August 14, 2021 - JS - Great Oldies and Your Requests

 

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!)

 

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Date:  8/14/21

Host:  John Simon

Feature:  No Theme!

 

 

 

 No real theme this week, just great tunes and your requests. We'll start with a string of songs from the chart for August 14, 1967, and then we've got three #4 hits from August of 1969. Turn it up, and call 'em in!

  

 

 

(scroll down 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)

 

Pleasant Valley Sunday - Monkees (8/67; #3 for the first of two weeks - this was their final Top Ten featuring Micky as lead vocalist. More importantly, that was Mike Nesmith actually playing that cool guitar figure. Words and music by Goffin-King.)

 

You're My Everything - Temptations (8/67; headed to #6 Pop, #3 R&B - for a while there, every record that they released was better than the previous one. This one featured Eddie Kendrick on lead vocal, but David Ruffin took over on the bridge.)

 

Washed Ashore (On a Lovely Island) - Platters (8/67; down to #69 from a peak of #50 Pop, #39 R&B - the band signed a deal with Musicor Records and "Popcorn" Wiley took over production duties. His first move was to hire Motown's Funk Brothers to surreptitiously provide the musical accompaniment. They had a great little string of hits as a result, and sneakily called this album "Going Back to Detroit!" 😉)

 

* (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher - Jackie Wilson (8/67; headed to #6 Pop, #1 R&B - this is another one that featured the moonlighting Funk Brothers as the backing musicians. Listener Tom requested it. Listener Karen reports that it was the song her daughter chose for their Mother/Daughter dance at her wedding.)

 

Lovin' Sound - Ian & Sylvia (8/67; peaking at #101 - Ian Tyson and Sylvia Fricker were two of Canada's greatest exports, but they had a hard time charting here in the States. This one just missed.)

 

What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) - Jr. Walker & The All-Stars (8/69; down to #9 from a peak of #4 Pop and #1 R&B - Junior Walker was reluctant to smooth out his gruff vocal sound for this one, but producer Johnny Bristol convinced him to try. It turned out to be one of the group's biggest hits.)

 

Sweet Caroline (Good Times Never Seemed So Good) - Neil Diamond (8/69; peaking on this date at #4 for two weeks - whoever thought up that catchy little horn flourish after the words "Sweet Caroline" probably had no idea how popular it would become at future singalongs and sporting events!)

 

Easy To Be Hard - Three Dog Night (8/69; at #40, headed to #4 - one of at least five songs from the Tribal Rock musical Hair to become charting hits, this one still gives me goosebumps.)

 

Rock Me On the Water - Linda Ronstadt (3/72; #85 - this was the morning of the annual Hospicare fundraiser called "Women Swimmin'," and they managed to raise $440,000. This goes out to everybody who played a part. Background vocals on the recording are provided by Don Henley, Glen Frey and Randy Meisner, who would soon start their own band.)

 

Baby Blue - The Echoes (3/61; #12 - they were an innocuous trio of Irish boys from Brooklyn who couldn't spell - "b-b-a-b-y, b-b-l-u-e," but this is a sweet little ballad to mix things up just a bit.)

 

* Shake Your Groove Thing - Peaches & Herb (10/78; #5 - another local event took place on the Belle Sherman Elementary School playground this morning, when upwards of 300 people gathered to celebrate the life and times of local educator and performer Todd Peterson. Apparently, the event ended with a full-tilt dancing spree to this very song. Fly free, Todd!)

 

* A Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy (8/64; #7 - long-time listener Greg called in from a hospital bed in Rochester to say that he was tuned in on his iPad. This is one of his favorite songs, and we send it out with best wishes for a speedy recovery!)

 

* All I Really Want to Do - Cher (7/65; #15 - John-from-Freeville called to let me know that Cher's birthday had come and gone and that she needed some airtime. He let me choose between "cheesey later Cher or early Cher," and I picked this one: her very first solo hit. She and The Byrds released separate versions on the same day, and the guys stalled at #39. Composer Bob Dylan was apparently disappointed with their showing  -  but I'm certain that he didn't mind the royalty payments!)

 

* Lazy Day - Spanky & Our Gang (10/67; #14 - this was called in from David in Vancouver, where the smoke from raging wildfires combined with blistering heat have stranded him indoors where he's having himself a "lazy day." Now you can have one, too.)

 

 

7-8pm

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

August 8 – Joe Tex – born in 1933

 

August 9 – Barbara Mason – age 74

           

August 10 – Ronnie Spector (Ronettes) – age 78

            – Bobby Hatfield (Righteous Bros) – born in 1940

            – Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) – age 74

 

August 11 – Eric Carmen – age 72

                 – Joe Jackson – age 67 

 

August 12 – Buck Owens – born in 1929

            

August 13 – Dan Fogelberg – born in 1951

 

August 14 – Dash Crofts (Seals & Crofts) – age 83

                 – David Crosby – age 80

 

 

Hold What You've Got - Joe Tex (12/64; #5 Pop, #1 R&B for five weeks - Joseph Arrington was raised in Rogers, Texas and he adopted the stage name of "Joe Tex." Half of his records were funny, the other half were philosphical, yet all of them were gritty and soulful. This was his first big hit.)

 

Sad, Sad Girl - Barbara Mason (8/65; #27 Pop, #12 R&B - born and raised in Philadelphia, Barbara was a singer AND a songwriter. This was the follow-up to her biggest hit of them all on the powder-blue Arctic Records label: Yes I'm Ready.)

 

You Baby - Ronettes (12/63; dnc - from their album "Introducing the Fabulous Ronettes." The big hits on it were Be My Baby, Do I Love You and Baby I Love You, but this could've been a hit single too. One thing they all shared: Ronnie Spector, aka "Veronica," singing out in front.)

 

Ebb Tide - Righteous Brothers (12/65; #5 - like the previous record, this was produced by label owner Phil Spector. It's a virtual solo performance by Bobby Hatfield, and was one of their final records before they left for the Verve Records label.)

 

Teacher - Jethro Tull (1970; dnc - from the LP called Benefit, this features the haunting vocals and flute playing of composer Ian Anderson. Many people assumed that HE was "Jethro Tull" for the longest time....)

 

Is She Really Going Out With Him - Joe Jackson (6/79; #21 - Joe Jackson burst onto the scene with his proto-punk attitude and catchy melodic sense, and this record resonated with all of the smart guys who couldn't understand why the pretty girls were all drawn to the "gorillas walking down" their streets.)

 

Go All the Way - Raspberries (8/72; #5 - Eric Carmen was a classically-trained pianist with a killer voice and a pitch-perfect ear for a good pop melody. This was one of the surefire hits blaring out of car radios all that summer long. Watch these guys perform this "live" with no lip-syncing and overdubbing!)

 

Along the Road - Dan Fogelberg (12/79; dnc - the B-side of Longer, this perfectly captures Dan Fogelberg's atmospheric haunting ways. If you bought the 45, you got double your money's worth!)

 

Guinnevere - Crosby, Stills & Nash (6/69; dnc - David Crosby had a voice like honey, a brilliant grasp of open tunings, a unique guitar style, and a really abrasive personality. That's what got him kicked out of The Byrds, but he landed with Graham Nash and Stephen Stills, and this song of his was one of the high points of their debut album.)

 

Lady Friend - The Byrds (8/67; #82 - this was recorded for their LP "More Today Than Yesterday," and was left off the album after the big blow-up that led to his firing from the band. Columbia released it as a stand-alone single, and David Crosby went out in a musical blaze of glory, chart position notwithstanding.)

 

* You're All I Need to Get By - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (8/68; #8 Pop, #1 R&B for five weeks - going out to Linda from George. It was her birthday two days ago and their anniversary is five days later. Ashford and Simpson wrote and produced it. Thanks for giving us the excuse to play it tonight, George!)

 

Act Naturally - Buck Owens (4/63; #1 C&W for four weeks - The Beatles would later release it as a charting B-side, and that's how most of America ever heard of this song - unless you were a Country music fan. That's Don Rich on harmony vocals and lead guitar.)

 

 

8-9pm

 
 

* Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts (9/72; #6 - a perfect song for a perfect summer evening, going out on Dash Crofts' birthday. Tonight we hear it on a radio station promo 45.)

 

* Fresh Air - Quicksilver Messenger Service (10/70; #49 - going out to B'dale Peggy from Scottie, who says "don't forget your loved ones too." This is the LP version, which does NOT fade out in the middle of Nicky Hopkins' fine piano solo.)

 

Out In The Country - Three Dog Night  (8/70; #15 - and here we have the third in a trilogy of tributes to fresh country air in the summertime. This is another fine tune composed by the underrated Paul Williams.)

 

Hollywood - Rufus w/ Chaka Khan (5/77; #32 Pop, #3 R&B - here's a lost hit from the summer of '77. I was sorely tempted to follow it with Midnight Train To Georgia, but there were still lots of requests to fold in.)

 

* Reflections - Supremes (8/67; #2 - this would be their final single before Diana Ross would be awarded top billing, and it also broke their string of four consecutive #1 records on the Pop chart. Going out to listener Barbara in the hills of Danby - and to Tom on Long Island.)

 

Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart - Coasters (6/58; dnc - this cool gem can be found on back of their record Yakety Yak, but not in stunning stereo like you hear tonight.)

 

Come Go With Me - Dell-Vikings (2/57; #4 - these guys were one of the early successful mixed-race groups that came out the Armed Services. This is a Doo Wop classic, for sure.)

 

Doctor Robert - The Beatles (7/66; dnc - Capitol Records released the album called Yesterday and Today in the summer of 1965. Technically, it was cobbled together using a bunch of non-LP UK singles and a few tracks from the British versions of Rubber Soul and Revolver. The Beatles considered it a "butchering" of their catalog, so they tried to release it with their own cover art, now famously known as "the butcher cover." Capitol scrambled to pull any copies and replace it with something less innocuous.) 

 

 

* Everyday People - Sly & The Family Stone (3/69; #1 for four weeks - this band went from relative obscurity to being the hottest act in America in less than a year - and this was still six months before they exploded onto the stage at Woodstock! An interracial family band promoting peace and racial harmony: just what the world was hungering for!)

 

* Summer - War (7/76; #7 Pop, #4 R&B - this single was a last-minute addition to War's brand-new Greatest Hits album, and has become a perennial summertime favorite, despite the dated lyrics like "rappin' on the CB radio in the sun....")

 

Red Rubber Ball - Cyrkle (5/66; #2 - produced by John Simon and written by Paul Simon - no relation in either case - this was the first and biggest hit by the the East Coast group, who also happened to be managed by Brian Epstein. Vancouver David says that this is a good description of what the Sun looks like out there through the haze of the wild fires. Yikes!)

 

Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton (10/77; #3 Pop, #1 C&W for five weeks - this was her biggest crossover hit. They toned down the pedal steel and added some rockin' guitar to appeal to the mainstream Pop audience, and it worked  -  but Country fans dug it, too.)

 

Cruel to Be Kind - Nick Lowe (7/79; #12 - a throwback to the Sixties with a beat that wouldn't quit. Nick had been with Brinsley Schwarz and would soon team up with Rockpile and Elvis Costello as a producer and writer, but this was his biggest solo hit.)

 

Good-Time Charlie's Got The Blues - Danny O'Keefe (9/72; #9 - this plaintive ballad featured a pedal steel guitar and a lonesome whistle at the end, and goes out to the sad DJ whose family had all recently headed back to the LA area.)

 

* Bluebird - Buffalo Springfield (7/67; #58 - last but not least, we go out the way we came in: tuned into the summer of 1967. This goes out to Abby in Virginia, and if it sounds really familiar it may just be because JR played it just last weekend!)

 

 

 

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 (8/21/21):  Gregory James with a spotlight on this date in 1962, 1972 and 1982!

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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!