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: 6/1/24
Host: John Simon
Feature: Ithaca Weather
Today kicks off National DJ
Month, and I'm celebrating on the radio tonight from 6-9pm with a feature
called "Ithaca Weather" (which coincides with the Ithaca Festival
weekend). Sunny, Stormy, Breezy, Windy....you never know what you'll get! Whatever
it is, there's music in the forecast. C'mon over!
Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia
It’s Ithaca Festival Weekend. Sometime tonight I’ll play a song that was the Ithaca Festival theme several years ago. When I do, be the first caller to recognize it and win some movie passes!
(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
· 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)
Sunny – Bobby Hebb (6/66; #2 – today was a stunningly sunny day in Central NY, but this song is actually rather bittersweet: Bobby Hebb says that the song was inspired by his brother’s death from a stabbing, and it was his attempt to write an upbeat tribute to a better time in his life.)
Rhythm of the Rain – Cascades (1/63; #3 – John Gummoe was born and raised in San Diego, and this was his greatest songwriting success. Tonight we hear a new stereo version, created by our friends at Eric Records.)
Breezy – Tokens (5/66; dnc – this was the B-side of a low-charting single, and lead singer Jay Siegel says that it was the most difficult melody he’d ever tried to sing. It should’ve been the A-side!)
Stormy – Classics IV (10/68; #5 – true confessions time: it was Stormy Daniels who initially inspired today’s theme, but it dovetailed perfectly with the Ithaca Festival. This melody is so good that it inspired John Legend to borrow it for his hit called “Save Room.”)
Aquarius (Let the Sunshine In) – 5th Dimension (4/69; #1 for six weeks – this year’s Ithaca Festival theme is “Let the sunshine in,” and this medley of songs from the Tribal Rock Musical Hair was an essential bit of the world’s soundtrack in the spring of 1969.)
* Thunder and Lightning – Chi Coltrane (9/72; #17 – she was a one-hit wonder from Racine Wisconsin, and Scottie wanted to dedicate this one to Mecklenburg Peggy. Luckily for the Ithaca Festival, this is the only thunder and lightning in this weekend’s forecast.)
* It Might As Well Rain Until September – Carole King (8/62; #22 – a listener called this one in, and I had thought ahead and brought a brand new stereo version in with me. This was really just intended to be a demo recording, but somebody at the label thought that it was good enough to release as a single!)
Since I Lost My Baby – Temptations (7/65; #17 Pop, #4 R&B – “the sun is shining, there’s plenty of light….” It sounds like today’s forecast, delivered by weatherman David Ruffin and the boys.)
* Rainy Days and Mondays – Carpenters (5/71; #2 for two weeks – listener Barbara called this one in, admitting that it’s a really sad song that she can’t get enough of. Alas, the only version I could find was on a greatest hits LP where the tracks bleed together, so we also heard a snippet of “Goodbye to Love.”)
* We’ll Sing in the Sunshine – Gale Garnett (8/64; #4 – going out to former DJ Tom Preston, who once quipped on air “This is why we don’t sing much in Ithaca,” implying that the weather is usually pretty lousy.)
New York’s a Lonely Town – Tradewinds (2/65; #32 – as far as I know, it’s never actually snowed during Ithaca Festival weekend, but this is a great February-in-Ithaca song. Tonight we hear a new stereo mix, and it sounded really good in the studio!)
* Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head – BJ Thomas (1/70; #1 for four weeks – this was the first #1 record of the Seventies, and it would go on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. The irony is that BJ Thomas had a nasty cold when he recorded it, and was dismayed when they released it before he could re-record his vocals.)
Both Sides Now – Judy Collins (11/68; #8 – this was one of Joni Mitchell’s first hits as a songwriter, and it won Judy Collins the Grammy for Folk Record of the year.)
Windy – The Association (7/67; #1 for four weeks – songwriter Ruthann Friedman’s is one of the many voices you hear on this recording, along with Hal Blaine’s stunning drumming. It would hold down the top slot all month long, until it was finally displaced by The Doors’ “Light My Fire.”)
7-8pm
Birthday Calendar
May 26 – Levon Helm (The Band) – 1940
– Stevie Nicks – age 76
May 27 – Don Williams (Pozo-Seco) – 1938
– Bruce Cockburn – age 79
May 28 – Gladys Knight – age 80
– John Fogerty (CCR) – age 79
– Leland Sklar (bassist) – age 77
May 31 – Peter Yarrow (PP&M) – age 86
– Lenny Welch – age 84
June 1 – Pat Boone – age 90
– Ronnie Wood (Faces) – age 77
Storms – Fleetwood Mac (10/79; NR – Stevie Nicks contributed this beautiful track to the Tusk album, and it fits tonight’s them quite nicely.)
Have You Ever Seen the Rain – CCR (1/71; #8 – this was the eighth out of nine consecutive Top Ten hits for the California band, and every one of them was written and sung by guitarist John Fogerty.)
I Wish It Would Rain – Gladys Knight & The Pips (9/68; #41 Pop, #15 R&B – the Temptations had taken this song to #4 on the Pop chart and to #1 on the R&B chart eight months prior, but that didn’t stop the Motown brass from releasing this version, too. They knew a good thing when they had it.)
I Could Make it With You – Pozo-Seco Singers (9/66; #32 – Don Williams co-founded this Folk/Pop ensemble and later struck out on his own in Nashville. This record was a nice showcase for his warm delivery, and this would be their biggest hit.)
Free to Be – Bruce Cockburn (1/77; dnc – this is from a radio station promo single and the catalog number is True North #101A. He’s considered a living icon north of the border, and continues to write and record all these years later.)
Spotlight on Leland Sklar, studio bassist
These guys (Waddy Wachtel and Danny Kortchmar on guitar, Russ Kunkel on drums and Leland Sklar on bass) formed the core of the West Coast studio band unofficially dubbed “The Section,” and played on hundreds of records. Here are three of them:
Doctor My Eyes – Jackson Browne (4/72; #8 – this track opened Jackson Browne’s first LP and featured the guitar work of Jesse Ed Davis, as well as vocal support from Crosby and Nash. The driving bass line was provided by Leland Sklar.)
Someone to Lay Down Beside Me – Karla Bonoff (3/77; dnc – she was an LA songwriter who provided several songs for Linda Ronstadt, among others. This track opened her first solo album, and she wisely tapped a bunch of LA’s finest session players.)
You’ve Got a Friend – James Taylor (7/71; #1 – Carole King was the composer, Joni Mitchell provided harmony vocals and Leland Sklar played bass on JT’s only #1 record.)
Ebb Tide – Lenny Welch (3/64; #25 – the Asbury Park native was just twenty years old when he took a stab at this old chestnut. His voice was like warm caramel.)
Blowin’ In the Wind – Peter, Paul & Mary (6/63; #2 – Joan Baez would later refer to Bob Dylan as “the unwashed phenomenon,” and this was one of his first big hits as a songwriter. The trio would go on to record a number of his songs, and this is one of their best.)
With the Wind and Rain in Your Hair – Pat Boone (1/59; #21 – Pat Boone’s early career was built on recording versions of Black artists’ songs for white audiences, but he also released a number of teen hits including this weather-related number.)
The Weight – The Band (8/68; #63 – as Bob Dylan’s backing band when he went electric, these guys were signed to Capitol simply as “The Band.” This was their first charting single, and Rolling Stone Magazine ranks it as #41 in their RS500.)
Ooh La La – Faces (3/73; dnc – after Rod Stewart had embarked on a solo career, Ronnie Wood provided a rare lead vocal on this track. Several years later he’d leave the group to join the Rolling Stones, with whom he continues to tour and record.)
8-9pm
* A Horse With No Name – America (3/72; #1 for three weeks – fellow DJ Dale Bennett and his wife Gail are celebrating a wedding anniversary today and this song played constantly during their honeymoon travels many years ago. Happy anniversary, you two. The horse still has no name, but it’s fun to sing along!)
* Make Your Own Kind of Music – Mama Cass Elliot (10/69; #36 – along with National DJ Month, today marks the beginning of Pride Month. This request came in from the group called United Against Hate, and is sent out with love to everybody.)
Stormy Weather – Magnificent Men (2/67; #133 – here’s another one plucked from the headlines, made when President Biden mentioned it last week. This group hailed from Camp Hill, PA and actually played the Apollo Theater back in the late Sixties. The crowd was apparently stunned when the curtain opened to reveal a white band!)
* Bus Stop – Hollies (7/66; #5 – the caller pointed out that this one mentions “wind and rain AND shine,” making it a perfect fit with our theme.)
Catch the Wind – Donovan (5/65; #23 – this was the 2005 Ithaca Festival theme, and the phone rang about 15 seconds into the opening. I was impressed!)
* Lizzie and The Rain Man – Tanya Tucker (5/75; #37 Pop, #1 C&W – Tanya Tucker was all of seventeen when this record was released, and it became her only Top 40 entry on the Pop chart. She’s still recording and touring in 2024, and it turns out that this WAS in our vinyl record library, after all!)
Rainy Night in Georgia – Brook Benton (1/70; #4 Pop, #1 R&B – Brook Benton took this Tony Joe White tune to great heights on the Cotillion Records label, and there’s no mystery as to why.)
Sunshine on My Shoulders – John Denver (3/74; #1 – most CD versions of this surprise #1 hit are either the 5 minute LP version or a re-recording. Tonight we hear the short version found on the RCA radio station promo single.)
I’ll Follow the Sun – The Beatles (1/65; NR – this little nugget was issued on the Capitol LP called Beatles ’65, and clocks in at just about two minutes long.)
Cloudy – Simon & Garfunkel (1966; NR – this is another album track, this one from the Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme LP. It was co-written by Paul Simon and the Seekers’ Bruce Woodley, and was also recorded by both The Seekers and The Cyrkle.)
Lovely Day – Bill Withers (10/77; #30 Pop, #6 R&B – this is the song that I found playing in my head as I walked through the Festival earlier today. It was just like he said!)
Walkin’ in Rhythm – Blackbyrds (2/75; #6 Pop, #4 R&B – here’s another perfect sunshiny day song, and one that I used to play out my dorm room window facing the quad as students were sunning and throwing Frisbees. Takes me right back there!)
* Ball of Fire – Tommy James (11/69; #19 – this one was called in by listener Scottie, and the only version I could find was a scratchy vinyl LP from the shelf.)
Laughter in the Rain – Neil Sedaka (10/74; #1 – long after Pop singer Neil Sedaka had been rendered irrelevant by the British Invasion, he was signed to Elton John’s Rocket label and came back with a vengeance. His next seven singles reached the Top Forty, and two of them hit #1.)
* Big Man in Town – 4 Seasons (11/64; #20 – listener Greg has scored a ticket to see Jersey Boys in Auburn next week, and has recently seen the movie twice. He’s pretty sure that this is one of their hits that didn’t make it into the show, and this is how we’ll wrap up tonight. Thanks for your good company and great suggestions. See you on the 22nd.)
CLOSING THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Trivia Answer
This year’s Festival theme is “Let the Sunshine In.” In 2005 it was “Catch the Wind!”
Congratulations to Dave from Snyder Hill, for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of passes to Cinemapolis!
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 (6/8/24): Gregory James with a spotlight on wedding songs!
Thanks for tuning in - and for voting us Ithaca's Best Local Radio Show in the most recent Ithaca Times Readers' Poll! 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, too, to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!
No comments:
Post a Comment