February 27, 1971 Part Two

The last 20.

20 - "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You," Wilson Pickett
19 - "Doesn't Somebody Want to be Wanted," The Partridge Family
18 -"Groove Me," King Floyd
17 -"She's a Lady," Tom Jones
16 - "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)," The Temptations

The second half begins with soul veteran Wilson Pickett, begging the woman who's about to leave him not to go off with another man who seems more attractive. I think even though he has quite a few better known hits, this is my favorite of his.

Then it's David Cassidy and his fictional family with probably their second-best-known song. It's okay. I'll use the rest of this space to declare the following: Jeremy Gelbwaks > Brian Forster.

King Floyd returns with his fun funk workout. He still sounds like a girl, but damn if it don't work. The success of this song allowed him to quit his job at the post office. Aw sookie sookie indeed.

Tom Jones had his highest-charting U.S. hit with the swaggering-yet-chivalrous "She's a Lady." Definitely a classic. It was written by Paul Anka, and Jimmy Page played guitar on it. Tom Jones, bringing the oddest couples together.

Last in this group are the Temps with a future #1, a gorgeous ballad about a man imagining a life with a woman he can't have. This was the last single with founding member and future solo star Eddie Kendricks. He definitely went out on a high

15- "Amazing Grace," Judy Collins
14 - "Theme from Love Story," Henry Mancini, His Orchestra and Chorus
13 - "Have You Ever Seen the Rain," Creedence Clearwater Revivial
12 - "For All We Know," The Carpenters
11 - "Watching Scotty Grow," Bobby Goldsboro

This section starts with Judy Collins, backed by nothing more than a choir of friends, singing a hymn that dates back to 1797. It was written by John Newton, a former slave ship captain, and the lyrics detail his conversion to Christianity. It later became an anthem during the civil rights movement of the 60s, and Collins recorded it as a form of protest against the Vietnam War. A beautiful song no matter what you believe, and a very good rendition.

That Love Story song pops up a third time in a version by veteran film and television composer Henry Mancini and company. Why he felt the need to record a version of someone else's piece I don't know, but it's much more dressed up than Francis Lai's, and perhaps not coincidentally, was a bigger hit. I'll take Lai's every time. If I want to hear Mancini, I'll crank up the Pink Panther theme. Or maybe "Baby Elephant Walk."

Next is the eighth of CCR's nine Top 10 singles. Some people thought it was about Vietnam or the fading of 60s idealism. I always thought it was an early environmental protest song. But John Fogerty has said that it was about the growing tensions within the band. And he would know, I guess.

Then its our old friends Karen and Richard with a song that they recorded after Richard heard it in the movie Lovers and Other Strangers. It won a Best Song Oscar, but I don't think much of it. But Karen never fails to rise above mediocre material.

Finally we have Bobby Goldsboro with a Mac Davis-penned bit of schmaltz about how being around your young son as he develops is much more exciting than television, nightlife, and even "your drive-in picture show." I have no way of knowing if that's true. However, I do remember it playing in the background as Homer and Bart Simpson built a soap box derby car, and that seemed like fun.

Let's get Top Ten-ified:

10 - "Me and Bobby McGee," Janis Joplin
The second Kris Kristofferson cover on this chart, and Janis' biggest hit, although unfortunately a posthumous one. Kris and Janis apparently were lovers on-and-off, which adds some poignancy to this tale of friendship on the road, where "freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose." Good good good.

9 - "Mr. Bojangles," The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Apparently, this country standard was not written about Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, the black tap dancer best known for performing in Shirley Temple movies. Rather, composer Jerry Jeff Walker wrote it about a white street performer he met during a night in jail who used the name "Bojangles" to hide his identity from the police. And yes, that man's dog really did up and die.

8 - "Amos Moses," Jerry Reed
The country singer who would go on to co-star in both Smokey and the Bandit and an episode of Scooby-Doo had his biggest pop hit with a song about a man who lived in the Louisiana swamp and illegally hunted alligators, in spite of the best efforts of local law enforcement. I like it fine, but I'm still more of a "When You're Hot, You're Hot" kinda guy.

7 - "Sweet Mary," Wadsworth Mansion
Never heard of this band or this song before I came across this chart. It's pretty standard lite-rock for the period. Above average for its type, but still, hardly something that sticks in the mind.

6 - "I Hear You Knocking," Dave Edmunds
Brit Edmunds would have his biggest U.S. hit with this Smiley Lewis cover about being choosy about to whom you allow admittance. Years later, he would help recruit impressionable young Martin Short to Communism on SCTV with a Bruce Springsteen cover and promises of membership in "the Duke Snider Fan Club." RIP Duke.

5 - "If You Could Read My Mind," Gordon Lightfoot
This is another song I remember having to sing in a grade school music class. A solid folk number about a dying relationship that was Gord's American breakthrough. I have to say, I do get it.


4 - "Rose Garden," Lynn Anderson
Lynn's biggest pop hit reminds us all that relationships aren't always rainbows and lollipops. And she's very polite about it, begging our pardon and all. Good manners are always appreciated.

3 - "Knock Three Times," Dawn
The best of Tony Orlando and co.'s output, as far as I'm concerned. Lightweight and silly, yet an earworm with the staying power of an Everlasting Gobstopper.

2 - "Mama's Pearl." The Jackson 5
After four straight #1's out of the box, Michael, Tito and the boys had to settle for a mere #2 with this hit whose lyrics were a tad more risque than their earlier singles. There are reports that the song was even originally called "Guess Who's Making Whoopie (With Your Girlfriend)." The title change was probably for the best, although I'm sure Bob Eubanks would have loved it.

And topping the charts 40 years ago was...

1 - "One Bad Apple," The Osmonds
After years of being a clean-cut kiddie act on variety shows hosted by old-school showbizzers like Andy Williams and Jerry Lewis, these five brothers from Utah entered the contemporary pop arena and wound up preventing five brothers from Indiana from extending their streak of charttoppers with this bouncy number that sounded more than a little similar to the Jackson 5. Not surprisingly, it was originally written with the Motown siblings in mind, and Donny Osmond says Michael himself told him that the Jacksons considered doing it, but decided to do "ABC" instead. Anyway, the song itself, while not without charm, sounds like a subpar J5 ripoff, so the fact that it ended up with the Osmonds is probably about right.

Just one NotCasey Extra: "Wild World" by Cat Stevens. Casey himself played the #1s from 10 and five years earlier: Chubby Checkers "Pony Time" and Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made for Walkin'," respectively. And he also played another Joplin song "Move Over," because Pearl was that week's Number One album.

If you don't know what next week's chart is, I won't spoil it, but I've seen it, and it looks goooood! To find out how good, join me here next week.

February 27, 1971 Part One

Back to when I was a mere lad of 16...days.


40 - "Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)," The Four Tops
39 - "One Less Bell to Answer," The Fifth Dimension
38 - "D.O.A.," Bloodrock
37 - "Precious Precious," Miss Jackie Moore
36 - "My Sweet Lord," George Harrison
35 - "Love Story (Where Do I Begin)," Andy Williams
34 - "Burning Bridges," The Mike Curb Congregation
33 - "Theme from Love Story," Francis Lai and His Orchestra
32 - "Cried Like a Baby," Bobby Sherman
31- "Remember Me," Diana Ross


R&B kicks us off . The Four Tops are back with a song about not wanting to call the woman who may or may not be a lifeline. Miss Jackie Moore (love that) had her only hit with a song about loving a man who's not exactly as devoted to her as she is to him. And Diana Ross asks her ex to remember her in positive ways, which to her means picturing her as a sunny day and "a big balloon." Not sure if that last one will turn out the way you want it to, Miss Ross.


MOR is well-represented, as usual. The Fifth Dimension are back from our last visit to this time period with that song about loneliness and egg preparation. And hey, you remember that "Burning Bridges" song that was "Billboard's #1 breakout hit" back in October of '70? Well, I guess it took a while to actually break out, because it four months later, it was just debuting on the 40. It's got kind of a martial beat, but otherwise, boring as hell. And Bobby Sherman had one of his last hits singing about a rich man who has everything but someone to love. I like it better than "Julie, Do Ya Love Me," but it's still pretty laughable when he calls himself a "warrior king" I've seen pictures of the man at the time, and no.


Their are two versions of the theme from the movie Love Story, which at the time was a major phenomenon. First is Andy Williams', featuring lyrics that were added after the fact. Not surprisingly, it was the biggest hit version of it. Two spots later, we find the original version, recorded by composer Francis Lai and his orchestra. I have never seen the movie, but I enjoyed reading about the making of it in producer Robert Evans' memoir The Kid Stays in the Picture. For those who enjoy reading about Hollywood dirt and general egomania, I highly recommend it.


Finally we have a couple of rock numbers. George Harrison was #1 last time we were here with the song that was written with spiritual intentions but ended up getting dragged down by very earthly interests. And then there's "D.O.A.," possibly the creepiest song I've ever heard. Partly inspired by the band's guitarist having witnessed a friend die in a plane crash, it's a sombre rock ballad, complete with siren sound effects, sung from the point of view of a dying man being attended to at an accident scene. The singer describes all the gory details of his injuries and surroundings, and ends chillingly by pleading "God in Heaven, teach me how to die." It's not a pleasant listening experience, and it's subject matter caused it to be banned by many radio stations, but somehow it managed to get as high as #36. Obviously, it gets this week's Uneasy Rider Award, but unlike most of the other winners, I have no interest in hearing it again. I am curious, though, about another one of their songs, "Don't Eat the Children."


30 -"Stoney End," Barbra Streisand
29 - "It's Impossible," Perry Como
28 - "Jody G0t Your Girl and Gone," Johnnie Taylor
27 - "Help Me Make it Through the Night," Sammi Smith
26 - "Your Song," Elton John
25 - "(Do The) Push and Pull (Part 1)," Rufus Thomas
24 - "Temptation Eyes," The Grass Roots
23 - "If I Were Your Woman," Gladys Knight and the Pips
22 - "Lonely Days," The Bee Gees
21 - "Proud Mary," Ike and Tina Turner

Another big batch of easy listening. Barbra Streisand, Perry Como, Elton John and the Bee Gees return with their hits from last time in this general area. For what I had to say about them, see http://bobbyglovescasey.blogspot.com/2010/12/december-26-1970-part-one.html and http://bobbyglovescasey.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-post.html Country singer Sammi Smith had her only pop hit with her cover of Kris Kristofferson's longing ballad, which was controversial at the time essentially because it was a woman singing openly about wanting sex. My stars! And 60s holdovers The Grass Roots had one of their last hits with a song about lusting after a woman whose eyes make a man want to...do things. I was disappointed to learn that this was recorded after Creed Bratton left the group. He's fantastic on The Office.

The rest of this section is all soul. Johnnie Taylor, who we last encountered here at BGC advising men to avoid divorce because it's "Cheaper to Keep Her," is back, this time warning guys that in every town there's "a cat named Jody" who's dedicted his life to stealing other people's wives. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have any answers regarding how to avoid having your lady stolen, except for perhaps giving her a bit more respect. What's worse, Johnnie seems to be cheering the bastard on, at one point telling Jody to "ride on...with your bad self." Rufus Thomas, of "Funky Chicken" fame, has another dance he wants you to do. And yes, it does seem to be an actual dance, in spite of the title. Gladys Knight once again insists that she would make a better lover for you than whatever you've got going right now. And we close with Ike and Tina, giving a "nice and rough" treatment to Creedence Clearwater Revival's hit of two years previous. You've all heard it. You know you love it. You don't? Why the hell not?

Tomorrow: From nice lawns to rotten fruit. And a strangely familiar melody.

February 15, 1975 Part Two

The saga continues...

20 - "I'm a Woman," Maria Muldaur
19 - "Can't Get it Out of My Head," Electric Light Orchestra
18 - "Have You Never Been Mellow," Olivia Newton-John
17 - "Lady," Styx
16 - "Laughter in the Rain," Neil Sedaka

We start with Maria "Midnight at the Oasis," Muldaur's only other hit, a funk-pop take on a song written by the legendary team of Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and first popularized by Peggy Lee. This was around the time the song was being used in commercials for Enjoli perfume, which I remember almost as well as those for Windsong by Prince Matchabelli. Later, Racquel Welch would perform it with Miss Piggy on The Muppet Show. "W-O.......P...I...G."

Then its ELO with a song about seeing "the ocean's daughter" after robbing a bank. At least I think that's what it's about. Anyway, it was their first hit in the U.S. There would be many more, including one from the movie Xanadu on which they were joined by...

...Olivia Newton-John, that film's star, who appears right after them with my favorite song of hers. It just felt so comforting and warm back when I was a child, and it still does. "I was...like yooooooooou!" She understands!

The Bob Seger of Chicago returns with their Top 40 breakthrough. It doesn't have the cheese appeal of "Come Sail Away," but it's much less gooey than "Babe." I give it a 67.

Finally we have Neil Sedaka's comeback hit. As I've said before, I'm a "Bad Blood" man all the way, but this is all right. Why wouldn't I be surprised to hear Kurt sing this on Glee someda

15 - "Nightingale," Carole King
14 - "Get Dancin'," Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes
13 - "Sweet Surrender," John Denver
12 - "Doctor's Orders," Carol Douglas
11- "Look in My Eyes Pretty Woman," Tony Orlando and Dawn

We start with Neil Sedaka's ex-high school sweetheart, singing about a "foolish dreamer" who needs some comfort. Aren't we all, and don't we all, sometimes?

Then it's Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes with a song that's simultaneously less lascivious and more goofy than the group's name. It's not quite Uneasy Rider material, but it's fun as hell. Everyone needs to hear this once. In full.

John Denver is back with more proof that he was his generation's John Denver. Sorry, but all the rest of these are repeaters from the last '75 list, so I'm not going to always have new and exciting things to say. But I'll try not to do too much phoning in.

Then it's Carol Douglas, around where she was the last time with her song about consulting a physician for problems that aren't really medical. Listening again, I like it a lot more. Maybe I'm just in a more receptive mood for silly, frothy disco.

Finally it's Tony O. and his lovely backup singers. This is probably the most discoish of their hits, at least the ones that I can remember right now. Tony, as I remember, had kind of a discoey look before disco even broke, so I'm sure this wasn't much of a stretch for him.

Top Ten, y'all:

10 - "#9 Dream," John Lennon
The Walrus returns with his last Top 10 of the decade, nonsense chorus and all. It was also the last time he was this high on the charts while alive. I remember when my mother told me he had been killed while she woke me up for school. I was such an idiot, I thought she was talking about Jack Lemmon. I wasn't the hippest kid, that's for sure.

9 - "My Eyes Adored You," Frankie Valli
Casey tells the story of how Valli bought out the rights to this song from Motown, for whom he was recording at the time. They didn't think it was a hit. They were mistaken. This is one I like a lot less now than I did as a kid.

8 - "Boogie On Reggae Woman," Stevie Wonder
I'm not as big on this one as I am on most of his big 70s hits. Don't know why. But I think it's growing on me.

7 - "Lonely People," America
"Don't give up until you drink from the silver cup." I still say that's great advice for everyone. Except the Toronto Maple Leafs. You guys can go ahead and give up. God expanded the NHL so that would never happen again.

6 - "Fire," The Ohio Players
Another song that I don't like as much as I think I should. It's decent, but nothing special. I understand how "Love Rollercoaster" hit #1, but I see this more as a #5 or #6 than the charttopper it was.

5 - "Black Water," The Doobie Brothers
First of all, The Doobie Brothers is a much better name than their original moniker, Pud. That's even worse than Chocolate Hair. And I definitely do see this one as a #1, and a great one at that. The whole blues/bluegrass hybrid sounds so different than 99.9% of what's been on pop radio for the past 45 years or so. It's cool when #1s have a genuinely special quality that you can identify.

4 - "Some Kind of Wonderful," Grand Funk Railroad
Pretty much the last hurrah for Farner, Schacher and Brewer. Can I get a witness? Can I? A witness to what, you ask? Umm...I'll have to get back to you on that.

3 - "Best of My Love," The Eagles
They're the Eagles, they were huge, this is a nice little country ballad about a couple fighting a losing battle trying to keep a relationship alive. They're a band I can't imagine not existing, but I wouldn't be scared to live in a world where they didn't.

2 - "Pick Up the Pieces," The Average White Band
The song that gives the phrase "Scottish funk" the good name you might not have thought it could have. One of the iconic instrumentals of what Casey used to call "the rock era."

And on top of the Old Smokey that was the Billboard Hot 100 that week was...

1 - "You're No Good," Linda Ronstadt
Linda's second Top 40, and only Number One. This week, my Ronstadtometer is in positive territory. Great song, great performance, nothing but love for this one.

This weeks NotCaseys were Queen's "Killer Queen," "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind and Fire, and "Shame, Shame, Shame" by Shirley and Company.

Whether you're an old follower or new, I'll be back next week for you.

February 15, 1975 Part One

Apologies for the lateness.


Before we start, a couple of housekeeping issues about "The Americans." I neglected to mention how old Gordon Sinclair was when he hit the charts (73). Also, Byron MacGregor did not originally read the editorial on the Windsor station, someone else did. He was recruited for the recording for his voice. Anyway, just wanted to clear that up.


They threw me off, so this week we get '75. No complaints though.


40 - "Never Let Her Go," David Gates
39 - "Sad Sweet Dreamer," Sweet Sensation
38 - "Lovin' You," Minnie Riperton
37 - "Don't Take Your Love," The Manhattans
36 - "Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne," Jim Stafford
35 - "You Are So Beautiful," Joe Cocker
34 - "Morning Side of the Mountain," Donnie and Marie Osmond
33 - "My Boy," Elvis Presley
32 - "To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte Del Sole)," Al Martino
31- "Movin' On," Bad Company

Easy listtening dominates this section. David Gates had the first hit of his post-Bread solo career with a song that's pretty indistinguishable from his old group. He'd only have three Top 40s on his own, the biggest being the theme from the Neil Simon movie The Goodbye Girl. Britain's Sweet Sensation somehow managed to hit #1 at home with the very sleepy and inconsequential "Sad Sweet Dreamer." Minnie Riperton hits a high note on what is known as "the whistle register" on the memorable "Lovin' You." She would die four years later of breast cancer. And I just learned that she was the mother of actress/comedienne Maya Rudolph. The Manhattans had been hitting the R&B charts for over a decade before hitting the Top 40 this week. It's a nice little bit o' soul, but still pretty mild. And Joe Cocker would crack the Top 5 with this immortal Billy Preston-written, heart-on-sleeve ballad that Homer Simpson's secretary Karl once arranged for someone to sing to Marge on their anniversary.

There are three more MOR artifacts here, but I'm grouping them seperately because they all seem to come from an era of staid, almost formal pop music that was almost but not quite dead by this time. Donny and Marie return from our last visit to '75 with their fairytalish, mildly tragic tale of a matched pair who never meet because of geography. Elvis Presley was undeniably rock n' roll, but his image and career was as tightly controlled as any straitlaced crooner's, and he spent much of the seventies releasing dramatic, old-school ballads like "My Boy," a song about a father telling his son about his impending divorce. Richard Harris had just missed the Top 40 years earlier with this a few years earlier, and I'm thinking I should try to dig up that version someday. And Al Martino had bee n hitting the charts since 1953 with his crooner-pop, and was still basking in his first blush of acting fame from his role as Johnny Fontaine (the reason the horse's head ends up in Jack Woltz's bed) in The Godfather, when he charted with this showy ballad partly sung in Italian. I think I might have liked it a lot more if Casey had played the full version.

Oh yeah, there are two more songs. Jim Stafford's ditty about a peeping tom and the even-more-unusual-than-they-seem couple he spies on is back again. And Bad Company chip in some rock to the proceedings with a song about roaming, one of the major recurring themes in blues and rock. Never heard it before, don't need to hear it again.

30 - "Up in a Puff of Smoke," Polly Brown
29 - "Poetry Man," Phoebe Snow
28 - "Mandy," Barry Manilow
27 - "I Belong to You," Love Unlimited
26 - "Express," B.T. Express
25 - "Please Mr. Postman," The Carpenters
24 - "Big Yellow Taxi," Joni Mitchell
23 - "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," Sugarloaf featuring Jerry Corbetta
22 - "Roll On Down the Highway," Bachman-Turner Overdrive
21 - "Lady Marmalade," LaBelle

We start with a couple female-fronted takes on the sound of 60s Motown. Polly Brown had seen success in her native Britain with the groups Pickettywitch and Sweet Dreams before scoring in the U.S. on her own with a sprightly bit of retro pop-soul about a guy who took her "higher than a kite, then dropped (her) like a light." Not sure I've heard that last expression before. And the Carpenters return with their Marvelettes cover. Not one of Karen's stronger efforts, but she's one of my "phone book singers," so listening to it is no chore at all

Three other solo acts are in the mix here. Phoebe Snow, who changed her last name from Laub to match the name of an adveritisng character used to promote the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, had her only Top 40 hit with a sultry ballad about a "bashful boy" who can be pretty damn eloquent once brought out of his shell. Barry Manilow had advertising connections of his own, having written several commercial jingles, including a couple (Band-Aid and State Farm) that are still used today, in his pre-fame days. He didn't write "Mandy," which made him as much of a household name as many of the products he used to pitch, but I can forgive him for that. "I Write The Songs," however... And after it failed to get past the 60s in its studio version, Joni Mitchell's early environmental anthem "Big Yellow Taxi" made the 40 in a version from her live album Miles of Aisles. They're still paving paradises and putting up parking lots, though.

Two girl groups in this bunch. Barry White's backup singers return with their second and last hit. For some reason, I find that they sound a lot like the backup singers on a James Brown holiday song I like a lot, "Let's Make This Christmas Mean Something This Year." I wonder if it was them on that track? And here are Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash, singing that fantastic, funky bumper about a guy who just can't forget his one encounter with a New Orleans lady of the evening. It was one of my favorites even at four, although that might be because when they sang "voulez-vous couchez avec moi," I thought that they were saying something involving "poo-poo" And as we all know, children find feces hilarious.

We close with three, um, "guy groups." B.T. Express had their second and final top ten with a semii-instrumental that I quite enjoyed, especially the train whistle. Bachman-Turner Overdrive had their next-to-last Top 40 with a driving rocker about...driving. And Sugarloaf (who now added "featuring Jerry Corbetta," even though Corbetta had always been there. Oh well, still better than Chocolate Hair) had a second hit after "Green-Eyed Lady" with this tale of a struggling young band who gets the runaround from record executives while on their way up, but then turns the tables on the suits when they get a hit. The song is funky and bouncy (love that deep-throated organ), and it's another one I really loved as a child. It also includes the sound of a touchtone phone dialing two numbers: one for a record company who had just turned them down, the other for the White House. Anyway, it's not all that odd overall, but because of its "too cool for school" vibe and the fact that I don't really want to give it to "Your Bulldog Drinks Champagne" again, "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" snags this week's Uneasy Rider Award.

Tomorrow: ELO, ONJ, what else do I have to say?

February 16, 1974 Part Two

Remainder.


20 - "Midnight Rider," Gregg Allman
19 - "A Love Song," Anne Murray
18 - "The Joker," The Steve Miller Band
17 - "Last Time I Saw Him," Diana Ross
16 - "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)," The Rolling Stones


We start with Gregg Allman, performing a solo version of his band's tune about a man on the run. Little did he know that he was running towards Cher


Then it's Anne Murray, one of a whopping six Canadians on this week's list. She wants to sing you something. Also, she claims her brother is "the wren." So maybe she is part snowbird after all.


Then it's the song that introduced the world to Steve Miller in all his smokin', jokin, midnight tokin' glory. I still say it was all downhill from there, musically at least.


I'd never heard the single version of this Diana Ross song about a naive woman who thinks the guy she gave her love and money to before he left town on a bus is actually coming back. But I do remember her doing this on...wait for it...The Muppet Show. Is it just me, or does it seem like literally everybody did that show back then?


Last in this bunch are the Stones with this this rocker about young children losing their lives to drugs and violence. So now Keith's written an autobiography in which he says Mick has a small penis, and Mick is so pissed that a possible 50th anniversary tour might not happen. This just might be for the best.


15 - "I Love," Tom T. Hall
14 - "I've Got to Use My Imagination," Gladys Knight and the Pips
13 - "Put Your Hands Together," The O'Jays
12 - "Seasons in the Sun," Terry Jacks
11 - "Show and Tell," Al Wilson

This part begins with the only Top 40 hit for country star Tom T. Hall. Basically, it's the same song as "My Favorite Things." Tom's list includes squirrels, pickup trucks, and onions, among many others. But contrary to those terrible beer commercials, twins aren't on there

Then it's Gladys and those Pips with an unusually uptempo song about trying to rouse oneself to "keep on keepin' on," in the face of sadness and adversity. I hadn't heard this before, but I like it a lot.

The O'Jays follow with a danceable call for peace and harmony. It's great, you'll want to dance, nothing more to say.

Then it's Terry Jacks with that awful awful song that I hated even as a child. He keeps saying "It's hard to die," and with every note, my desire to make it easier for him rises. That's mean and callous, but damn do I despise this song.

Finally, Al Wilson wants to play a game. Sounds innocent enough, but I'm warning you, I get the feeling there may be sex involved. So if you're not into that kind of thing, stay away. But I won't judge you if you are.

Ten big hits at one low price!

10 - "Rock On," David Essex

"Rubbery" seems like a good word to describe the groove of this odd-but-awesome number by one-hit wonder Essex. I wonder if he ever found "that blue jean baby queen."

9 - "Boogie Down," Eddie Kendricks

The former Temptation had another solo hit with this song that helped set the disco template, from the title to the beat to the arrangement. I like this better than "Keep on Truckin'" for whatever that's worth.

8 - "Jungle Boogie," Kool and the Gang

And the boogie just don't stop. Get down, get down! More songs should open with a gong, if you ask me.

7 - "Let Me Be There," Olivia Newton-John

I believe I've told you my relationship to Miss Newton-John, and this song in particular, before. I just liked her is all. This is sweet country love, but it's #3 on my personal ONJ hit parade, behind "Please Mr. Please" and "Have You Never Been Mellow."

6 - "The Americans," Byron MacDonald

And the answer to "What could be weirder than a hit version of an editorial by a Canadian radio commentator?" is "A cover version of that same editorial by a different Canadian radio commentator." MacGregor was working at a Windsor station when he read Sinclair's editorial on air, and the response from listeners, particularly those in nearby U.S. states, prompted MacGregor to record it and release it as a single. As it turns out, MacGregor's version was the bigger hit in America. Casey didn't play this version because he had already played the Sinclair one, which seems strange because last week he played both "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"s. But I tracked it down on my own, for the sake of comparison. MacGregor's voice is deeper, almost Ted Baxter-ish, and sounds much older than 26, which he was at the time. Also, he is backed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra playing "America the Beautiful." I can hear why this one was the bigger hit. It just sounds...bigger. So what if MacGregor wasn't the one who actually saw Americans getting mocked in Paris in 1956. Anyway, the proceeds from both singles went to the American Red Cross, so regardless of your opinion of the body of the commentary, it all went for a good cause. Bottom line, because the origin behind this version is slightly weirder, MacGregor edges Sinclair for the Uneasy Rider Award.

5 - "Spiders and Snakes," Jim Stafford

Again, it's the man from Coral Gables, Florida, singing about his ineffective grossout methods for attracting women. So reptiles and arachnids don't turn most grown women on. Good to know.

4 - "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)," Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul, determined to get her man back. Simple, powerful, fantastic. She was that good, kids.

3 - "You're Sixteen," Ringo Starr

Ringo covers Johnny Burnette and hits #1. I much prefer him covering Buck Owens, but you can't argue with success, I guess.

2 - "Love's Theme," Love Unlimited Orchestra

I didn't get to hear this or #1 last night, because once again, CKOC mistakenly played the end of the 1979 chart instead. But no problem, we've covered this before, you probably know it, it's just as effective an aphrodisiac as the songs Barry White actually sings.

And the song at the summit was...

1 - "The Way We Were," Barbra Streisand

Again, didn't hear it last night, but it was huge, it was in that movie she did with Robert Redford, and I'm sure you know it whether you want to or not. "Scattered picTUUUUUURRRRRRES."

The NotCaseys this week were "Jet" by Paul McCartney and Wings, "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede, and Sir Elton's "Bennie and the Jets."

If current patterns hold, next week we'll be in '76. But patterns were made to be broken, so be back here next week to find out if we're in for a surprise.

February 16, 1974 Part One

This week we land six months before Nixon's resignation. Don't spoil the surprise.


40 - "Last Kiss," Wednesday
39 - "Sunshine on My Shoulders," John Denver
38 - "I Like to Live the Love," B.B. King
37 - "Trying to Hold On to My Woman," Lamont Dozier
36 - "My Sweet Lady," Cliff DeYoung
35 - "Come and Get Your Love," Redbone
34 - "Eres Tu," Mocedades
33 - "The Americans," Gordon Sinclair
32 - "Abra-Ca-Dabra," The DeFranco Family
31 - "Can This Be Real," Natural Four

We kick off with mild stuff. Canada's Wednesday scored their only U.S, hit with this cover of the car-crash tragedy that was originally a hit for J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers and would be revived in 1999 by Pearl Jam. John Denver appears again with his song about how much he loves solar rays, one of several songs here that also appeared on the 1974 year-end show I covered a few weeks ago. Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love" also falls into that category. Cliff DeYoung, a young actor/singer who, to my knowledge, is not related to Styx singer Dennis DeYoung, is here with a John Denver-written ballad from a TV-movie called Sunshine about a woman dying of cancer. Apparently, at this time, TV-movies could be used as platforms to sell records. And Spain's Mocedades reached the Top Ten with "Eres Tu" ("You Are..."), a nice, female-fronted love song performed in their native language.

Once again, I've found a connection between two acts in the same countdown section that you wouldn't imagine could have anything in common. Riley B. King. who would take the stage name "Blues Boy" and then just shorten it to B.B.. had a handful of Top 40 hits, the last was this this buoyant celebration of affection. What could this legengary blues guitarist have to do with Canadian bubblegummers the DeFranco Family, who show up this week with their second hit, a bouncy number about the magic of love? Well, it turns out, the DeFrancos performed their last show to date as a group in 1999 at a Los Angeles nightclub owned by a certain main with a guitar named Lucille. Love these crazy coincidences.

A couple more R&B nuggets her. Lamont Dozier, who wrote a truckload of Motown hits with the Holland brothers, Eddie and Brian, finally hit the charts as a singer himself with a lush, pleading ballad about a man trying to give up his wild ways so his lover won't leave him. And the Natural Four had one hit, it's here, and it's not much.

Finally, there's "The Americans," a pop-chart oddity if there ever was one, which made Canadian journalist and broadcaster Gordon Sinclair the second-oldest person ever to hit the pop chart (after comedian Moms Mabley, who was 75 when she hit with a version of "Abraham, Martin and John"). It's a recording of an editorial Sinclair read on Toronto radio station CFRB on June 5, 1973. In it, he notes that the American dollar was losing its value on world markets, the American Red Cross had run out of money because of flooding on the Mississippi River and a rash of deadly tornadoes, and many commentators in other countries seemed to be taking pleasure at the Americans' misfortunes. Sinclair vigorously rallies to the defense of his neighbors to the South, recalling all the times the United States had come to the aid of many of those same countries, praising U.S. innovation in the field of aerospace, and stating confidently that America will return to glory. This editorial was later printed in U.S. News and World Report, and became such a sensation that a single was released featuring Sinclair's reading backed by "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." I bet you're expecting me to bestow this record with this week's Uneasy Rider Award, but I'm not. How could that be? You'll see.

30 - "Mockingbird," Carly Simon and James Taylor

29 - "The Most Beautiful Girl," Charlie Rich

28 - "Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up," Barry White
27 - "Baby Come Close," Smokey Robinson
26 - "Time in a Bottle," Jim Croce
25 - "Jim Dandy," Black Oak Arkansas
24 - "Sexy Mama," The Moments
23 - "Living for the City," Stevie Wonder
22 - "Smokin' in the Boys' Room," Brownsville Station
21 - "Dark Lady," Cher

Another abundance of MOR. The first couple of early-70s folk-rock, Carly Simon and James Taylor, show up with a cover of an R&B take on the classic lullaby originally done by Inez and Charlie Foxx, who were either married (if you believe Casey) or brother and sister (according to Wikipedia). Anyway, this is way better than what James did to "How Sweet It Is" and "Handyman." Marge Simpson once tried to initiate an impromptu duet on this with her husband, but Homer wasn't in the mood. Country star Charlie Rich returns with that song about the really hot chick who left him. Jim Croce's back with his posthumous #1, yet another example of a song becoming a hit because of a cancer-themed TV-movie. And Cher is here again, killing her man and the fortune-teller he cheated on her with. That really is a great song. I think of it any time I'm playing online poker and I'm dealt a queen and a three.

Soul? But of course. Barry White is back with his second Top Ten, a midtempo love jam in which he declares "quittin' just ain't my schtick." That last word isn't exactly something you'd expect in a Barry White song, but damn if it doesn't sound just right coming out of that voice. Smokey Robinson takes it nice and slow on his first solo hit, but he wouldn't really make that much impact on the pop charts until late in the decade with "Cruisin'." The Moments, who would later change their name to Ray, Goodman and Brown, had a hit about an attractive lady whose "love gates" they'd like to open. This would be shortly followed by a "love explosion." Whatever could they be talking about? Finally, it's Stevie Wonder, strutting funkily and telling it like it is in the gritty urban jungle for people who didn't have all the advantages or connections. I wish Casey could've played the long version, with Stevie pretending to be a judge passing sentence. But regardless, an amazing, amazing song.

We close with rock. Southerners Black Oak Arkansas, who were named after their hometown, had their only pop hit with this raucous cover of a LaVern Baker song about a guy whose sort of a combination Casanova/Superman. And Brownsville Station also had but one Top 40 single, but it's this wonderful celebration of teenagers escaping their teachers and girlfriends to enjoy the simple pleasures of lighting up among the sinks and urinals. Yes, I heard Motley Crue's version first. And yes, this is better

Tomorrow: #20's connection with #21, the Uneasy Rider...and TWINS!

February 7, 1972 Part Two

More:


20 - "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," Robert John
19 -"Stay With Me," Faces featuring Rod Stewart
18 - "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony)," The New Seekers
17 - "Drowning in the Sea of Love," Joe Simon
16 - "Sugar Daddy," The Jackson 5


We kick off with Robert John's cover of the Tokens' 1961 #1 hit, which was itself an adaptation of a 1939 song written by South African Solomon Linda. The song became even bigger in the 90s after its use in the movie and stage musical The Lion King. For years, Linda's estate was only receiving a tiny fraction of their deserved royalties, but in recent years, lawsuits have corrected this to some extent. Lawyers are all right, sometimes.


Next are the former Small Faces, who dropped the "Small" after Rod Stewart and future Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood joined the band. This is your basic rocker about pleading for a woman to stay the night...but only the night. Gotta admit, Rod's good at singing about this topic.


Then it's The New Seekers with the bigger hit version of a repurposed Coke jingle. And the better one as well. Still, not great.


"Drowning in the Sea of Love," actually sounded familiar to me, so I guess I'm not a complete blank on Joe Simon. And it's rich, wonderful soul to boot. Love it.


Finally it's the Jackson 5, with the story of a guy who buys a girl everything she wants, even though her loyalty is not exactly steadfast. Lots of candy and sugar references here, but my favorite line might be the one about being her "standby Santa Claus." What a sucker!


15 - "You are Everything," The Stylistics
14 - "Anticipation," Carly Simon
13 - "Scorpio," Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band
12 - "Down by the Lazy River," The Osmonds
11 - "Clean Up Woman," Betty Wright


First in this bunch are the Stylistics with more smooth Philly soul. Another potential contender to be played at a hypothetical Glovehead wedding.


Next is Carly Simon with a future Heinz Ketchup jingle. Apparently, this one's about how Carly felt while waiting to go on a date with Cat Stevens. So I guess he knows this song is about him.


Dennis Coffey was a former member of the Motown session group the Funk Brothers who then set out on his own and had two instrumental hits named after Zodiac signs. This came first, and hit #6. "Taurus" would only reach Number 18. From hearing it, I know this song has been sampled many many times, but I can't think of a specific example offhand.


After being more of a Jackson 5 knockoff in their early singles, they went in a slightly more rock direction with "Down by the Lazy River." Not eaxactly The Who, but it's all right. Although their use of the word "mosey" was a questionable choice.


Lastly we have Betty Wright with a funky strut about a woman who "cleans up" all the men other women leave behind. But I don't think it means she buys them new clothes and advises them on better grooming. In fact, what she does might not be clean at all.


Ten top tunes for all y'all


10 - "Joy," Apollo 100
This British studio band had their only real hit with this instrumental pop version of J.S. Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring." I've heard it before. It's all right. That's all I got.


9 - "Hurting Each Other," The Carpenters
Karen and Richard again, this time with a song about people in love who for some reason can't stop doing each other. This is the type of song Karen was made to sing. Yeah, she can do happy stuff like "Top of the World" and "Close to You," but it's songs like this that show why she's one of the greats.


8 - "Precious and Few," Climax
I don't think this band was named after orgasms, but the very possiblity that they could have been is much more interesting than this sleepy bit of wannabe romantic piffle. The fact that the band Artie Ziff hired played this at the restaging of his senior prom probably contributed to his eventual failure to win Marge Simpson away from Homer


7 - "Sunshine," Jonathan Edwards
In spite of the happy-sounding title of this hit by folkie Edwards, the guy wants the sunshine to "go away today," because somebody's trying to tell him how to live his life. But he does say the sun can come back later, because he's determined to turn things around. Good for him.


6 - "Never Been to Spain," Three Dog Night
I didn't really know this 3DN offering, but I kind of like it. It's got some meat on its bones. The lyrics are about dreaming and searching, and the vocals are solid. Good job, boys.


5 - "Without You," Nilsson
Harry can't survive without his lady, apparently. This is really good broken-heart stuff. Mariah Carey's cover was showy and unnecessary, but then again, that's a good description of Mariah's entire career.


4 - "Day After Day," Badfinger
These Welsh Beatles proteges actually wrote and performed "Without You" first, and now here they are, one spot above it with there own hit about loneliness. Very very good.

3 - "Brand New Key," Melanie
Folksinger Safka's biggest hit, which is probably some sort of sex metaphor. Fluffy fun. And of course it accompanied the Rollergirl/Eddie seduction scene in Boogie Nights. I will never forget Burt Reynolds' advice from that scene as long as I live. And it makes it even weirder that Sharon, Lois and Bram once covered this song.

2 - "Let's Stay Together," Al Green
Yes, of course I know this one. But don't congratulate me yet. I don't think I heard Al's version until the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, and perhaps worse, the first version I heard was Tina Turner's. Not that Tina's was bad, it's just that I have zero credibility when it comes to Rev. Green.

And the song of songs 39 years ago this week was...

1 - "American Pie," Don McLean
First of all, I didn't get to hear this last night, because a radio station glitch caused the end of last week's '79 show to be played again. Oh well, I know this one pretty well, it would have been a short version anyway, and I did get to hear "Le Freak" again, so it's a win all around. Anyway, we all know that the first part is about the death of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper, and the rest of the song contains cryptic references to people and events in rock history. Most people believe Bob Dylan is "the Jester," and Elvis is of course "the King, but Wikipedia seems to think Connie Francis might be "the Queen." Really? "I'm Sorry," but not Aretha? Crazy if true. But who really knows?

NotCasey gave us Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," Cher's "The Way of Love," and Sly and the Family Stone's "Runnin' Away" this week.

I know when we're going next week, but I'll leave it as a surprise.

February 5, 1972 Part One

Back to the week before I turned one. I didn't listen live because of the Super Bowl, but I've got it on now, so here we go, a day late.


40 - "Everything I Own," Bread
39 - "My World," The Bee Gees
38 - "Ain't Understanding Mellow," Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager
37 - "Together Let's Find Love," The 5th Dimension
36 - "Footstompin' Music," Grand Funk Railroad
35 - "Sweet Seasons," Carole King
34 - "Feelin' Alright," Joe Cocker
33 - "Floy Joy," The Supremes
32 - "It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)," The Partridge Family
31 - "Bang a Gong (Get it On)," T. Rex


Once again, we begin in the middle of the road. Bread are here again, offering all their worldly possessions for a chance to have their lover back. Definitely one of their better offerings. This Bee Gees song isn't one of their best-remembered, nor should it be. But it did go to #1 in Hong Kong. The 5th Dimension had another hit with more serviceable R&B-lite romanticism. Carole King returns with a song about longing for a peaceful life somewhere out in the country. She has quite a few like that, from what I've heard. And The Partridge Family show up with more lightweight fluff. For the record, my favorite character was Reuben Kincaid. Just because that's such a fantastic name.


R&B has a couple representatives. Jerry Butler and Brenda Lee Eager apparently found understanding with each other, and they find it mellow. They seem happy about it, so good for them. And the Supremes had their last Top 20 with a song that sounds like the good old days, except for one little thing. And "Floy Joy" is apparently the nickname for the most irresistable man in the world. Though they don't say whether or not he drinks Dos Equis.


Rock rounds out the group. Grand Funk Railroad had their second hit with this song that did not make me want to stomp my feet, nor ever listen to this song again. Joe Cocker is here with a cover of a Traffic song. I'm sure you've heard it in several commercials. That opening piano part is pretty distinctive. And T.Rex, who had an amazing run of ten consecutive Top 5s in the U.K. in the early 70s with their propulsive glam rock, scored their only American hit with this chugging, sultry tune that was later covered by the Duran Duran side project Power Station. And sadly, it was that version that I heard first. Forgive me, Marc Bolan.


30 - "Family Affair," Sly and the Family Stone
29 - "Don't Say You Don't Remember," Beverly Bremers
28 - "That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha," Bobby Womack
27 - "Make Me the Woman that You Go Home To," Gladys Knight and the Pips
26 - "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony," The Hillside Singers
25 - "Fire and Water," Wilson Pickett
24 - "Levon," Elton John
23 - "Black Dog," Led Zeppelin
22 - "The Witch Queen of New Orleans," Redbone
21 - "Kiss an Angel Good Morning," Charley Pride


Soul leads us off. Sly and the Family Stone had the last of their three Number 1s, this classic about familial relationships from the album There's A Riot Goin' On. Ex-Sam Cooke backing guitarist Bobby Womack is back, letting someone know how he feels about them. Pretty intensely, if this is any indication. I liked his recent work with Gorillaz, for whatever that's worth. Gladys Knight, with the usual able backing from the Pips, lets her man know she'd like him to stay home more. And Wilson Pickett, the man who gave the world "In the Midnight Hour" and "Mustang Sally," among others, had his last Top 40 hit with a song about a woman with a "heart made of ice." And this problem would be solved, he says, if "fire and water...make (her) their daughter." Interesting solution.


Two from the MOR camp. Former Hair Broadway cast member Beverly Bremers had her biggest of two Top 40 hits, a vaguely Phil Spector-sounding song about a girl who can't get over her first young love, even though he can. And the 9-member family act The Hillside Singers provide us with the first of two versions of the song that began life as the commercial jingle "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke." For some reason, I remember learning this at school in the early grades. I think it was around the same time we learned "Blowin' in the Wind." Ah yes, Bob Dylan and ad agency McCann Erickson, both creators of timeless folk music.

24 and 23 form something I haven't brought up for a while, the Classic Rock Double Shot. Elton John had just his third top 40 hit about a man who was born on Christmas Day, later named his own son Jesus because he liked the name, and went into business selling "cartoon balloons." And yes, Bernie Taupin named the character after The Band's Levon Helm. And hey, when you write out the gist of the lyric, it's pretty strange-sounding, so in a surprise, I'm giving Elton John this week's Uneasy Rider Award. Right after comes Robert Plant and his band, threatening to make you sweat and groove, mama. This isn't one of my favorites of theirs, but I must say it comes pretty close to being a "definitive" Zeppelin song.

And at 22 and 21, we have...two more songs. Before "Come and Get Your Love," Redbone just missed the Top 20 with a song about legendary Louisana voodoo priestess Marie Laveau. Okay, but I've got to say I prefer the Shel Silverstein song "Marie Laveau," as performed by Bobby Bare. And Charley Pride, baseball prospect-turned-trailblazing country star, had his biggest pop hit by far with a song about how marital bliss is the secret to happiness. Cool, I suppose.

Tomorrow: drowning, hurting, and roller skating.