October 17, 2024 - JS - Late October 1964

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:  10/19/24

Host:  John Simon

Feature:  Late October 1964

 

 

 

 I'm back on Rockin' Remnants after six weeks off, opening with a spotlight on Late October of 1964. We'll do a theater ticket giveaway, check out this past week's birthdays of note, and I'll play a few alternate versions of songs that I played last time out. All this plus your requests and more, from 6-9pm (93.5FM or streaming at wvbr.com). C'mon by!

  

 

 

Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia

 

 

By the end of the show I’ll have played three songs co-written by birthday girl Cynthia Weil, all beginning with the letter “H.” Can you name them?

 

(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)

 

Save it for Me – 4 Seasons (at #50 this week, down from a peak of #10 – this was the follow-up to their #1 smash “Rag Doll,” and they were one of a handful of American bands that withstood the vaunted British Invasion.)

 

 

Matchbox – The Beatles (peaking this week at #17 – hot on the heels of three smash singles from A Hard Day’s Night, Capitol released this two-sided single. The Carl Perkins tune was paired with Larry Williams’ “Slow Down,” and Ringo had his first lead vocal on a Beatles 45.)

 

 

Baby Love – Supremes (at #12 this week, headed to four weeks at #1 – after floundering at Motown for several years, the Supremes were suddenly the #1 girl group in the world. This was their second consecutive #1 record, and that would be followed by three more – and then another run of five more a couple of records later.)

 

 

Wendy – Beach Boys (debuting at #71 this week, headed to #44 – speaking of American bands pushing back on the British, these guys were at the forefront. If it weren’t released as part of a four-song EP, this surely would’ve been a Top Ten hit.)

 

 

Beach Girl – Pat Boone (peaking at #72 this week – this one sounded an awful lot like a Beach Boys record, mostly because two members of the Beach Boys family were involved in its creation as writers, singers, arrangers and producers. It’s Pat Boone with Terry Melcher and future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston on one of Pat’s final charting singles.)

 

 

*  I’m Into Something Good – Herman’s Hermits (at #64, headed to #13 – this was the group’s debut single, and it spent three weeks at #1 in the UK. Listener Tom said “My wedding anniversary is next week, and so is my wife’s!” He wanted to dedicate this to her. Congrats, you two.)

 

 

Baby Be Mine – Jelly Beans (at #54, headed to #51 – this tasty treat should’ve been a bigger hit, but Red Bird Records was a smaller label with limited distribution capability and it’s relegated to semi-obscure status these days.)

 

 

When You Walk in the Room – Searchers (debuting at #97, headed to #35 – their jangling guitars and British harmonies propelled this record into the Top Forty. Songwriter Jackie DeShannon only managed to reach #99 with it a year prior. Such was the power of the British Invasion!)

 

 

*  Darling Be Home Soon – Lovin’ Spoonful (2/67; #15 – this is essentially a solo John Sebastian record, and was a portent of things to come as he started to branch out on his own. It goes out as a dedication from Scottie to Peggy.)

 

 

Home of the Brave – Bonnie & The Treasures (9/65; #77 – this one was released at about the same time that Capitol released a version by Nashville’s Jody Miller. Despite the classic Phil Spector production, Jody’s version became a hit and this one is mostly lost to time.)

 

 

Spooky – Classics IV (12/67; #3 – last time out I played a terrific cover by The Atlanta Rhythm Section, which included several of the guys who’d been on this version. It’s a Halloween classic, and a sneak preview of what you’ll hear next week on Kim’s show.)

 

 

45 Corner:  The Harlem Shuffle – The Traits (9/66; #94 – here’s another record in the lost-to-time category. The Traits were a bunch of Texas teenagers whose claim to fame was that they backed up Roy Head on his hit “Treat Her Right.” One of the band members turns out to have been young Johnny Winter, who would soon become famous as one of the great white Blues guitarists.)

 

 

*  Tell Him – The Exciters (12/62; #4 – they were a mixed quartet from Queens and this was their first and biggest hit record. Going out at the request of listener Holly, who sure can pick ‘em!)

 

 

On the Street Where You Live – Andy Williams (peaking on this date at #28 – the warm and mellifluous delivery of Andy Williams turned this show tune into a Pop hit. From the soundtrack of My Fair Lady, it’s a great tune from our chart date.)

 

 

*  Strawberry Fields – The Beatles (2/67; #8 – this was released as a “double A-Side” and the flipside was Paul’s sunnier reflection of growing up in Liverpool: “Penny Lane” reached #1. John’s version was more complex, and Rolling Stone ranked it at #76 in its list of the 500 Greatest Singles ever. Going out to Lynne, who’d spent part of today at the Strawberry Fields monument in NYC’s Central Park.)

 

 

 

7-8pm

 

 Birthday Calendar

 

 

October 13 – Paul Simon – age 83

            – Robert Lamm (Chicago) – age 80

            – Baby Washington – age 84

             – Marie Osmond – age 65

 

 

October 14 – Cliff Ricahrd – age 84

            – Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) – age 79

 

 

October 15 – Tommy Edwards – born in 1922

            – Richard Carpenter – age 78

            – Tito Jackson (J5) – born in 1953

 

 

October 16 – Bert Kaempfert – born in 1923

            – Bob Weir (Grateful Dead) – age 77

 

 

October 17 – Jim Seals (Seals & Crofts) – born in 1941

            – Gary Puckett – age 82

 

 

October 18 – Chuck Berry – born in 1926

            – Laura Nyro – born in 1947

            – Cynthia Weil (songwriter) – 1940

 

 

October 19 – Dave Guard (Kingston Trio) – 1934

            – Bruce Arnold (Orpheus) – 1946

 

 

 

Homeward Bound – Simon & Garfunkel (2/66; #5 – Paul wrote and sang on all of the duo’s material, but this one clearly held autobiographical significance for him. It’s a poignant and timeless encapsulation of life on the road.)

 

 

That’s How Heartaches Are Made – Baby Washington (3/63; #40 Pop, #10 R&B – she was raised in Harlem and charted seventeen times on R&B radio for a series of small labels. This is my favorite of them all.)

 

 

Paper Roses – Marie Osmond (9/73; #5 Pop, #1 C&W two weeks – Marie was all of 14 when she recorded this cover of the Anita Bryant hit, and she subsequently became the youngest solo artist to ever top the Billboard Country chart!)

 

 

Story in Your Eyes – Moody Blues (8/71; #23 – Justin Hayward was the band’s primary writer, in addition to being their lead singer and guitar player. This is one of many great songs that the band released, and he wrote it and sang it and wailed on the guitar parts.)

 

 

Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is? – Chicago (11/70; #7 – Robert Lamm was a founding member who wrote a bunch of the band’s earlier material. He was also the singer on this one – and the piano player. Trivia fact: this is one of the few “question” songs that actually has a question mark in the title!)

 

 

Dreaming – Cliff Richard (9/80; #10 – Cliff Richard was knighted in 1980, and is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, although he never quite broke through here in the States. This was his third and final Top Ten single on the American charts.)

 

 

It’s All in the Game – Tommy Edwards (10/59; #1 for six weeks – with a rich voice that rivaled that of Nat “King” Cole, Tommy Edwards managed to break through on the Pop chart in ways that eluded other Black artists. This was one of the biggest records of the year in 1959.)

 

 

Red Roses for a Blue Lady – Bert Kaempfert (1/65; #11 – multiple vocal versions of this one have charted since the Fifties, but Bert’s instrumental version held its own – despite competing directly with both Wayne Newton and Vic Dana, when all three of them released versions on the same date!)

 

 

Yesterday Once More – Carpenters (6/73; #2 – Karen Carpenter got most of the attention, but older brother Richard was the writer, the arranger, the pianist, and provided multi-layered background vocals on this sweet love letter to the power of the old songs.)

 

 

Sugar Magnolia – Grateful Dead (2/70; #91 – I misspoke on the radio when I said that this track from the band’s American Beauty LP hadn’t been released as a single. That said, singer and writer Bob Weir deserved a bigger hit with it!)

 

 

Shake Your Body – Jacksons (2/79; #7 Pop, #3 R&B – Tito Jackson’s birthday was this week, but he had quietly slipped away back September after a long career in the business. He was the guitar player in the band when they started as the Jackson 5 and as they morphed into The Jacksons, and he was working on a solo Blues album at the time of his death. Check out his tasty licks in this one!)

 

 

A Worried Man – Kingston Trio (9/59; #20 – Dave Guard was a founding member of the group that nearly singlehandedly brought Folk music back into fashion. He plays the banjo here and is the lead vocalist on one of their most rousing singles, although he’d leave a couple of years later over creative differences about musical purity.)

 

 

You Never Can Tell – Chuck Berry (8/64; #14 – John Lennon once said “If you tried to give Rock ‘n’ Roll another  name, you might try ‘Chuck Berry!’” After serving nearly two years in jail on trumped up charges, Chuck came back with a string of great singles. This is just one of them!)

 

 

Summer Breeze – Seals & Crofts (9/72; #6 – the “soft rock” duo charted two #6 records, and this one gets the most airplay of all of their singles. The Isley Brothers also did well with their own version a year later, scoring a #10 R&B hit.)

 

 

Over You – Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (10/68; #7 – Gary took a break from singing about cheating and underage dating with this sparkling love song. Columbia released it in a picture sleeve, and tonight you get the mono single edit – just the way you may remember it!)

 

 

Up on the Roof – Laura Nyro (10/70; #92 – despite her prolific success as a writer of big hits for other people, this Carole King song was her only charting single. Meanwhile, three of her compositions were in the Top Ten in November of 1969!)

 

 

8-9pm

 

 

 

 

Walk Away Renee – Orpheus (9/68; NR – this song was from their M-G-M Ascending LP, and not released as a single – but it’s representative of their lush, harmony-drenched sound. Based in Boston, they never made much noise beyond the east coast.)

 

 

Hungry – Paul Revere & the Raiders (6/66; #6 – in addition to writing songs for Phil Spector’s collection of artists, Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann wrote some great rockers for acts including The Animals and The Raiders. Here’s one smashing example.)

 

 

Here You Come Again – Dolly Parton (10/77; #3 Pop for two weeks and #1 C&W for five weeks – this was Dolly’s biggest crossover hit to date, and it also won her a Grammy for Female Vocal of the year. The writers? Mann & Weil.)

 

 

*  Incense & Peppermints – Strawberry Alarm Clock (11/67; #1 – this one snuck out of nowhere and sandwiched itself in the #1 slot between “To Sir With Love” and The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer.” Pretty good company!)

 

 

*  Didn’t You Know You’d Have to Cry Sometime – Gladys Knight & The Pips (3/69; #63 Pop, #11 R&B – this one goes out to listener Jane, who also won theater tickets this evening. It was written and produced by Ashford & Simpson, and features another stunning bass line by the Funk Brothers’ James Jamerson.)

 

 

Keeper of the Castle – Four Tops (11/72; #10 Pop, #7 R&B – they had recently left Motown for other pastures and would find some success at ABC/Dunhill, but they’d never recapture the glory days of their partnership with Holland-Dozier-Holland.)

 

 

Love of the Common People – The Winstons (9/69; #54 – their biggest hit was “Color Him Father,” but they had some success with this one, too – and out-charted Wayne Newton, The Everly Brothers AND the Four Preps, who had all released versions back in 1967.)

 

 

I’m On the Outside Looking In – Little Anthony & The Imperials (at #21 this week, headed to #15 – this was another Teddy Randazzo composition that was perfectly suited to Little Anthony’s styling and temperament.)

 

 

Summer Side of Life – Gordon Lightfoot (9/71; #98 – this was one of his first releases on the Reprise label, and was a much better record than the chart position implies. The LP was recorded in Nashville and featured some of Country’s finest session players, and the future was looking bright for Mr. Lightfoot!)

 

 

You’re Only Lonely – John David Souther (9/79; #7 – JD Souther was a central player in the Laurel Canyon music scene back in the Seventies, and wrote songs for Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles and others. He also recorded some shimmering duets with James Taylor, Karla Bonoff and Linda herself. He passed away last month at age 78. Tonight he soars once more.)

 

 

Everybody Go Home – Eydie Gorme (10/63; #80 – we’ll let Ms. Gorme have the last word tonight. This was a Goffin-King record that deserved a much better showing than #80, but that’s show biz. As I said on the air that night….”get out of here” – the show’s over!)

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

Trivia Answer

 

 

Cynthia Weil co-wrote a slew of terrific songs over a long career. Tonight we Heard “Home of the Brave,” “Hungry” and “Here You Come Again.”

 

Congratulations to Jane from Ithaca, for winning tickets to see “Polishing Shakespeare” at the Kitchen Theatre. Unfortunately, nobody won tonight’s trivia contest!

 

 

 

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 (10/26/24):  Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on Halloween

 

 

 

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!