July 4, 2020 - JS - Independence Day

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!)

 

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

 

Date:  7/4/20

Host:  John Simon

Feature:  Independence Day

Tonight from 6-9: they'll all be there. Tune in from wherever you may be and join the party. Big hits, obscure nuggets and food for thought. 93.5 FM locally or wvbr.com worldwide. We've even got fireworks! 🎉

 

 

 

(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)

 

Holiday - Bee Gees (9/67; #16 - this Atco Records single was their third of four consecutive big hits from the Spring of 1967 on. Who knew that they'd become worldwide superstars before it was all over??!?)

Saturday in the Park - Chicago (8/72; #3 - "Saturday in the park, I think it was the Fourth of July...." Why yes it was! Crank it up and sing along!)

Walking The Dog - Rufus Thomas (10/63; #10 - this one was the beginning of a slew of "Dog" songs from Rufus Thomas that included Can Your Monkey Do The Dog and Somebody Stole My Dog. To his credit, he also did The Funky Chicken. This one borrows from the children's jumping rhyme Miss Mary Mack (who "jumped so high she touched the sky and didn't come back 'til the 4th of July!")

Only In America - Drifters (1962; NR - Leiber & Stoller famously wrote this one for the Drifters, but quickly realized that it was insulting to have a black singer singing about becoming president. They wiped the vocals clean and inserted the Italian-American Jay and The Americans into the tracks and scored a big hit. The Drifters' version is more poignant.)

   

This Is My Country - Impressions (11/68; #25 - Curtis Mayfield was raised in the church and believed in the power of music. He and his group recorded a bunch of his "message" records on the label he founded and this one leaps out of your speakers tonight on the original 45. Amen.)

* America - Simon & Garfunkel (11/72; #9 - originally from the 1967 Bookends LP, this was finally released as a stand-alone single in 1972 and has remained a classic. Most recently it was used as Bernie Sanders' campaign theme in the 2016 election cycle.)

America The Beautiful - Ray Charles (9/72; dnc - this is an album track that has had a lasting impact. Ray Charles has performed this at a number of pivotal junctures, including at the first World Series game in NYC after 9/11. Curiously, it opens with the second verse before the "Oh beautiful for spacious skies" verse comes in.)

The Declaration - 5th Dimension (2/70; #54 - the words were written in 1776! This was released as a three-song medley along with Sam Cooke's A Change Is Gonna Come and the Rascals' People Got To Be Free. Tonight we just hear the first third of the medley.)

Save the Country - 5th Dimension (6/70; #20 - their follow-up single was written by Laura Nyro and features the great organ playing of Larry Knechtel, along with the rest of the Wrecking Crew. Both tracks are from their "Portraits" LP)

* Monster/Suicide/America - Steppenwolf (12/69; #39 - Dunhill released an edited version of this as a single, trimming the 9+ minute medley to just the 3:55 "Monster" segment. The editing takes the majesty and deeper impact out of the full piece. Tonight we hear it in its entirety.)

My Country - Jud Strunk (9/74; #59 - this spoken-word record has been lost to time, but the New England performer lists some of the many elements that make up the American experience. On Capitol Records, it's Jud Strunk!)

 

Living in the USA - Wilmer & The Dukes (8/69; #114 - the band was based in Geneva, NY and their version of the Steve Miller classic was a massive regional hit. Here it is, on the orange Aphrodisiac Records label.)

 

 

7-8pm

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

 

June 30 – Florence Ballard (Supremes) – born in 1943

            

July 1 – Debbie Harry (Blondie) – age 75

           

July 2 – Paul Williams (Temptations) – born in 1939

            – Roy Bittan (E Street Band) – age 71

          
 

July 3 – Fontella Bass – born in 1940

           

July 4 – Bill Withers – born in 1938

            – Mitch Miller – born in 1911

 

  

Come See About Me - Supremes (12/64; #1 for two weeks - this was their third of five consecutive #1 records  -  a feat they would repeat after two more top 20 singles. Flo Ballard, left, had the strongest voice in the group and tragically died at 32, several years after having been booted from the group.)

You'll Miss Me (When I'm Gone) - Fontella Bass and Bobby McClure (6/65; #91 Pop, #27 R&B - these two had several duet recordings, but her greatest success was on the solo single "Rescue Me.")

Don't Look Back - Temptations (11/65; #83 Pop, #11 R&B - Eddie Kendrick and David Ruffin were usually assigned lead vocal duties, but Paul Williams, middle, was no slouch either. This was the b-side of My Baby, and gave him a crack as the lead singer. That wouldn't happen again until Cloud Nine, when David Ruffin was long gone.)

In the Sun - Blondie (12/76; dnc - this was the B-side of the group's first non-charting single X Offender. By the mid-Eighties they would be superstars. Hard to believe that Debbie Harry is suddenly 75 years old!)

Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte - Patti Page (5/65; #8 - Columbia A&R man had signed Patti Page to the label ten years earlier. This was one of her final hits: the title track to a creepy Bette Davis film, and exemplified Miller's lush orchestration and full-bodied production style.)

Theme From "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith and His Orchestra (2/60; #1 for nine weeks - this was the biggest hit of the year and exemplified the "Mitch Miller sound." A perfect tune for a breezy Summer's evening.)

Lean On Me - Bill Withers (7/72; #1 for three weeks - this was the #1 record on this date back in 1972 and was the late Bill Withers' biggest hit. He passed away two months ago, but his music lives on.)

Racing In The Street - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (1978; dnc - this opens and closes with one of Roy Bittan's most affecting piano performances. He'd also appear as a sessionman on recordings by Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, Meatloaf, Lucinda Williams and countless others, but he's best known as Bruce's piano player.)

From here on in, it's an All-American show exclusively featuring acts from the US of A!

Come On Down To My Boat - Every Mothers Son (6/67; #6 - peaking on this date in 1967, these wholesome All-American New York kids would get progressively more psychedelic with each new single. This was their biggest hit.)

Let The Good Times Roll/Feel So Good - Bunny Sigler (7/67; at #61 this week, headed to #22 - here's a stunning stereo version of his biggest hit for the Cameo-Parkway Records label.)

Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead - Fifth Estate (6/67; #11 - this feel-good Pop treat from the classic film The Wizard Of Oz was the Connecticut group's first and biggest hit.)

Magic Wand - Shelby Flint (9/61; dnc - the San Diego native had a handful of charting singles on the Valiant Records label. This one fell on deaf ears at the time, but it's a breath of fresh air this evening.)

Crystal Blue Persuasion - Tommy James & The Shondells (7/69; #2 for three weeks - Zager & Evans kept them out of the top slot that summer, but these guys sold lots of slabs o' wax for Roulette Records and this is one of their finest.)

What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars (6/69; #4 Pop, #1 R&B - this sax-drenched classic was at #14 this week and would spend much of the Summer streaming from transistor radio and car stereo speakers, and would feature Junior Walker's first real melodic vocal line.)

A Girl Like You - Young Rascals (67/67; "bubbling under" this week, headed to #10 - hot on the heels of their smashing success with Groovin' comes this great little record featuring the vocals and keyboards of Felix Cavaliere.)

More Love - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (7/67; #23 Pop, #5 R&B - climbing the chart this very week, here's another in a long line of nearly-perfect records from Detroit's Smokey Robinson and company.)

 

Hypnotized - Linda Jones (7/67; #21 Pop, #4 R&B - recording on Loma Records, she was from Philadelphia and this was her biggest hit.)

 

 

 

8-9pm

 

 

Things Go Better With Coke - The Supremes (ca. 1966 - Coca Cola recorded a slew of 90-second songs with some of the era's biggest acts and this is one of the ones that were regularly heard on Teen radio.)

 

Library PSA - The Tokens (ca. 1968 - before de-regulation was instituted under Ronald Reagan's administration, media outlets were required to air Public Service Announcements like this one. The Tokens were masters of creating radio jingles. This one says "It's a place for you and a place for me, it's your local Public Li-bra-ry!")

More Money for You & Me - The Four Preps (8/61; #17 - they were one of Capitol Records' most idiosyncratic acts. They could record swingin' hits like 26 Miles, topical records like Love of the Common People and zany impersonation records like this one, spoofing The Fleetwoods, The Platters, The Hollywood Argyles and more. In front of a live audience, no less!)

* 4th of July - Beach Boys (1971; NR - they recorded this for their Surf's Up LP, but it wasn't released until 1993 when their career retrospective Boxed Set came out. The quintessential American band waxes poetic about the holiday. Suggested by Gregory James himself.)

* Soldier Boy - Shirelles (5/62; #1 for three weeks - the Passaic, NJ quartet recorded a slew of great records for the Scepter label. This tasty nugget was suggested by listener George Nettleton. The twangy guitar solo is worth the price of admission alone!)

Bring The Boys Home - Freda Payne (6/71; #12 Pop, #3 R&B - recorded as one of the final pleas to extricate ourselves from the unpopular war in Southeast Asia, this was released on the Invictus Records label and meant to be played loud!)

* Volunteers - Jefferson Airplane (8/69; dnc - the single version actually DID reach #65 a few months later, but this stunning performance was recorded at Woodstock early on the Saturday morning of the festival. Going out at the suggestion of a listener on Ithaca's Southside.)

* Dialogue (Parts I & II) - Chicago (9/72; #24 - a bit of social commentary from yet another quintessential American band, this goes out at the suggestion of listener Lou in Florida.)

A Ray of Hope - The Rascals (12/68; #24 - their previous single People Got To Be Free was inspired by the shooting deaths of MLK and Bobby Kennedy and it spent five weeks at #1. This follow-up was inspired by the remaining Kennedy brother, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Massachusetts.)

Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band (7/76; #1 - they got their start as "Fat City" and co-wrote and recorded Take Me Home Country Roads with John Denver a few years earlier. This one has fireworks and is dripping with harmonious innuendo. Boom!)

Ariel - Dean Friedman (4/77; #26 - this Jersey kid had one charting single, but what a single it was - complete with fireworks and a honking saxophone!)

Star-Spangled Banner - Jimi Hendrix (8/69; dnc - by the time Jimi took the stage at Woodstock Sunday morning the crowd was wiped out and starting to retreat  -  but he played one of his most-often imitated and iconic numbers: a blistering version of our national anthem. This was requested/suggested by three different sources. Here it is. Stand up and take yer hat off!)

* Sandy (4th of July, Asbury Park) - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (1973; dnc - the only charting version of this one came from England's Hollies, but they wouldn't fit our All-American theme AND the hokey out-of-tune calliope effect is frankly too annoying to my ear. Tonight we close with this splendid audio snapshot depicting a moment of time at the Jersey Shore. Happy Holiday Weekend, everybody. Thanks for coming by.)

 

 

 

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 (7/11/20):  John Rudan with a spotlight on bass guitar intros!

 

 

 

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!