Bother Me - The Beatles (1964; dnc - this was tucked into the band's first LP on Capitol Records here in The States: Meet The Beatles. George wrote it and sang it. We'd hear a lot more from him later in his career....)

What Is Life - George Harrison (2/71; #10 - there was so much material in George's bag that his first LP was a double album. This was the second single taken from All Things Must Pass.)


Valley of Tears - Fats Domino (5/57; #8 Pop, #2 R&B - New Orleans' native son charted 63 R&B hits between 1950-1964. Many of them never reached white audiences, but this one crossed over quite successfully.)

Jenny Take a Ride - Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
 (12/65; #10 - he was a small white kid from Detroit who could deliver the goods, and the Detroit Wheels played like their lives depended on it! This record is a medley of Jenny, Jenny and See See Rider.)

Angel of the Morning - Evie Sands (4/67; dnc - just as this record was catching on, Cameo-Parkway declared bankruptcy. They couldn't afford promotion, or even to print the records to meet the demand, and this record sank. Writer/producer Chip Taylor was crushed, but it would soon become a runaway hit for a small combo in the Pacific Northwest.)

 

Traveling Shoes - Guy Mitchell (11/67; #51 C&W - he'd had a bunch of hits, but his career was winding down by the time he recorded this little gem. Soon he'd be done.)

Don't It Make You Want To Go Home - Joe South (8/69; #41 - Joe South was a hit songwriter and a session guitar player who also made some terrific records as a singer. This one is a case in point.)

8-9pm




Out of Time - Rolling Stones (8/75; #81 - Producer Andrew Loog Oldham thought that Chris Farlowe might have success with an orchestral version of this Jagger-Richard song. He got Mick to sing on the demo, which Chris then took to #1 in the UK. Years later, they released Mick's demo version here in the States as a "Rolling Stones" record and it charted!)

That Lady (Pts. I & II) - Isley Brothers (7/73; #6 Pop, #2 R&B - with younger brother Ernie Isley now in the fold wearing a cool headband and playing guitar like a man possessed, the Isley Brothers re-invented their old throwaway b-side and released......this!) 

Carolina In My Mind - James Taylor (1976; dnc - it was time to release his Warner Brothers "Greatest Hits" album, but the Apple masters were tied up in litigation so he re-recorded this gem with some tasty pedal steel guitar and background vocals to sweeten it, and that's the version most people know these days.)

Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren (10/73; #5 - this upbeat updating of a song from his teen years has gone on to become one of his signature numbers. People bought it in droves!)

Oh What a Night - The Dells (8/69; #10 Pop, #1 R&B - this record transformed from a Doo Wop "Oldie" into a smooth slow-dance Soul Classic, and sold a lot of records in the process. Same group, different vibe!)

Castles In The Air - Don McLean (10/81; #36 - ten years after it was released on his debut LP, Don McLean slowed this one down and released it as a single. The jury is divided on which version they prefer: the fast one or this one. I happen to like 'em both.)

 

Walk, Don't Run - Ventures (7/60; #2 - this, for many years, was their signature song, and it was the definitive "surf tune.")

 

Walk--Don't Run '64 - Ventures (7/64; #8 - four years later they changed the vibe: the new fades in and uses a "drip-drop" guitar effect. Record buyers gobbled this one up, too  -  making them one of only two acts to take two different versions of the same song to the Top Ten on the Billboard Pop Chart.)

* I'll Be Doggone - Marvin Gaye (3/65; #8 Pop, #1 R&B - what do you play when the request comes for a birthday dedication for a guy who loves Sixties Soul music - and you've also just spoken to someone who was really enjoying "all the stuff from Detroit?" You turn to Marvin and you say "I'll be doggone  -  it's Terry's birthday!")

Let's Groove (Pt. I) - Archie Bell & The Drells (2/76; #7 R&B - this one totally missed the Pop charts, but Archie opens it with a prologue very similar to the one he did on Tighten Up eight years earlier. Works for me!)

Theme From "Endless Summer" - The Sandals (3/67; dnc - another cool surf tune that I could talk over to make some announcements. I'd pretty much run out of tunes for this week's theme....)

Goodnight My Love - Fleetwoods (6/63; #32 - if you scroll up to the birthday calendar you'll see that Gretchen Christopher of the Fleetwoods is "20 years old" tonight. Of course, she's really eighty because she was born on a leap year day. That's why she got the asterisk*!)

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




Trivia Answer


Neil Sedaka reached the Top Ten on the Billboard Pop Chart twice with two versions of the same song. Only one other group did back in the Sixties: The Ventures, with two versions of Walk Don't Run (see above).

Congratulations to Dave from Ithaca, for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of passes to Cinemapolis!



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 (3/7/20):  Gregory James with a spotlight called "It's About Time!"



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.

Thanks again to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!