June 14, 2025 - GJ and JR - Current Events

Rockin’ Remnants

Rockin’ Remnants is broadcast from WVBR-FM Ithaca. Check out our webpage, like us on Facebook, and tune in to 93.5 FM or stream the show every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. Eastern. (Or download the WVBR+app now available for iOS and Android.)

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Date: June 14, 2025

Host: Gregory James/John Rudan 

Feature: Current Events

Birthday Calendar

June 8

Boz Scaggs   81 years old

Nancy Sinatra   85 years old

June 9

Jon Lord  (Deep Purple keyboards)   b. 1941

Jackie Wilson  b. 1934

June 10

Shirley Owens  (Shirelles)  83 years old

June 11

Frank Beard  76 years old  (ZZ Top drummer)

June 12

Len Barry  (Dovells)  b. 1942

Reg Presley   (Troggs lead singer)   b. 1941

June 13

Dennis Locorriere  (Dr. Hook lead singer)  76 years old

Marv Tarplin    (Motown guitarist)    b. 1941

Bobby Freeman   b. 1940

Uriel Jones  (Funk Brothers drummer)  b. 1934

June 14

Rod Argent   80 years old

Junior Walker   b. 1931

Rock n’ Roll Trivia

In the 6:00 hour I played two songs that mention letting your freak flag fly. What were they?

(scroll down to find the answer below the playlist)

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 subsequent dates) unless otherwise noted

* glossary of terms is below the playlist

6:00

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

Street Fighting Man  Rolling Stones   1968  #48

This was the Stones’ lowest-charting record since “Not Fade Away.”

Volunteers of America  Jefferson Airplane  1969   #65

Nicky Hopkins joined in on piano.

Talkin’ Bout a Revolution    Tracy Chapman  1988   #75

Chapman wrote and performed this song before her professional music career.

*Won’t Get Fooled Again The Who  1971  #15

Dedicated to Peggy with love from Scottie. Pete Townshend has said: "Don't expect to see what you expect to see. Expect nothing and you might gain everything."

What is Truth?   Johnny Cash   1970   #3 CW  #19 H 100

Cash played this for Richard Nixon in the White House on April 17, 1970.

Impeach the President    Honey Drippers  1973

This track was in reference to Richard Nixon, but you may substitute any president of your choice.

If 6 Was 9  Jimi Hendrix   1967

The first use of the phrase "let my freak flag fly."

Almost Cut My Hair  Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young   1970

David Crosby has said: "It was the most juvenile set of lyrics I've ever written ... but it has a certain emotional impact, there's no question about that."

Requiem for the Masses    The Association   1967

This was the B-side to “Never My Love” and was, at its core, an anti-war song. Richard Nixon reportedly asked Warner Brothers Records to stop promoting the record.

*Eve of Destruction    Barry McGuire   1965   #1

Unfortunately, this song never becomes irrelevant. Requested by Barbara.

Heroes and Villains The Beach Boys  1967  #12

From the “Smiley Smile” album. Co-written by Van Dyke Parks, the track was the most complex and expensive of any Beach Boys’ records—even more than “Good Vibrations”-- and Brian hoped to make a record that was better than Good Vibrations. Weak public enthusiasm over the record sent Wilson into depression. Brian Wilson died on June 11, 2025 at the age of 82.

You Haven’t Done Nothin’   Stevie Wonder  1974  #1

Aimed at Richard Nixon who resigned two days after the release of the single.

For America    Jackson Browne   1986  #30

7:00

We’re All Alone Boz Scaggs  1976  #11

Boz sings with a lot of heart on this—one of his best vocal performances.

Kind of a Woman    Nancy Sinatra  1972  NR

A wonderfully sly song sung very convincingly by Nancy Sinatra. Why this did not chart is a mystery to me.

Lonely Teardrops    Jackie Wilson   1959  #1 RB  #7 H100

Dick Jacobs created the arrangement and Decca session player George Barnes (pictured below) probably played the guitar.

Hush    Deep Purple   1968  #4

Released in the US on the Tetragrammaton label.

It’s Gonna Take a Miracle     Shirelles   1971

A Fool for Your Stockings    ZZ Top   1979

Not sure I want to delve too deep into their obsession with stockings. But if you're interested, they go into it in some detail in the video below. You've been warned...

You Can’t Sit Down Dovells  1963  #3 H100  #10 RB

Birthday boy Len Barry is in the middle below.

Wild Thing     Troggs    1966  #1

Chip Taylor has said that he composed the song in less than five minutes. The wind instrumental break is an ocarina.  The track was released on both the Atco and Fontana labels and was the first and only record to hit #1 for two different recording companies.

Do You Wanna Dance?      Bobby Freeman  1958   #5 H100   #2 RB

Freeman was 17 when he wrote and recorded the song.

A Little Bit More   Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show 1976  #11

One More Heartache    Marvin Gaye   1966  #4 RB  #29 H100

A tale of two Marvins. Marv Tarplin co-wrote the song and played the guitar on the track.

Ain’t Too Proud to Beg     Temptations   1966  #1 RB   #13 H100

Uriel Jones signature drum roll is the first thing heard on this track.

Hold Your Head Up Argent   1971   #5

This was Argent’s only charting song on the Hot 100.

Road Runner   Junior Walker and the All Stars  1965   #20 H100

Junior Walker sang the song in one key and his sax track was sped up to match the pitch of the vocal track.

Daddy Could Swear, I Declare  Gladys Knight   1973  #2 R&B  #19 H100

This evening’s Father’s Day track was from Gladys Knight’s ninth Motown record after which she and the Pips moved to Buddah Records. But Motown had enough unreleased material from the group that the label released three more albums of previously unreleased material.

8:00

Polk Salad Annie   Tony Joe White  1969  #8 

Tony Joe also scored a big hit with “Rainy Night In Georgia” in 1970.

It Came Out Of The Sky   Creedence Clearwater Revival 1969 DNC 

From the album “Willy and the Poor Boys.”

Young Americans   David Bowie  1975  #28

Recorded in Philadelphia with the MFSB studio musicians.

Nice, Nice, Very Nice    Ambrosia  1975   #63

Lyric taken from the Kurt Vonnegut, Jr novel Cat’s Cradle for which he got a songwriting credit.

She’s Gone    Hall & Oates    1976   #7

This was on their 1972 debut LP “Abandoned Luncheonette,” but was not released as a single until four years later.

Over The Hills And Far Away      Led Zeppelin 1973  #51

A rare single release from Led Zep; they only released nine singles in ten years.

Crazy Love    Poco    1979   #17 H100

The #1 single of 1979 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart. 

Carmelita    Warren Zevon   1976  NR

From Zevon’s self-titled major label debut album on Asylum Records.

Everyone’s Gone To The Movies    Steely Dan 1975   NR

I earned the nickname Steely Rudan because I played them so often in my early days at the station.

RC Cola and a Moonpie     NRBQ    1972   NR

And fifty-three years later you can still indulge!  I did.

Anxious Heart     Cindy Bullens    1978   NR

A big “FM hit” that year.

Jesus Was A Crossmaker   The Hollies   1972   DNC

A cover version of a song written and first released by Judy Sill.

CLOSING THEME: Sleep Walk – Santo and Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)

Trivia Answer

"If 6 Was 9" by Jimi Hendrix and "Almost Cut My Hair"  by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were the first lyrical mentions of letting one's "freak flag fly."

Congratulations to Bob from Interlaken for correctly answering the question and winning a pair of passes to Cinemapolis, downtown Ithaca’s home for first-run, international, independent and local films.

Glossary of Terms:

DNC = did not chart

NR = not released as a single at the time

H100 = Billboard Hot 100

CW = Billboard’s chart for country and western records

RB = Billboard’s chart of rhythm and blues records

Host June 21, 2025: Jan Hunsinger 

Thanks for tuning in! You can listen to Rockin’ Remnants every Saturday night from 6-9 p.m. Eastern on WVBR (93.5 FM in Ithaca NY) or streaming on WVBR.com.

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