October 2, 2021 - JS - Spotlight on A&M Records

 

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:  10/2/21

Host:  John Simon

Feature:  A&M Records

 

 

 

 

  How do you condense three decades into a 3-hour Oldies show? Sometimes we pick a chart date, sometimes a musical theme, sometimes a key word from a title. Tonight, our lens will be the iconic A&M Records label, founded in 1962. Lots of cool tunes from a variety of genres, with your host JS. 6-9pm Eastern time. C'mon over!

 

 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia

 

 

Who is the only artist to hit #1 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart with both a vocal performance AND an instrumental single?

 

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

 

 

Playlist

 

·       YouTube links follow certain entries

·      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

·      songs in bold type are related to the theme

 

 

6-7pm 

 

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

 

The Lonely Bull - The Tijuana Brass (10/62; #6 - this was the debut single for the newly-formed label. Herb Alpert  -  the "A" in "A&M" -  simply overdubbed his horn parts slightly out of synch and used members of The Wrecking Crew to round out the imaginary band that he called "The Tijuana Brass.")

 

Guantanamera - Sandpipers (8/66; #9 - Pete Seeger put Cuban poet Jose Marti's musical poem on the map, but the melody dated back to the 1920s. This was the first of many releases for the smooth vocal group, but it's their most enduring.)

 

* You Were On My Mind - We Five (7/65; #3 - Sylvia Fricker - better known as half of "Ian & Sylvia" - was the composer of this one, but these Bay Area kids chose it for their debut single. JH played it two weeks ago. Tonight you hear a crisp stereo version.)

 

Live - Merry-Go-Round (4/67; #63 - bandleader Emitt Rhodes was the driving force behind the band, who were all the rage in LA. However, their success didn't extend much beyond LA's borders, and they'd only have one other charting single before disappearing. Later The Bangles would cover this song, and make it very much their own.)

 

Black Pearl - Sonny Charles & Checkmates Ltd. (5/69; #13 Pop, #5 R&B - Phil Spector quit the business for a couple of years with the failure of his magnum opus River Deep, Mountain High, but he came back with a vengeance with this stunning record. Co-written with singer Toni Wine, arranged by Perry Botkin, Jr. and sung by an obscure lounge singer with a really big voice, it became an important statement in the fight for Civil Rights.)

 

* (They Long To Be) Close To You - Carpenters (7/70; #1 for four weeks - Herb Alpert had recorded this song, but wasn't happy with the result. He offered it to the brother-and-sister duo that he'd recently signed, and it changed everything for them. By the way, that's Karen and Richard Carpenter doing all of the background vocals.)

 

Wonderful World, Beautiful People - Jimmy Cliff (12/69; #25 - Desmond Dekker had the first Reggae hit in the States a few months earlier, but Jimmy Cliff broke open the floodgates. Listener Shauna points out that "A&M was suburbia's first exposure to 'World Music'.")

 

Peace Train - Cat Stevens (9/71; #7 - Cat Stevens was at the vanguard of the early Seventies singer/songwriter movement, and this was his first big hit. Its message still rings true, and it has recently been given the Playing For Change treatment. Check out this moving video.)

 

Proud Mary - Sonny Charles & Checkmates, Ltd. (10/69; #69 - John Fogerty wrote it and his band had a huge hit with it. Several years later, Ike & Tina Turner released a wildly successful version that was exploding with energy. In between, there was this version - which strongly influenced Ike & Tina's version. This is definitely a Phil Spector production!)

 

* Any Way That You Want Me - Evie Sands (8/69; #53 - Evie Sands' career kept getting knocked off course, first at Blue Cat Records and then at Cameo-Parkway, who folded just as her version of Angel of the Morning was gathering steam. She finally found a home at A&M Records, and had a modicum of success with this Chip Taylor composition. JH nearly played it on his "favorites" show two weeks ago. Tonight he gets his wish.)

 

Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (9/66; #7 - bandleader Sergio Mendes played the piano, and America fell in love with the band's exotic sound. This was their debut single, and they soon became a fixture on the radio. Singer Lani Hall would later marry Herb Alpert, giving the term "the A&M family" a whole new meaning.)

 

Georgy Girl - Baja Marimba Band (5/67; #98 - much like the Tijuana Brass, this was a studio concoction: it was marimba man Julius Wechter, backed up by session players from LA's Gold Star studios. This rollicking version of the movie title track was released shortly after the The Seekers' big hit version.)

 

 

 

7-8pm

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

 

September 27 – Randy Bachman (Guess Who) – age 78

            – Steve Boone (Lovin' Spoonful) – age 78

            

September 28 – Ben E King – born in 1938

          

September 29 – Jerry Lee Lewis – age 86

            – Tommy Boyce – born in 1939

            

September 30 – Cissy Houston – age 88

            – Johnny Mathis – age 86

            – Marilyn McCoo – age 78

            – Frankie Lymon – born in 1942

October 2 – Mike Rutherford (Genesis) – age 71

            – Sting (Police) – age 70

 

 
 

Shakin' All Over - Guess Who (5/65; #22 - this rocker opens with Randy Bachman's blistering guitar riff. The original was by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, and The Who would put their own stamp on it in live appearances, but this is one solid cover right here.)

 

You Didn't Have To Be So Nice - Lovin' Spoonful (11/65; #10 - this follow-up to their debut single was their second of seven consecutive Top Ten hits. That's Steve Boone playing bass. These guys were originally approached to possibly play themselves in a new television series. When they declined, an open casting call went out in LA for "Folk & Roll musicians-singers for acting roles in new TV series." Thus were born 'The Monkees!')

 

Spanish Harlem - Ben E. King (1/61; #10 Pop, #15 R&B - this was Ben E. King's first solo single after leaving The Drifters. Phil Spector got the writing credit along with Jerry Leiber, and many people took a crack at it  -  including Aretha, who took it to #2 ten years later.)

 

Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend) - Boyce & Hart (7/68; #27 - they were one of the hottest songwriting teams in LA, but they started to envy The Monkees who were getting all of the adulation singing Boyce & Hart songs - so they decided to make a go of it as performers. A&M signed them to a recording contract, and this was a moderate hit for them.)

 

Rock 'n' Roll Medley - Jerry Lee Lewis (4/73; dnc - this curiosity was tucked on the B-side of Jerry Lee's "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-o-dee," and both were cut in Nashville. The fascinating angle with this one is that this was a medley of Little Richard hits. They were both among the first inductees to the R'n'R Hall of Fame. At this point, "The Killer" is the only living member left from that group. Check him out in this amazing clip from The Ed Sullivan Show back in 1969!)

 

Itty Bitty Pretty One - Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (8/60; #58 - this was the final charting single for the band, and their only one on the Roulette Records label. Frankie would release a few solo singles, but drug addiction had started to take hold of him and he'd be dead within a few years.)

 

Wonderful! Wonderful! - Johnny Mathis (2/57; #14 - this was Johnny's first charting single. Over fifty singles would follow over the next thirty years, and his mellifluous vocals are a thing of beauty - especially with Ray Conniff's orchestra and chorus backing him up.)

 

Let It Be Me - Sweet Inspirations (7/67; #94 Pop, #13 R&B - Cissy Drinkard changed her name to Cissy Houston, and she and the girls went from being backing singers to being recording artists, releasing a string of stunning gospel-flavored covers. The Everly Brothers had the big hit, but this one is sublime.)

 

(Last Night) I Didn't Get To Sleep At All - 5th Dimension (4/72; #8 - the whole quintet was terrific, but it eventually became clear that Marilyn McCoo was the star. Most of their Seventies hits featured her on lead vocals, and eventually she and band mate/husband Billy Davis would embark on their own career as a duo.)

 

Message In a Bottle - Police (11/79; #74 Pop, #1 UK for three weeks - Gordon Sumner was the lead singer, the bass player and the main composer for the band, and he went on to  have a superstar solo career. They were another surprise signing by A&M Records. Check out their later label logo.)

Follow You, Follow Me - Genesis (4/78; #22 - Peter Gabriel had recently left the band, and many thought that their best years were behind them. Au contraire....they were just getting started. Mike Rutherford added guitar to his bass-playing duties and Phil Collins took over on lead vocals. The rest is history.)

Paper Tiger - Sue Thompson (1/65; #23 - Sue Thompson was known as a novelty singer, and most of her hits were penned by John D. Loudermilk. Part of her talent was that she sounded much younger than she really was, including on this: her final charting Pop single. She was already 35 years old when she appeared in this Hullabaloo episode. She was 96 when she passed away last week in Nevada!)

* Hot Rod Lincoln - Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen (3/72; #9 - George Frayne was the leader of this pack, although Bill Kirchen was the guitar wizard. Commander Cody died just a few days ago, and this was his most memorable contribution to the canon.)

  

 

8-9pm

 
 

* Show Me The Way - Peter Frampton (2/76; #6 - Frampton started as a teenaged member of The Herd, and then left to form Humble Pie with Steve Marriott. He was still a relative youngster when he signed with A&M and released this record, but his live version would be even more familiar to listeners when the album "Frampton Comes Alive" sold over 8,000,000 copies!)

 

* Back It Up - Nils Lofgren (6/75; dnc - Nils also got his start as a teenager with the band Grin. He got some session work and actually played on Neil Young's Back to The Gold Rush album before signing with A&M for a solo career. Next stop? Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band!)

 

* Feels So Good - Chuck Mangione (2/78; #4 - two callers requested this one. Chuck hailed from Rochester, NY and played a bunch of local shows before hitting the big time.)

 

I'll Be Good To You - Brothers Johnson (5/76; #3 for 3 weeks, #1 R&B - Quincy Jones sat in the producer's chair for this album, and it was the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between the brothers and Q. The radio station promo 45 is a rough unpolished mix that pales in comparison to the final product. If we had more time, I would've played for you all.)

 

(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher - Rita Coolidge (5/77; #2 - this single was produced and arranged by Booker T. Jones, who just so happened to be married to Rita's sister Priscilla. I mentioned on the air that I used to turn my nose up at this record, because it couldn't hold a candle to Jackie Wilson's original version. Listening tonight, though, I see that this is a pretty great single!)

 

Sunshine Girl - The Parade (4/67; #20 - these LA guys qualify as "one-hit wonders," and this is their one hit! One member of the trio is Jerry Riopelle, who would go on to become a pretty successful producer/arranger for A&M Records artists. In fact, see below.)

 

Day After Day (It's Slippin' Away) - Shango (3/69; #57 - another one-hit wonder right here, although lead singer Tommy Reynolds would later join up with two guys named Hamilton and Joe Frank. This steel-drum-driven tune is a deceptively bouncy treatment of a dark theme: the dangers inherent in climate change.)

 

This Guy's In Love With You - Herb Alpert (6/69; #1 for four weeks - this was label-owner Herb's first vocal performance and it was also the first #1 for the A&M label - AND the first #1 record for songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It has since become a Pop standard.)

 

Call Me - Chris Montez (1/66; #22 - Chris' bio always starts with "he was a protege of Richie Valens," and it's true: he has a similar vibe and background, but he cut some great records for A&M. This one was written by Tony Hatch, and was first recorded by Petula Clark.)

 

45 Corner:  Show Some Emotion - Joan Armatrading (1/78; #110 - this is the closest she ever came to having a charting single, and it wasn't even that close.... Still, she got a ton of FM airplay back in the day. This is the promo 45 which trims a little bit of the intro off of the LP version.)

 

Come Sail Away - Styx (9/77; #8 - this is a case where the 45 version was about two minutes shorter than the LP version, and tonight we'll hear the longer one. The band hailed from Chicago and featured twin brothers on bass and drums, but songwriter/singer Dennis DeYoung's piano and synthesizer are the stars of this one.)

 

Steppin' Out - Joe Jackson (8/82; #6 - and we'll end the show with this one, which is fitting as I'm about to be stepping out myself. This is a rare Rock record in that there's not a guitar lick to be found on it anywhere - mostly just piano, bass and drums. Meanwhile, check out the A&M Eighties-era label. They were changing with the times....)

 

 

 

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

 

 

Trivia Answer

 

 

Herb Alpert scored #1 with his first vocal performance on "This Guy's In Love With You," and again ten years later on his instrumental duet with Hugh Masekela: "Rise."

 

Congratulations to Bill 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 (10/9/21):  Gregory James with a spotlight on banned bands: records that the censors tried to stop from spinning!

 

 

 

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!