Wednesday, December 9, 2020

December 5, 2020 GJ - Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda: December records that deserved better

Rockin' Remnants

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Date:  December 5, 2020

Host:  Gregory James

Feature:  Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda

(Songs that deserved to be bigger December hits in 1960, ’70 and ’80)

Birthday Calendar

November 29

John Mayall 87 years old

Chuck Mangione 80 years old

Felix Cavaliere 78 years old

Denny Doherty (Mamas and Papas)  b. 1941  d. 1/19/2007)

November 30

June Pointer (b. 1953  d. 4/11/2006)

Rob Grill (Grass Roots lead singer/writer)  (b. 1943  d. 7/11/2011)

December 1

John Densmore (Doors drummer)  76 years old

Bette Midler 75 years old

Lou Rawls  (b. 1933  d. 1/6/2006)

December 4

Freddy Cannon 84 years old

Chris Hillman  (Byrds, etc.) 76

Southside Johnny Lyon    72 years old

Dennis Wilson  (b. 1944, d. 12/28/1983)

December 5

Little Richard Penniman    (b. 1932  d. 5/9/2020)

Jim Messina 73 years old

Kim Simmonds  (Savoy Brown) 73 years old  

Playlist

 * 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)

Blues Power   Eric Clapton Band   1980   #76  

Co-written by Clapton and Leon Russel, this live version of the song was recorded at the Budokan Theatre in Tokyo.

I Don’t Want to Cry   Ronnie Dyson   1970    #50

Dyson was cast in the original Broadway production of Hair and sang “Aquarius” in that show.

Ronnie Dyson - I Don't Wanna Cry / She's Gone (1970, Vinyl) | Discogs

Part Time Love     Ann Peebles  1970  #45 H100, #7 R&B

Peebles co-wrote “I Can’t Stand the Rain.”

Part Time Love by ANN PEEBLES, LP with flaming | Vinyl record album, Lp  vinyl, Soul movie

Ramona Blue Diamonds 1960  #72

The de Wolff brothers Ruud and Riem were born in Jakarta and emigrated to the Netherlands.  They were known as the Dutch Everly Brothers.

The Blue Diamonds - Ramona (Lyrics) - YouTube

Need Your Lovin’ Tonight   Queen   1980   #44

Written by bassist John Deacon, the record was released as a follow up to “Another One Bites the Dust.”

Think About Your Children    Mary Hopkin   1970   #87

The Welsh born Hopkin was one of the first artists signed to the Apple label. This track was her final hit record.

Mary Hopkin - Mary Hopkin Think About Your Children / Heritage 45 rpm  single - Amazon.com Music

Brite Eyes Robbin Thompson   1980   #66

The late Thompson was a member of Steel Mill, Bruce Springsteen’s early band. 

The Robbin Thompson Band - Brite Eyes / Rock And Roll Singer (1980, Vinyl)  | Discogs

Have Mercy Baby Bobbettes   1960   #66

The group first met in the Glee Club at P.S. 109 in Spanish Harlem. Their big hit was “Mr. Lee.”

The Bobbettes - doo-wopThe Bobbettes - Have Mercy Baby / Dance With Me Georgie (1960, Vinyl) |  Discogs

Who Needs Ya Steppenwolf   1970   #54

From their LP “Steppenwolf 7.” Ever wonder why the band was named after a Herman Hesse novel?  John Kay and his mother fled from Berlin’s Soviet occupation zone in 1948. 

Steppenwolf - Who Needs Ya / Earschplittenloudenboomer (1970, Vinyl) |  Discogs

Horizontal Bop Bob Seger   1980    #42

If there are no further questions…

The Horizontal Bop - Wikipedia

Sweet Sweetheart Bobby Vee 1970 #88

Born in Fargo North Dakota, Vee had 38 chart hits, including this country-tinged track.

Hard Hearted Hannah Ray Charles  1960 #55

From his LP “Dedicated to You” on which every song title includes a woman’s name. 

Ray Charles - Hard Hearted Hannah (1962, Vinyl) | Discogs

Easy Love Dionne Warwick  1980 #62

From her LP “ No Night So Long” which included instrumentalists Isaac Hayes and the Tower of Power.

Gotta Have More Love   Climax Blues Band   1980   #45

Climax Blues Band - Gotta Have More Love (1980, Vinyl) | DiscogsClimax Blues Band - Wikipedia

7-8 pm

Don’t Waste My Time    John Mayall    1969  #81

Mayall taught himself to play a variety of instruments. The flute and sax on this track is by Johnny Almond.

John Mayall - Don't Waste My Time / Don't Pick A Flower (1969, Vinyl) |  Discogs

Hill Where the Lord Hides  Chuck Mangione 1971  #76

The first big hit for the Rochester native, recorded live with the Rochester Philharmonic.

Chuck Mangione - Hill Where The Lord Hides - from FRIENDS and LOVE - YouTubeChuck Mangione - Télécharger et écouter les albums.

Hold On      Rascals    1970  #51 

From their LP “See.” This was the first Rascals single that did not make it into the top 40.

Whatcha Gonna Do?  Denny Doherty    1971 NR  

From  Doherty’s solo album of the same name. Pedal steel by Buddy Emmons.

Denny Doherty - Watcha Gonna Do (1971, Gatefold, Vinyl) | Discogs

Happiness Pointer Sisters      1979  #30 

June, the youngest Pointer sister, sang lead on this song written by Allen Toussaint. 

Happiness (Pointer Sisters song) - Wikipedia

Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire  Grass Roots 1973  

Not released as a single from their “Alotta Mileage” LP. 

 The Grass Roots - Where There's Smoke There's Fire (VG+ DJ 45 rpm) -  Amazon.com MusicThe Grass Roots - Wikipedia

I Looked at You   Doors 1967  NR  

From their debut LP. 

Doors' Debut Album: 10 Things You Didn't Know - Rolling Stone

Beast of Burden     Bette Midler 1984  #71 

From her No Frills LP. Mark Goldenberg and Danny Kortchmar on guitars, Jim Keltner on drums.

Log In or Sign Up in 2020 | Musician art, Bette midler, Rolling stones

Bring It On Home   Lou Rawls 1970  #96.  

Rawls sang back up harmony on Sam Cooke’s original 1962 version.

Lou Rawls | Old school music, Singer, Black entertainment

Buzz Buzz A Diddle It     Freddy Cannon   1961  #51  

Cannon played the Bo Diddley-inspired guitar on this track. Cannon appeared on American Bandstand 110 times.

45cat - Freddy Cannon - Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It / Opportunity - Swan - USA -  4071

The Fever   Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes   1976  NR  

A great cover of the Springsteen song with Clarence Clemons providing the bass voice on “He’s got the fever for the girl.”

Fever" - Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes (live) - YouTube

Slip On Through    Beach Boys     1970  DNC  

Written and sung by Dennis Wilson. From the Beach Boys Sunflower LP

Send Me Some Lovin’   Little Richard 1957   #54. 

The B-Side to “Lucille.” You can clearly hear his vocal styling on this downtempo track.

78 RPM - Little Richard - Lucille / Send Me Some Lovin' - Specialty - USA -  598

New and Different Way    Jim Messina 1979  NR 

From Messina’s 1979 solo LP “Oasis,” featuring the Porcaro Brothers and Victor Feldman.

Jim Messina | Discography | Discogs

Looking In      Savoy Brown 1970  NR  

From the album of the same name.

Looking In - WikipediaFollow the tumultuous history of Savoy Brown - Goldmine Magazine: Record  Collector & Music Memorabilia

8-9 pm

*Kentucky Rain Elvis Presley 1970 #16

An advance email request at rockinremnants@gmail.com!

Maggie Redbone 1970 #45

The word “redbone” is a Cajun term for a multi-ethnic person. Patrick and the late Lolly Vasquez-Vegas  were of Yaqui, Shoshone and Mexican heritage.

Redbone - Maggie (1970, Vinyl) | Discogs

Bumble Bee La Vern Baker    1960     #46

Baker was the second female soloist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Aretha Franklin was the first.  Allegedly, Phil Spector played guitar on these sessions.

Laverne Baker, Jackie Wilson & Lavern Baker - Bumble Bee / Think Twice on  Traxsource

Stop This Game Cheap Trick 1980 #48

This track did particularly well in Chicago where it received heavy airplay on superstation WLS-AM.

Cheap Trick - Stop This Game (1980, Vinyl) | Discogs

The Stealer Free 1970 #49

From the group’s LP “Highway” recorded subsequent to Free’s success at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.

Turn and Walk Away Babys 1980 #42

The single came from the Babys’ final LP “On the Edge,” and was their only charting single.

The Babys "Turn and Walk Away" ~ from the album "On the Edge" - YouTube

Stand by Me David and Jimmy Ruffin 1970 #61

“I Am My Brother’s Keeper” was the only LP recorded together by the Ruffin brothers. Backup vocals were by The Originals and The Andantes and instrumentation was provided by The Funk Brothers.

The Ruffin Brothers' Take On “Stand By Me” Will Remind You What Family  Really Means : Trunkworthy

This Beat Goes On     Kings  1980 #43

The pride of Oakville Ontario.

This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide” by The Kings Inducted Into Canadian  Songwriters Hall Of Fame - That Eric Alper

It’s All in Your Mind      Clarence Carter 1970 #51

Clarence Carter - It's All In Your Mind / Till I Can't Take It Anymore  (1971, Vinyl) | Discogs

You       Earth, Wind and Fire    1980     #48

Classy slow jam from EW&F’s well-received LP “Faces.”

Help Me! Marcy Levy and Robin Gibb      1980 #50

This song was heard during the closing credits of the film “Times Square.”

Facebook

Love TKO Teddy Pendergrass 1980 #44   #2 R&B

This version of the song was used in a few video games and was sampled by a couple of groups in the ‘90s.

Soul Serenade: Teddy Pendergrass, “Love T.K.O.” | by Ken Shane | Medium

Walk Slow Little Willie John 1960 #48

Not only was John an influential performer, he was a civil rights activist as well.

Walk Slow - Album by Little Willie John | Spotify

Serenata Sarah Vaughan 1960 #82

At this point in her career, Vaughan recorded for Roulette Records which was owned by Morris Levy who was an investor in Birdland, a Manhattan jazz club at which Vaughan frequently performed.

Sarah Vaughan - Serenata / Let's (1960, Vinyl) | DiscogsSarah Vaughan - Serenata (Vinyl) | Discogs

CLOSING THEME:  Sleep Walk – 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 December 12, 2020:   

Jan Hunsinger.

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 streaming here.

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


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