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.)
Thanks to our sponsors Island Health & Fitness and Rasa Spa for their support every week!
Date: June 4, 2022
Host: JR
Feature: More Golden Oldies!
No Reply -The Beatles - 1964 - From the LP Beatles '65.
Do It Again - The Beach Boys - 1968.
Back Street Girl - The Rolling Stones - 1967 - From the anthology LP Flowers.
*I'd Love To Change The Worlds - 10 Years Afterr
1971 - Peaked at Hot 100 #40.
Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme) - Ray Coniff and his Orchestra - 1966 - Grammy, Pop Vocal Group.
Turn Your Radio On (stereo 45) - Ray Stevens - 1971.
Games People Play - (mono 45 single version) Joe South - This version has a different vocal than the stereo LP version.
Sea Of Love - Phil Phillips - 1959.
Be My Baby - Andy Kim (stereo 45) - 1969 - Canadian Andrew Joachim kicked off his long string of 45's with Ronettes covers.
You're a Very Lovely Woman - The Merry-Go-Round - 1967 - Covered by Linda Ronstadt in 1971 as "She's A Very Lovely Woman".
Back Up Train - Al Green(e) & The Soul Mate's - 1968 - The Memphis soul legend's first charting 45, peaking at #41.
Sailing - Rod Stewart - 1975 - Recorded with the legendary Muscle Shoals, Alabama Rhythm Section.
Mr. Soul (mono 45) - Buffalo Springfield - The 45 version has a different guitar line than the stereo LP version.
Me And Baby Brother - WAR - 1974.
7pm - 8pm - Birthday Calendar
May 29th - Gary Brooker (Procul Harum) - 1945
May 30th - Gladys Horton (Marvelettes) - 1945
May 31st - Peter Yarrow - 84 John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) - 1948
June 1st - Pat Boone - 88 Ron Wood - 75
June 2nd - Charlie Watts - 1941 Jimmy Jones - 1937
June 3rd - "Ian Hunter" Patterson - 83 Michael Clarke (Byrds) - 1944 Curtis Mayfield - 1942
June 4th - Freddy Fender - 1937
As Strong As Samson - Procol Harum - 1974 - From the LP Exotic Birds & Fruit.
Too Many Fish In The Sea - The Marvelettes - 1965.
When The Levee Breaks- Led Zeppelin - 1971 - "Bonzo" was not the best rock drummer, but he certainly was the LOUDEST!
Hand of Fate - The Rolling Stones - 1976 - Black And Blue is the first album that Ron Wood (the chap on the far LEFT) played on and is my favorite 70's Stones LP!
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones - 1960 - co-written by Jones and the legendary Otis Blackwell.
Just Another Night - Ian Hunter - 1979.
He Will Break Your Heart - Jerry Butler 1960 - Lead guitar, harmony vocal and co-written by Curtis Mayfield.
Amen - The Impressions - 1965 - From the movie Lillies Of The Field, starring Sidney Poitier.
Move On Up - Curtis Mayfield - 1970 - One of his early singles from his first solo LP. The 45 version checks in at 2:53, but the stereo LP version runs about 9 minutes and rocks out!
Just Remember I Love You - Firefall - 1977 - Featuring the late Michael Clarke on drums.
Wasted Days And Wasted Nights - Freddy Fender - 1974 - The late Baldemar Huerta had a string of pop hits in 1974 and then went outlaw country.
8pm - 9pm
To start off the last hour of Remnants this week a few "leftovers" from the False Endings show in April!
What’s Going On (Mono 45) - Marvin Gaye - The false ending is only on the single version.
Down To The Nightclub - Tower of Power - 1972.
Put Out the Light - Joe Cocker - 1974 - That's a young Ray Parker, Jr. on the funky wah-wah guitar!
Young Blood - Rickie Lee Jones - 1979 - I can remember being faked out a few times when this song was first released!
Hot Love Cold World - Bob Welch - 1978.
More Golden Oldies!
(For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People - Chi-Lites (stereo 45) - 1971
Don't Let Go The Coat - The Who - 1981 - Off the LP Face Dances, and a song Who fans (like me) wish they heard more often on Classic Rock radio! 😬
What You See Is What You Get (Stereo Promo Version) – Stoney & Meatloaf - Stoney is female vocalist Shaun Murphy, who joined Little Feat in 1993.
Sirius/Eye In The Sky - Alan Parsons Project - The intro (Sirius) is on the LP version and is used by many sports team during their introductions.
Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen - October 27th, 1975...
CLOSING THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Congratulations to Casey from Ithaca, for winning a a pair of tickets to see The War On Drugs at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards!
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!)
·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
6:00 - 7:00
OPENING THEME: Good Old Rock ‘n’ Roll – Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys (1969 - #29: produced by Jimi Hendrix)
Cinnamon - Derek (1968 - #11: 'Derek' was really Johnny "Mr. Bassman" Cymbal, who co-wrote the song)
The Kids Are Alright - The Who (1966 - #106: song came off the band's debut LP)
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry (1958 - #8: song ranks #7/RS500)
Paint It, Black - The Rolling Stones (1966 - #1: song spent two weeks atop the BB Hot 100 and ranks #174/RS500)
Best Things in Life - The Dreamliners (1965 - DNC: girl group out of San Antonio that enjoyed local success but never caught on nationally; the song [making its "Rockin' Remnants" debut?] was recently used to open an episode of "Better Call Saul")
My Old School - Steely Dan (1973 - #63: song about a drug bust at Bard College, where band mates Walter Becker and Donald Fagen met)
A Man Without Love - Englebert Humperdinck (1968 - #19: song went to #2 in Britain for the man born Arnold Dorsey)
What Is Life? - George Harrison (1971 - #10: from his triple LP "All Things Must Pass")
I'm on the Outside (Looking In) - Little Anthony & the Imperials (1964 - #15: song was a comeback for the doo-wop group, which hadn't had a Top 40 single in 5 years)
45 Corner
Where Evil Grows - The Poppy Family featuring Susan Jacks (1971 - #45: a "Lost Oldie" from the psychedelic pop group from Vancouver)
Sweet Maxine - The Doobie Brothers (1974 - #32: "Black Water", which was originally the "B" side to this single, was eventually released as its own "A" side)
Victoria - The Kinks (1970 - #62: the band's highest-charting single since "Sunny Afternoon" in 1966)
Daisy Jane - America (1975 - #20: George Martin produced the song and played piano on it as well)
Birthday Calendar
(Background song: The "In" Crowd - Ramsey Lewis Trio (1965 - #5: song ranks #354/RS500)
May 22:
Bernie Taupin - 72
May 23:
Rosemary Clooney - b. 1928
General Norman Johnson (Chairmen of the Board) - b. 1941
Misty Morgan - b. 1945
Dean Friedman - 67
May 24:
Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman) - 81
Tony Valentino (Standells) - 81
Patti LaBelle (born Patricia Louise Holt) - 78
Albert Bouchard (Blue Oyster Cult) - 75
May 25:
Hal David - b. 1921
Kitty Kallen - b. 1921
Tom T. Hall - b. 1936
Jessi Colter (born Mirriam Johnson) - 79
Robby Steinhardt (Kansas) - b. 1950
May 26:
Peggy Lee (born Norma Egstrom) - b. 1920
Levon Helm (The Band) - b. 1941
Art Sharp (The Nashville Teens) - 81
Stevie (Stephanie) Nicks - 74
May 27:
Ramsey Lewis - 87
Don Williams - b. 1939
Cilla Black (born Priscilla White) - b. 1943
May 28:
Gladys Knight - 78
John Fogerty - 77
7:00 - 8:00
The Bitch Is Back - Elton John (1974 - #4: song came from a saying between lyrics author Bernie Taupin and his wife for when Elton was in a bad mood)
This Ole House - Rosemary Clooney (1954 - #1: Clooney was one of the most popular singers of the early '50s; song spent 3 weeks atop the charts)
Everything's Tuesday - Chairmen of the Board (1970 - #38: the Detroit soul group was signed to the Invictus/Hot Wax record label begun by Holland-Dozier-Holland after they left Motown)
Tennessee Bird Walk - Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan (1970 - #23: the husband-wife duo from Buffalo was mostly known for country songs, but this one crossed over to the pop charts)
Ariel - Dean Friedman (1977 - #26: we heard the original Lifesong Records 45 of this one-hit wonder)
Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan (1963 - DNC: seen as an anthem of the civil rights movement, the song ranks #14/RS500)
Dirty Water - The Standells (1966 - #11: described as "the punk band of the '60s", the group came up with their name from standing around their booking agent's office waiting for work)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper (1976 - #12: drummer Albert Bouchard played cowbell on the song that became a parody legend on Saturday Night Live; song ranks #397/RS500)
I Sold My Heart to the Junkman - Patti LaBelle and Her Blue Belles (1962 - #15: song was written in 1946)
Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa - Gene Pitney (1963 - #17: one of the many hits written by the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David)
Little Things Mean a Lot - Kitty Kallen (1954 - #1: the #1 song of 1954, it spent 9 weeks at #1)
That Song Is Driving Me Crazy - Tom T. Hall (1974 - #63: charting effort from the man who wrote "Harper Valley P.T.A.")
I'm Not Lisa - Jessi Colter (1975 - #4: Colter was married to both Duane Eddy [1961-68] and Waylon Jennings [1969-2002])
Point of No Return - Kansas (1977 - #28: song features the violin stylings of Robby Steinhardt)
Fever - Peggy Lee (1958 - #8: Lee added lyrics to the original Little Willie John tune and it became her signature song)
Up on Cripple Creek - The Band (1969 - #25: drummer Levon Helm provided lead vocals for this Band classic about life on the road)
Tobacco Road - The Nashville Teens (1964 - #14: the group had greater success in their native England, but in the U.S. the song was another one-hit wonder of the British invasion)
Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win) - Fleetwood Mac (1976 - #11: we heard the single version of Stevie Nicks' classic, which ranks #488/RS500)
8:00 - 9:00
Look What You've Done - Pozo-Seco Singers (1967 - #32: best known as a country singer, Don Williams began his career with the Texas folk trio)
You're My World - Cilla Black (1964 - #26: Priscilla White was the coat-check girl at Liverpool's Cavern Club, where she was discovered by Beatles manager Brian Epstein)
I Heard it Through the Grapevine - Gladys Knight and the Pips (1967 - #2: song was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and when Whitfield produced it for Knight he said that he wanted to "out-funk Aretha" [Franklin])
Up Around the Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970 - #4: John Fogarty wrote this and many other hits for the band)
*Sentimental Lady - Fleetwood Mac (1972 - DNC: Bob Welch wrote the song for one of the earlier incarnations of the band; he would later re-record the song and release it as a single)
Fun, Fun, Fun - The Beach Boys (1964 - #5: with Memorial Day weekend being the unofficial start of summer, nothing says summer like the Beach Boys)
Build Me Up, Buttercup - The Foundations (1969 - #3: the group was a multi-racial British soul band)
Walk on Water - Neil Diamond (1972 - #17: from his "Moods" LP, which was nominated for a Grammy as Album of the Year)
Natural High - Bloodstone (1973 - #10: we heard the original London 45 release by the Kansas City R & B group)
A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke (1965 - #31: Cooke wrote the song in response to Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind", it ranks #12/RS500)
What's Going On? - Marvin Gaye (1971 - #2: title track to the classic album; the song ranks #4/RS500)
CLOSING THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959 - #1 for two weeks; brothers Santo [steel guitar] and Johnny [rhythm guitar] Farina from Brooklyn)
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: 5/21/22
Host: John Simon
Feature: Late May 1969
Playlist
·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
·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)
Only the Strong Survive - Jerry Butler (at #39, down from #4 Pop, #1 R&B - written and produced by Gamble & Huff and recorded in Philly, this record launched yet another phase of The Iceman's storied career. Check out those tasty guitar licks and that driving bass line.)
More Today Than Yesterday - Spiral Starecase (at #21, headed to #12 - this one blasted out of car speakers and jukeboxes in the Spring of 1969, featuring a wash of horns and Pat Upton's earnest keening vocals. Columbia Records had yet another hit on its hands!)
I Can't See Myself Losing You - Aretha Franklin (peaking at #28 Pop, #3 R&B - just about everything that Aretha recorded for Atlantic Records turned to gold. This one doesn't get much airplay these days, but it's sublime.)
Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby - Marvin Gaye (at #16, headed to #4 Pop, #1 R&B for six weeks - this was Marvin's follow-up to I Heard It Through The Grapevine, and it's much simpler and less intense - but it spent six weeks at the top of the R&B charts, and it's a breath of fresh air.)
Get Back - The Beatles (first of five weeks at #1 - thanks to Peter Jackson's eight+ hour documentary, many of us actually saw Paul and the band create this smash hit out of thin air. This was a band at the peak of its powers, even as it was starting to splinter and come apart.)
Good Morning Starshine - Oliver (debuting at #83 > #3 - the Off-Broadway "Tribal Rock" musical Hair was the source of multiple chart hits in the Spring and Summer of 1969. This was one that still gets a lot of airplay, and deservedly so.)
Hawaii Five-O - Ventures (down to #17 from a peak of #4 - thundering drums, some uncharacteristic horns and a driving beat - plus weekly exposure on one of America's most-watched TV shows - helped this record climb to the Top 5. There's speculation that there were actually members of The Wrecking Crew on the recording, because The Ventures were busy touring. Either way...I say "Book 'em, Dan-o!")
It's Your Thing - Isley Brothers (down to #6 from #4 Pop, #1 R&B for four weeks - after years of moderate chart success at a string of labels including RCA, Wand, Atlantic and Motown, the brothers decided to create their own record label: T-Neck Records. They started with this powerhouse number and they never looked back!)
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying - Trini Lopez (at #134, headed only to #133 - Trini's heyday was the early-to-mid-Sixties, but he tried to keep up with the times. Modern instrumentation and a snazzy Latin beat couldn't make this one catch on. One listener called in to say that it made him want to clean his ears with industrial cleanser after hearing it.)
Fever - Little Caesar & The Romans (9/61; dnc - tacked onto the flipside of a single that stalled at #101, this one can be considered buried treasure.)
Sally Go 'Round the Roses - Jaynetts (8/63; #2 - this is the first of three "one-hit wonders" that we'll hear in a row tonight. This Bronx girl group had just one charting single. This was it!)
No Good to Cry - Wildweeds (5/67; #88 - these were a bunch of high school kids from the Hartford area and this was a giant hit in Connecticut. Not so much anywhere else, but singer/guitarist/writer Al Anderson would go on to find fame as a member of NRBQ.)
Happy - Blades of Grass (7/67; #87 - this was released on the Jubilee Records label on the same date that a competing version was released by The Sunshine Company. Bigger label? Better promo budget? The latter made it to #50. This one was the only thing ever heard by The Blades of Grass.)
* Stand! - Sly & The Family Stone (peaking on this date at #22 - this was one of SIX singles by the band to rank in the RS500 list. The flipside was I Want To Take You Higher. Their performance of that song at Woodstock four months later would catapult them into the Pop Culture stratosphere.)
7-8pm
Birthday Calendar
May 15 – Eddy Arnold – born in 1919
– Trini Lopez – born in 1937
– Lenny Welch – age 84
May 16 – "Red" Holt (Young-Holt Unltd.) – born in 1932
– Barbara Lee (Chiffons) – born in 1947
May 17 – Taj Mahal – age 80
– Bill Bruford (Yes) – age 73
– George Johnson (Bros. Johnson) – age 69
May 18 – Big Joe Turner – born in 1911
– Perry Como – born in 1912
– Albert Hammond – age 80
– Rick Wakeman (Yes) – age 73
May 19 – Pete Townshend – age 77
May 20 – Joe Cocker – born in 1944
– Cher – age 76
– Susan Cowsill – age 63
May 21 – Ronald Isley – age 81
– Leo Sayer – age 74
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye - Eddy Arnold (9/68; #84 Pop, #1 C&W - JD Loudermilk wrote it and the Casinos had the bigger Pop hit with it, but this was one of Eddy Arnold's twenty-eight #1 Country hits over the span of forty years.)
If I Had a Hammer - Trini Lopez (7/63; #3 for three weeks - we heard from Trini a little earlier in the show, but this was him doing what he did best: playing live in front of a partying singalong crowd. This was his first charting hit, and it bypassed Peter, Paul & Mary's version which had topped out at #10 the previous summer.)
I Was There - Lenny Welch (8/65; dnc - this Goffin-King composition was the B-side of a low-charting single, but Lenny was incapable of releasing a bad record.)
Up on the Bridge - Chiffons (8/68; dnc - the Girl Group glory days had passed, but these NYC kids continued to release singles on the Laurie Records label and this one should've garnered more attention.)
Take a Giant Step - Rising Sons (1966; NR - Columbia signed this young super group shortly after signing The Byrds. That's young Taj Mahal on guitar and vocals and young Ry Cooder on slide guitar. Both bands were tearing up the LA club scene, but Columbia had no clue how to promote this band. This track would remain in the can for nearly thirty years.)
Soulful Strut - Young-Holt Unlimited (11/68; #3 - drummer Red Holt and bassist Eldee Young had played behind Ramsey Lewis for years. They finally decided to branch out. This was the pinnacle of their success under their own names.)
Roundabout (single edit) - Yes (3/72; #12 - this was the classic Yes lineup, and their only Top 20 hit as a quintet was this 3:25 edit of their 8+ minute album track. Happy birthday to birthday bandmates drummer Bill Bruford and keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman.)
I'll Wear a Silly Grin - Family Dogg (4/68; dnc - this group was formed by singer and writer Albert Hammond. Their studio album famously featured session players Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham.)
Corinne, Corinna - Big Joe Turner (5/56; #41Pop, #2 R&B - this is one of nearly twenty Top Ten R&B hits that he cut for the Atlantic label in the Fifties. He was big and he could swing!)
45 Corner: Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher (3/66; #2 - while Sonny & Cher
were successfully cutting hit records for the Atco label, Cher signed a
solo deal with Imperial Records and had a string of hits under her own
name. This was her biggest for the label, and all CD versions are a
horrible stereo mix with instruments on one side and Cher on the other.
Tonight we hear the scratchy but superior mono 45.)
*** SPOTLIGHT ALERT ***
Six artists from this week's birthday calendar appeared on this week's spotlight chart. We've already heard from Trini Lopez and Ronald Isley in Hour One. Here come four more from late May 1969!
Pinball Wizard - The Who (5/69 - peaking at #19 and featuring the writing, harmony vocals and blistering guitar licks of mastermind Pete Townshend. His "rock opera" Tommy would yield three Top Forty singles. This was the most successful. Here they are just a year later performing it in front of a crowd of 600,000.)
Feeling Alright - Joe Cocker (at #121, headed to #69 - A&M Records would re-release this single two years later and it would reach #23 here in the States. Dave Mason wrote it and recorded it with Traffic back in 1968.)
8-9pm
* Hair - The Cowsills(down to #4 after two weeks at #2 - the "Tribal Rock musical" Hair yielded a bunch of radio hits for assorted artists. This one is notable in the career of young Susan Cowsill when it features her solo line "and spaghetti'd!"This 2018 performance shows that they've still got "it" and that Susan has matured into a fabulous entertainer.)
Seattle - Perry Como (at #42, headed to #38 - Perry had something of a comeback in the late Sixtes/early Seventies. This was the opening theme song for the popular TV series Here Come the Brides, which helped sell a slew of singles.)
* Rock 'n' Roll Heaven - Righteous Brothers (5/74; #3 for two weeks - going out at the request of Scottie. This song mentions Jimi and Janis and Jim Morrison and "The Immortal Jim Croce," as well as Otis Redding. The list has grown exponentially since 1974.)
Work to Do - Isley Brothers (11/72; #51 Pop, #11 R&B - birthday celebrant Ronald Isley and his brothers have a very deep catalog spanning at least 50 years. This song was also adopted by The Average White Band, who put it on the B-side of their biggest hit Pick Up the Pieces.)
Boogie Nights - Heatwave (7/77; #2 for two weeks - they were a versatile band: funky dance band one minute, smooth balladeers the next. I partly played them tonight because we're experiencing our first heat wave of the season. Brace yourselves....)
Fire - Pointer Sisters (11/78; #2 - here's another #2 record from the late Seventies, this one from the pen of Bruce Springsteen himself. Check them out two years later on a hot summer's night. From Oakland, California: I give you The Pointer Sisters!)
Laughter In the Rain - Neil Sedaka (2/75; #1 - Neil got his start in high school with a group they called The Tokens. Yes, those Tokens! He then went to the Brill Building and wrote a string of Pop hits that dried up with the arrival of the British Invasion. At that point, he should've been washed up - but he'd mount a vigorous comeback in the mid-Seventies, and this is just one example.)
Rain - The Beatles (6/66; #23 - this one was the B-side of Paperback Writer, but what a B-side: it's a brilliant record that features some of Ringo's toughest drumming, Paul's best bass work and one of the first uses of backwards guitar trickery. Rolling Stone ranks it at #469 in their RS500.)
Friends - Elton John (3/71; #34 - this was Elton's foray into film scoring, and it's a mostly-forgotten gem that deserves a second listen.)
Touch a Hand, Make a Friend - Staple Singers (2/74; #23 Pop - this family group released a string of tasty records on the Stax label in the early Seventies, led by patriarch "Pops" Staples on guitar and the brilliant Mavis Staples on lead vocals. Nearly 50 years later, she's still making great records.)
Every Day I Have to Cry - Steve Alaimo (1/63; #46 - Arthur Alexander was a prolific singer and writer with a profound influence on artists ranging from the Rolling Stones and Beatles to America's Gentrys and Steve Alaimo, both of whom recorded this song of his. Tonight we'll hear two versions.)
Every Day I Have to Cry - Arthur Alexander (9/75; #45 - years after other people sold a bunch of records, Arthur Alexander decided to record his own version. He may have been late to the party, but boy, could he deliver!)
Never Comes the Day - Moody Blues (bubbling under at #115, headed to #91 - this one would slowly bubble around beneath the surface and finally chart in late June, where it would take another four weeks to reach a lowly #91. At this point they were getting lots of play on FM radio, but this is a pretty cool way to end the show.)
CLOSING
THEME: Sleepwalk – Santo & Johnny (1959, #1 for two weeks)
Congratulations
to Kevin from Ithaca, for winning a a pair of tickets to see Modest Mouse at Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards!
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