Nov. 12, 2016 - JH - Spotlight on Nov. 12, 1963

Tuesday, November 15 2016

November 12 - JH Spotlight on Nov. 12, 1963

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!)

DATE: 11/12/16
HOST: Jan Hunsinger
FEATURE: November 12, 2016

Birthday Calendar:

Nov. 6 - 
1947 - John Wilson ("Them" drummer)
1948 - Glenn Frey (Eagles)

Nov. 7 - 
1922 - Al Hirt (trumpeter)
1942 - John Ramistella (Johnny Rivers)
1943 - Joni Mitchell

Nov. 8 - 
1927 - Patti Page
1944 - Bonnie Bramlett (Delaney & Bonnie) age 72
1945 - Don Murray (Turtles drummer)

Nov. 9 - 
1936 - Mary Travers (Peter, Paul, & Mary)
1941 - Tom Fogarty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
1949 - Tommy Caldwell (Marshall Tucker Band)

Nov. 10 - 
1944 - Dave Loggins - age 72

Nov. 11 - 
1929 - LaVern Baker
1945 - Vince Martell (Vanilla Fudge guitarist) age 71
1952 - Paul Cowsill (The Cowsills) age 64

Nov. 12 - 
1917 - Jo Stafford
1931 - Bob Crewe (Four Seasons producer/songwriter)
1939 - Ruby Garnett (Ruby & the Romantics) age 82
1945 - Neil Young - age 71

Playlist


[songs in bold are from the spotlight date of November 12, 1963; 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]

6-7pm

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


Washington Square - Village Stompers (#3, down from its peak of #2 - out of Greenwich Village, where Washington Square Park is located, they were credited with creating the "Folk-Dixie" sound)



Sugar Shack - Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs (#2 - down after having spent 5 weeks at #1 which earned the group a Gold Record Award for "Top Song of 1963")



Deep Purple - Nino Tempo and April Stevens (#1 - brother and sister duo from Niagara Falls who earned a Grammy Award for "best rock and roll record of the year".  Times have changed.)

It's Alright - The Impressions (#5 - written by lead singer, Curtis Mayfield, was the first of six #1s on the Billboard R & B charts)



Mean Woman Blues - Roy Orbison (#11 - one of two Top 100 songs for "the Caruso of Rock" this week)

Dominique - the Singing Nun (#19 - real name Jeannine Deckers, also known as Soeur Sourire, song was on its way up to #1 where it would remain for 4 weeks)



Wives and Lovers - Jack Jones (#62 - on its way up to #14; great jazzy sound that epitomizes the era.  And doesn't he resemble Don Draper?)

You Don't Have to be a Baby to Cry - the Caravelles (#41 - British duo Girl Group; the song peaked at #5 and carried over into 1964 making them the first British act in the Hot 100 for 1964, beating the Beatles)

Everybody - Tommy Roe (#9 - Roe wrote this song that peaked at #3)



Cry to Me - Betty Harris (#23 - Harris' slowed-down soul cover had more chart success than Solomon Burke's original version in 1962)

She's a Fool - Leslie Gore (#7 - one of a string of top 5 hits for Gore in the early 60s, the song has a "light jazzy swing" to it)

*Busted - Ray Charles and His Orchestra (#14 - down from its peak at #4, listener wanted to hear Ray and the spotlight date accommodated him)


Fools Rush In - Rick Nelson (#13 - song was written in 1940 with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Rube Bloom)

45  Corner:



PT - 109 - Jimmy Dean (#8 - 1962 - as a history teacher in real life, November always makes me think of 1963 and JFK's assassination.  That is why I picked 1963 for the Spotlight Date.  This song seemed the perfect fit for the 45 Corner)

Autumn Leaves - Roger Williams (#1 - 1955 - instrumental that spent 4 weeks at #1, the only piano instrumental to achieve that feat; also sold over 2 million copies)



I Can't Stay Mad at You - Skeeter Davis (#12 - down from #10 the previous week; a country crossover written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin)

Bossa Nova Baby - Elvis Presley (#8 - written by Lieber and Stoller and used in the 1963  film Fun in Acapulco)

Birthday Calendar - 7:00

Baby Please Don't Go - Them (#102 - 1964: 19-year-old Van Morrison imitated John Lee Hooker's version of the classic blues song)



James Dean - Eagles (track from their 3rd LP "On the Border", released in 1974)

Java - Al Hirt (#4 - 1964:  song was a million seller and won a Grammy for Best Performance by an Orchestra or Instrumentalist with an Orchestra; Hirt was also the half time entertainment for Super Bowl I)



Poor Side of Town - Johnny Rivers (#1 - 1966:  although #1 for only 1 week, the song was a change to a more soulful sound for Rivers, who wrote the song and was backed by members of the Wrecking Crew)

Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell (#67 - 1970: the 1974 live version would make it to #24)

Free Man in Paris - Joni Mitchell (#22 - 1974: from the classic LP "Court and Spark", her most commercially successful)



Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page (#1 - 1950: country crossover that spent 13 weeks at #1)

Can I Get to Know You Better? - Turtles (#89 - 1966: Don Murray left the group after this release)

Don't Think Twice It's Alright - Peter, Paul, & Mary (#37 - 1963: trio's cover of the Dylan tune)



Lookin' Out My Back Door - Creedence Clearwater Revival (#2 - 1970: song is a tribute to the Bakersfield Sound pioneered by Buck Owens, who gets a mention in the lyrics) 

Take the Highway - Marshall Tucker Band (uncharted - 1973: song appeared on the flip side of "Can't You See)

Please Come to Boston - Dave Loggins (#5 - 1974: song was nominated for a Grammy Award)



Jim Dandy - LaVern Baker (#17 - 1956: song made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, and Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #352 in its 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time)

You Keep Me Hanging On - Vanilla Fudge (#6 - 1968: their cover of the Holland-Dozier-Holland song that the Supremes took to #1)



The Prophecy of Daniel & John the Divine (Six - Six - Six) - Cowsills (#75 - 1969: not the usual Cowsills songs that you get on oldies shows, but this one did chart for the family group)

You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford (#1 - 1952: one of the great all-time female vocalists, this one spent 12 weeks at #1)



Silence Is Golden - The Four Seasons (uncharted - 1964: song written and produced by Bob Crewe was the flip side of "Ragdoll" and would be a hit for the British group the Tremeloes in 1967)

Our Day Will Come - Ruby & the Romantics (#1 - 1963:  The group was more than just a one-hit wonder, but this song did hit #1 for 1 week)



Heart of Gold - Neil Young (#1 - 1972: title track from the LP)

Back to our Spotlight Date of November 12, 1963:

Since I Fell for You - Lenny Welch (#43: big-band standard written in 1945, Welch would take the song to #4)

Talk Back Trembling Lips - Johnny Tillotson (#59 - one of two songs Tillotson had in the Top 100 this week in 1963; this was a cover of a country song that Ernest Ashworth reached #1 with)



Have You Heard - The Duprees (#61 - doo-wop group out of Jersey City, NJ; their other big hit was a cover of "You Belong to Me")

Sally Go Round the Roses - The Jaynetts (#66 - girl group one-hit wonder; the group came out of the Bronx)

Suzanne - Judy Collins (uncharted - 1966:  Rockin Remnants tribute to Leonard Cohen, who passed away on November 7, and wrote the song)



Maria Elena - Los Indios Tabajaras (#6 - guitar-playing brothers from Brazil; song was a million seller)

Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa - Gene Pitney (#26 - written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the song was a big hit in Britain and made Pitney an international star)

Donna the Prima Donna - Dion (#17 - Dion co-wrote the song with Ernie Maresca)



Ronettes - Be My Baby (#22 - an early example of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound", the song came in at #22 on Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The Ronettes were the only girl group to tour with the Beatles, who copied the drum intro of "Be My Baby" on the song "What You're Doing")

Ooby Dooby - Roy Orbison (#59 - 1956: Roy's first charting single; meant to play his other Top 100 song on the Spotlight Date, "Blue Bayou" (#48), but hit the wrong button.)

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


Host Next Week (11/19/16): John Rudan with a Rockin' Remnants Top 20 Countdown.
  

Oct. 29 - JS - 1965 Plus Halloween!

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!)







Date:  10/29/16
Host: John Simon
Feature:  October 1965 (plus Halloween Requests)






It's Wizarding Weekend in Downtown Ithaca, scheduled to coincide with seasonal Halloween festivities. Tonight we open the phone lines for your requests, and also shine a spotlight on late October 1965.  

 

Birthday Calendar


October 24 – Bill Wyman (Rolling Stones) – age 80
          
October 25 – John Hall (Orleans) – age 69
          
October 27 – Floyd Cramer – born in 1933
           
October 29 – Denny Laine – age 72
                  – Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac) – age 70
          








Playlist


[songs in bold are from the spotlight date of DATE; 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]





6-7pm 



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

 

Do You Believe In Magic - Lovin' Spoonful (#22, down from a peak of #9 - their debut single launched a whole new genre: "Good-Time Jug Band Pop-Rock," and we kick off our Wizarding Weekend show with this very one.)

  

You're The One - Vogues (at #7, headed to #4 - this rocker was co-written by Petula Clark. Three short years later these guys would don tuxedos and record a string of lush ballads for the Reprise label.)

Make Me Your Baby - Barbara Lewis (peaking at #11 - one of a string of great production numbers on the Atlantic Records label)

Cleo's Back - Jr. Walker & All-Stars (at #67, headed to #43 Pop and #7 R&B - some raunchy Motown roadhouse funk on the Soul Records label.)

   

Mohair Sam - Charlie Rich (at #29, down from a peak of #21 - a great cosmopolitan C&W record on the Smash Records label)

Dinner With Drac - Zacherle (3/58; #6 - word just arrived that John Zacherle passed away at the ripe old age of 98. His career encompassed radio, television and this perennial Halloween classic on the Cameo-Parkway label. The back-up band was Dave Appell's Applejacks.)

* The Monster Mash - Bobby "Boris" Pickett (10/62; #1 - speaking of "perennial Halloween classics," this was the first request of the evening. Mwa-ha-haaaaaaa!)

* I Put A Spell On You - CCR (11/68; #58 - their first two singles were covers of Fifties classics. Their next eight singles were original compositions that hit the Top Ten, making them the most successful American singles band of the early '70s). 

  

Never Had It So Good - Ronnie Milsap (#113, headed to #106 Pop and #19 R&B - his only charting single of the Sixties was as a "blue-eyed Soul singer" for NYC's Scepter Records label. He'd later find great success as a Nashville session guitarist and recording star.)

* Spooky - Classics IV (12/67; #3 for three weeks - their first big hit on the Imperial label was the perfect Halloween record.)



Yesterday - The Beatles (#1 for its fourth and final week - this was virtually a Paul McCartney solo recording with a string quartet backing him up. It went on to become the most recorded song of all-time.)

    

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away - The Silkie (at #51, headed to a peak of #10 - when the Beatles declined to release this song from Help!, these Folk Rockers did  -  with uncredited assistance from a guitar-slinging Paul McCartney!)

Let's Hang On - 4 Seasons (at #18, headed to #3 - another big Bob Crewe production brought these Jersey boys back to near the top of the charts.)

* Purple People Eater - Sheb Wooley (6/58; #1 for four weeks - one of the most successful Novelty Records of the year, clearly geared to a young audience.)

* As Tears Go By - Rolling Stones (12/65; #5 - going out to Lew in Newfield. They let Marianne Faithfull record it first, but they had the bigger hit with it.)

This Magic Moment - Jay & The Americans (1/69; #6 - Ben E King and The Drifters released this song back in 1960. Jay Black and the group took it ten positions higher on the Hot 100 and managed to make it their own. Pretty impressive....)

7-8pm

Go Now! - Moody Blues (2/65; #10 - featuring founding member Denny Laine on vocals, this was their first big American hit here in the States on the London Records label.)

    

Jumpin' Jack Flash - Rolling Stones (6/68; #3 for three weeks - the Stones released hit after hit in the Sixties. This one was ranked #124 in the RS500. Happy birthday to the man on the bass: Bill Wyman!)

Albatross - Fleetwood Mac (3/69; #104 Billboard, #1 in the UK - BB King himself declared Peter Green one of his favorite guitarists. This haunting instrumental was a smash in England, but fizzled over here.)

Floyd Cramer migrated to Nashville in his early twenties and became one of RCA's favorite session players. His "slip note" piano stylings were central to hundreds of hit records. Here are three of them in honor of his birthday.

Crazy - Patsy Cline (10/61; #9 - written by Willie Nelson, this record clocks in at #85 on Rolling Stone Magazine's RS500 - and owes much of its brilliance to Floyd Cramer's piano licks.)

Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Presley (12/62; #2 - as a session player, he scored dozens of #1's on Elvis records alone. This one never quite reached the pinnacle of the charts, but it's a classic.)

Your Last Goodbye - Floyd Cramer (9/61; #63 - in addition to his session work, Floyd released a bunch of instrumental singles under his own name on the RCA label. This one competed with its flip side for chart position and deserved a better showing.)

Time Passes On - Orleans (1975 LP track - this cut from the Let There Be Music LP showcases John Hall's writing, singing and distinctive guitar work. It seemed like a fitting track for his birthday spotlight.)

* The Black Widow - Alice Cooper (3/75 - this album track from Welcome To My Nightmare features a spoken intro by none other than Vincent Price, who would repeat the favor for Michael Jackson ten years later on Thriller.)

       

* The Creature From The Black Lagoon - Dave Edmunds (9/79; b-side of Girls Talk - a rockin' atmospheric romp requested by our buddy Brad.)

* Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult (7/76; #12 - another atmospheric cult classic, ranked at #397 in the RS500. More cowbell, anyone?)

 * Mystic Eyes - Them (peaking at #33 - their final charting single before Van Morrison left to pursue a solo career. He's just recently released his 36th studio album and his music is still relevant.)

I Hear a Symphony - The Supremes (debuting on this date at an impressive #39; four weeks later it would become their fourth consecutive #1 record  -  and sixth in fifteen months!)

Catch Us If You Can - Dave Clark 5 (down to #40 from a peak of #4 - history shows us that this was a second-tier band  -  as far as playing their own instruments goes  -   but they were stiff competition for the Beatles and Stones as leaders of the British Invasion....)

8-9pm




Spooky - Atlanta Rhythm Section (8/79; #17 - this band emerged from the ashes of the Classics IV, who took this song to the Top 10 twelve years earlier. "Just like a ghost you've been a-hauntin' my dreams so I'll propose on Halloween...")

* Witchy Woman - Eagles (9/72; #9 - this, their first Top 10 single, was a perfect suggestion for this Halloween season. Thanks for the call!)

Cowboys To Girls - Intruders (3/68; #6 Pop and #1 R&B - this was the first smash hit for writers and producers Gamble & Huff, and helped launch them to a new level. Lead singer Sam "Little Sonny" Brown passed away two weeks ago. We salute him this evening.)

   

Devil Or Angel - Bobby Vee (8/60; #6 - Robert Velline passed away after a long struggle with Alzheimer's at age 73 on October 24th. Here's one of a slew of hit records from the one-time teen sensation from Fargo, ND. R.I.P. Mr. Vee.)

Jet - Wings (2/74; #7 - Denny Laine was one of the driving forces behind the McCartney's band. The three of them recorded the Band On The Run LP in Nigeria shortly after their drummer and guitarist quit and it became the band's most successful album.)

 * God Only Knows - Beach Boys (8/66; #39 - this was originally a b-side from their Pet Sounds LP. Programmers may have shied away from a song with "God" in the title, but it still cracked the Top Forty. Rolling Stone ranks it at #25 in their RS500. That's high praise!)

Angel Of The Morning - Merrilee Rush & The Turnabouts (5/68; #7 - Chip Taylor wrote this song and Evie Sands cut the original version just as her record company was going out of business. Somehow, her version ending up reaching the ears of a small band in Washington state. They cut it and it became a hit!)

    

45 Corner:  Magic Town - Jody Miller  (12/65; #125 - bubbling w-a-y under this week, this would become a bigger hit for The Vogues about a year later. Happy Wizarding Weekend to one and all.)

* Ding, Dong The Witch Is Dead - Fifth Estate (5/67; #11 - a Pop adaptation from the Wizard of Oz score, giving the group their only charting hit.)

My Baby Must Be a Magician - Marvelettes (12/67; #17 - Motown magic written and produced by Smokey Robinson, with guitar by Miracle Marv Tarplin and a vocal cameo from Temptation Melvin Franklin. Spooky!)

* My Little Red Book - Love (4/66; #52 - LA band Love covered this Bacharach tune and turned a wimpy song about rejection into a biting revenge fantasy. It was requested by a local musician and seconded by our FB friend Betsy. Took a long time to track it down, but here it is!)

    

* If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot (12/70; #5 - an unlikely Halloween request referencing "a ghost from a wishing well." Thanks, George.)

45 Corner (Pt. II):  Black Magic Woman - Santana (11/70; #4 - this was originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac under the leadership of Peter Green. It remains a staple on FM radio, but always segued into "Gypsy Queen." Tonight we hear it the way it sounded on AM radio back in the day.)

 

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






Congratulations to Jimmy from Ithaca, for correctly winning an hour of free bowling at Atlas Bowl in Trumansburg!








Host Next Week (11/5/16):  Kim Vaughan with a spotlight on "Songs That Make You Feel Good!"