March 25, 1978 Part Two

First of all, sorry about yesterday. I couldn't figure out how to correct how screwy it turned out, so I gave up. But I've corrected the problem for today, and I've fixed yesterday's too. So here we go.

20 - "Running on Empty," Jackson Browne
19 - "Ebony Eyes," Bob Welch
18 - "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye," England Dan and John Ford Coley
17 - "(What a) Wonderful World," Art Garfunkel with James Taylor and Paul Simon
16 - "Our Love," Natalie Cole

We start with our first visit from one of the decade's iconic singwriters, Jackson Browne. This rocker about Browne's ambivalence toward life as a touring musician was only the third highest-charting single of his career, but it is arguably the one best remembered today. Definitely one I liked at the time.

Then it's ex-Fleetwood Mac man Bob Welch, with a rockier-than-I recalled ode to a woman whose dark ocular organs render him put him in a dreamlike state while simultaneously blinding him. This is apparently a good thing. Anyway, I like this much better that "Sentimental Lady."

Next are England Dan and John Fo.....zzzzzzz. I can't even get through their name without falling asleep from boredom. It's more sleepy MOR that isn't "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight." Don't remember it, don't care.

Art Garfunkel's last major chart success had come with "My Little Town," a one-off reunion with his old buddy Paul. Three years later, Art returned to the charts with a Sam Cooke cover that featured both Simon and fellow folkie James Taylor on backup vocals. It's much like Taylor's soul covers: pretty but bland. I do wonder, however, if this was recorded before or after James had an ant infestation in his Martha's Vineyard home and his neighbor Art came over with his compressor to create a total vacuum that blew the ants out the door.

Last in this group is Nat King's daughter with a made-for-weddings ballad about a love that will "stand taller than a tree," and "shine brighter than the night." Not my thing, but it seems like it should be better known than it is.

15 - "Jack and Jill," Raydio
14 - "Falling," LeBlanc and Carr
13 - "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)," Chic
12 - "Dust in the Wind," Kansas
11 - "Just the Way You Are," Billy Joel

We start with Raydio, whose misspelled name is due to the group's founder, Ray Parker Jr. This, their first hit, was a retelling of the famous nursery rhyme in which Jack is left alone on the hill one too many times, so he goes down the slope to get some outside attention of his own. It's not the first repurposing of a kid's story for pop purposes, but in a weak week, it gets the Uneasy Rider Award. And it's by far the catchiest of the few hits Raydio would have before Parker Jr. went solo and had a smash with the title song from Ghostbusters. But then Huey Lewis sued him because he felt that song plagiarized from "I Want a New Drug." It was settled out of court, but I think Huey would have won at trial. But I'm hardly a legal expert.

Then it's the faceless duo of Leblanc and Carr with an unremarkable knockoff of the Eagles, America, and other soft rockers. It made no impression on me at all. Moving on.

Chic had their first hit with a number that's sparer than their later smashes, but still does a tremendous job of making one want to do what the title instructs. There's some nice flute in it.

Then it's Kansas with their biggest hit, the acoustic ballad that has made generations of knucklehead rock fans get all reflective and philosophical for a few minutes before the DJ plays some Nugent or something. I guess that's a worthwhile feat.

Rounding out this bunch is Billy Joel with his biggest ballad. Not a fan of it, but it's still better than that Bruno Mars song of the same name. No, I don't think I'm just being a bitter, closed-minded old man. Why would you ask that?

And then, there were ten:

10 - "Thunder Island," Jay Ferguson
This bit of 70s lite-rock about a couple's idyll during a tropical storm is an okay song by an ex-member of the group Spirit. But my favorite composition by him is, by far, the theme from the U.S version of The Office.

9 - "If I Can't Have You," Yvonne Elliman
Here's another one of the songs I've been waiting to cover here, the Gibb brothers-written standout (to me) of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. It was a huge favorite of mine as a kid, and time hasn't changed that at all. I don't know what it is: the arrangement, the way the drums sound, the urgency of Yvonne's voice, the big verses and even choruses. Whatever it is, it just hits all my sweet spots. Easily in my Top Ten of the whole decade.

8 - "Sometimes When We Touch," Dan Hill
And now to the other extreme, this overwrought bit of cheese that almost makes me ashamed to be Canadian. Awful awful awful.

7 - "I Go Crazy," Paul Davis
It's one of the great mysteries of this decade how this inconsequential ballad stayed on the charts for a record number of weeks. Coming up with theories of how this could have happened is much more interesting than listening to the song.

6 - "(Love is) Thicker than Water," Andy Gibb
Another hit by the Bee Gees little bro. His best, as far as I'm concerned. But he just never had anything that could stand up to his siblings' best. It really is too bad.

5 - "Can't Smile Without You," Barry Manilow
One of the B-Man's biggest, a silly little number about how a certain person's absence robs his life of joy. Although he sounds pretty happy while singing it. What gives, Barry?

4 - "Lay Down Sally," Eric Clapton
The artist formerly known as God hit the commercial peak of his late-70s country-pop period with this song about wanting a lady to stay a while. Good guitar playing here, but he did too many songs like this. This one is the only one still worth hearing.

3 - "Emotion," Samantha Sang
The one hit by this Australian songstress, featuring so much help from the Bee Gees that she almost seems like a guest on her own record. And if it had been credited to the Brothers Gibb, it would have given them a rare feat, because look what follows it.

2 - "Stayin' Alive," The Bee Gees
And here it is, the song that accompanied John Travolta's movie-opening strut and instantly became both legendary and cliched. Divorcing it from its ubiquity, I've got to admit it's a fantastic song. It does indeed make you feel, well, alive.

And on top 33 years ago was...

1 - "Night Fever," The Bee Gees
Yes, those Australian freres had the top two songs this week. And this made a total of six songs from Saturday Night Fever on this chart. Honestly, I've never been very big on this one. It's okay, but it's miles below "Stayin' Alive." I just don't get it.

The NotCaseys were "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon, "It's a Heartache" by Bonnie Tyler, and "With a Little Luck" by Wings. The first two are great. The third, meh.

Back next week, and hopefully the entries will be presentable the first time.

March 25, 1978 Part One

Spring '78 this week. I was in Grade 1, and excitement for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Edmonton filled the air. Well, not really. Anyway, here we go.

40 - "Imaginary Lover," Atlanta Rhythm Section
39 - "Disco Inferno," The Trammps
38 - "Boogie Shoes," KC and the Sunshine Band
37 - "The Circle is Small," Gordon Lightfoot
36 - "You Really Got Me," Van Halen
35 - "Count on Me," Jefferson Starship
34 - "It's You that I Need," Enchantment
33 - "How Deep is Your Love," The Bee Gees
32 - "Feels So Good," Chuck Mangione
31 - "Name of the Game," ABBA

We start with easy listening. The Atlanta Rhythm Section, a group that included members of Classics IV (the 60s band best known for "Spooky," which ARS would later redo) were classified as "Southern Rock," but all the stuff of theirs I remember,including this song about a fictional paramour, would not be confused with ZZ Top or Skynyrd. I have them as MOR all the way. Gordon Lightfoot follows, employing his typical gentle folk to tell his lady friend to just admit she's cheating on him, dammit! You wouldn't know it unless you paid close attention to the lyrics. Come on, Gord, drop the Canadian reserve and get angry, man! The much-hated (by me at least) Jefferson Starship are back with another lump of gooey doctor's office crap. They are terrible. That is all. The world's best-known flugelhorn player, Chuch Mangione had his biggest hit by far with this poppy instrumental, which, while hardly great, kicks the ass of anything Kenny G would go on to do. And Sweden's biggest non-Volvo or IKEA import had another hit with this midtempo ballad that doesn't really do it for me like some of their other stuff. It just lacks a certain spark, a certain drama.

There were three tracks from the then red-hot Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. The Trammps originally put out "Disco Inferno" in 1976, but it wasn't until it was included on the SNF record that it became the ubiquitous touchstone it is now. Burn the mother down, indeed. There's a similar story about "Boogie Shoes," but that first came out in '75. Not one of their bigger hits, but it might be my favorite. Lastly there are the soundtrack's centrepiece act with the monster ballad that was actually written for the movie. We would hear more of them, and this album, later.
We end with a rocker and a soul ballad. The first incarnation of the Van Halen brothers' band made their chart debut with an enjoyable but inconsequential cover of a Kinks classic. Valerie Bertinelli, lead singer roulette, and "no brown M&Ms" were still to come. And Enchantment were a Detroit R&B group who hit the top of the soul charts with this solid but hardly memorable ballad. There always seems to be at least one of these.

30 - "Thank You for Being a Friend," Andrew Gold
29 - "Hot Legs," Rod Stewart
28 - "The Closer I Get to You," Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
27 - "Lady Love," Lou Rawls
26 - "Before My Heart Finds Out," Gene Cotton
25 - "Sweet Talkin' Woman," Electric Light Orchestra
24 - "Flash Light," Parliament
23 - "Which Way is Up," Stargard
22 - "Goodbye Girl," David Gates
21 - "Always and Forever," Heatwave

Only three MOR nuggets here. First of all, yes, that song at #30 is the same tune that would go on to be the theme for the legendary sitcom The Golden Girls. But before it was re-recorded for Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia, it was the second and last hit for the son of Marni Nixon, a singer best known for providing the singing voices for Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, among others. Gene Cotton his biggest hit with this one about being left by a woman. But it only hit #23, I don't remember it, it was bland, so who cares. And the former lead singer of Bread had his biggest solo hit with this title song from a Richard Dreyfuss movie based on a Neil Simon play. It's a ballad (surprise), but you know what, it's pretty good. Definitely better than a lot of the Bread crumbs.
A couple of rock numbers here. Rod Stewart is here singing about his favorite subject. This time it takes the form of a lady who gives him such a workout that he requires "a shot of Vitamin E." Although I guess he likes that, because he then asks her to "bring your mother too." Oh Rod, you scallawag you. ELO are here again with another of their many pieces of tasty ear candy. This one is notable for those string breaks that are there seemingly to justify them calling themselves an "orchestra."

We close out with a big batch of R&B/funk/soul. Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway had their last and biggest hit together with this smooth ballad. Sadly, Hathaway, who struggled with depression through much of his life, would die of an apparent suicide a year later. Lou Rawls had one of the smoothest voices ever, and this ode to a woman whose love is "tender as a baby's touch" would be his last Top 40 hit. But his voice would still be heard in songs he wrote and performed for Garfield animated specials, including, of course, the Christmas special. Parliament, one of George Clinton's two space-funk collectives, had their second Top 40 hit with this booty-mover that reminds us that "Everybody's got a little light under the sun." I don't remember this from childhood, however. Maybe George was considered too far out for Canadian ears. Stargard were a female vocal trio who made their biggest impression with this fantastically funky title song to a Richard Pryor movie about the romantic entanglements of an orange picker. At least that's what Wikipedia says. And Heatwave, the group best known for the disco-funk smashes "Boogie Nights" and "The Groove Line," are here with a tender, slow-dance ready ballad. Did you know that they had members from the U.S., the U.K., Jamaica, Switzerland, and Czechoslovakia? Well, now you do. What you do with this information is entirely up to you.
Tomorrow: a famous duo plus one, a man who was sued by Huey Lewis, and Gibbs galore.

March 15, 1975 Part Two

Picking up where we left off.

20 - "My Boy," Elvis Presley
19 - "I Am Love, Part 2," The Jackson 5
18 - "Sad Sweet Dreamer," Sweet Sensation
17 - "To the Door of the Sun (Alle Porte del Sol)," Al Martino
16 - "Up in a Puff of Smoke," Polly Brown

We start off with Elvis, back with the same song as last time,, like three of the four others in this bunch. He's almost operatic in his love for his son on this one. It's growing on me

The only non repeater comes from Michael and his bros. This was the closest they had come to disco to date. It was also their last top 40 hit before they left Motown and Jermaine and became The Jacksons. As farewells to eras go, it's decent, but not spectacular.

Sweet Sensation are back, and still boring as hell. Nothing sad or sweet about it. Just sounds like a tossed-off theme from a bad early 70s romantic comedy or something. I'm sure other people like this a lot, but its appeal is completely lost on me.

Al Martino returns with his last hit. On second listen, I like it better, especially because I heard more of it. It appeals to me in the same way Tom Jones' more dramatic stuff does. But I still like Al best when Marlon Brando is slapping him and shouting "You can act like a MAN!"

Rounding out the section is England's Polly Brown. It's still a very nice Supremes impression, which I'm sure was welcome to radio listeners' ears at the time. In fact, it's always welcome. Hey Katy, Britney, Gaga, somebody. Faithfully cover this. Millions will be thankful.

15 - "Shame, Shame, Shame," Shirley and Company
14 - "No No Song/Snookeroo," Ringo Starr
13 - "Best of My Love," The Eagles
12 - "You Are So Beautiful," Joe Cocker
11 - "Poerty Man," Phoebe Snow

Shirley Goodman first had musical success with the duo Shirley and Lee, who had a hit with "Let the Good Times Roll" (which was also on the Stand by Me soundtrack. Two mentions of that record in two days. Didn't see that coming) in 1956. Two decades later, she finally charted again by fronting a disco group and singing the hell out of this sparse-yet-funky slice of greatness. The group followed up with the similarly titled "Cry, Cry, Cry," but it barely charted, and Shirley left the music business. But if you're only going to be known for two songs, the two she's known for are as good a pair as any.

Then it's Richard Starkey with another one of those double-sided hits. "No No Song" is the one I remember. Co-written by Hoyt Axton, who also wrote Steppenwolf's "The Pusher" and Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World," it's a jaunty novelty about a guy who turns down marijuana, cocaine, and whiskey because he's "tired of waking up on the floor." But because of the drug references, some radio stations didn't want to play it, and Casey didn't play it on this week's countdown (although it was played as a NotCasey Extra). Instead, he played the flip side, an okay Elton John/Bernie Taupin composition about a misspent British youth. No no no no, I don't need to hear it no more.

The Eagles are back with their biggest hit to that point. You know it, you've heard it a thousand times, it's been covered here twice already, let's move on.

The it's Joe Cocker, very simply and directly singing the praises of someone's beauty. It's one of those songs that had to exist. It's neither good nor bad, but it had to be written sometime. Don't question me on this.

Finally, Phoebe Snow is back singing about the shy guy who can be a smoothie given the right circumstances. I know a guy like that.

Top ten, top ten, jiggity jog.

10 - "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You," Sugarloaf featuring Jerry Corbetta
This is certainly one of the first songs I remember liking a lot. It just had this big, bottom-heavy sound, and I think I also liked that the singer wasn't really singing on the choruses. It would definitely be in my top 40 of this entire decade.

9 - "Can't Get it Out of My Head," Electric Light Orchestra
ELO again with their first American hit. Okay, but I like their peppier stuff. Or if you have to play a slow one, give me "Telephone Line" over this.

8 - "Express," B.T. Express
String-and-horn-laden disco with a train whistle. What's not to like?

7 - "Lonely People," America
This is somehow in the same position as it was a month ago. I'm sure it moved around in the weeks between, but still.

6 - "Lady," Styx
Chicago's Seger again with their first hit. When The Simpsons did an episode in which Homer was portraying Odysseus, this song played in the background while he crossed the River Styx. He found the experience truly hellish. Not my best Simpsons reference, but it was slim pickings this week.

5 - "Lovin' You," Minnie Riperton
Maya Rudolph's late mother returns with the song that unveiled her ability to sing in what's called "the whistle register" to the world. And yes, it's pronounce "RIP-erton," not "RIPE-erton," in spite of there only being one "P."

4 - "Have You Never Been Mellow," Olivia Newton-John
Another of my early favorites. This song made ONJ #1 in my 4-year-old heart. It's just so warm and comforting. A three-minute hug. And who couldn't use one of those from time to time?

3 - "Lady Marmalade," LaBelle
Yet another one of the first songs that made me prick up my ears every time I heard it. Again, it probably had something to do with me thinking they were singing about shit. Disturbing, I know. But would you rather I knew it was about a hooker? Didn't think so.

2 - "My Eyes Adored You," Frankie Valli
I liked this a lot as a kid too. But unlike the others I've mentioned, I'm over it. I still like "Grease," though, Frankie, even though I'll never understand why a disco song was the theme from a movie about the 50s.

And at peak of pop at this moment of the past, we find...

1 - "Black Water," The Doobie Brothers
I've told you how cool I think it is that a song like this went to #1. But what I haven't told you is something I just read: this is one of the songs the Doobies did when they appeared on a two-part episode of What's Happening! dealing with the scourge of bootleg recording. Hey HEY Hey!

Besides "No No Song," NotCasey played Ace's "How Long" and "Amie" by the Pure Prairie League.

Next week is looking like another fun one, so start getting your hopes up now.

March 15, 1975 Part One

It wasn't that long since we last visited '75, and it hadn't been that long since the one before that. Oh well, still enough turnover to make it interesting.

40 - "Satin Soul," Love Unlimited Orchestra
39 -"Fire," The Ohio Players
38 - "Walking in Rhythm," The Blackbyrds
37 - "The South is Gonna Do It," The Charlie Daniels Band
36 - "Butter Boy," Fanny
35 - "Philadelphia Freedom," Elton John
34 - "Never Let Her Go," David Gates
33 - "Movin' On," Bad Company
32 - "Before the Next Teardrop Falls," Freddy Fender
31- "Part of the Plan," Dan Fogelberg

R&B holds down the first three spots. Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra had their only other hit besides the monster "Love's Theme" with this one, a funkier and more uptempo instrumental that has some real butt-movin' bass parts. The Ohio Players return again with their soulful smash about flames. Not bad at all, but among songs from this decade with that title, the Pointer ladies' take on The Boss wins in a walk. And the Blackbyrds, a group made up of then-students at Howard University in Washington. D.C., had their biggest success with this smooth midtempo number about a guy slowly making his way back home to his woman. Very nice.

Country is represented twice here. Charlie Daniels makes his second Top 40 appearance after the famous (at least around these parts) "Uneasy Rider" with a fun boogie that's fortunately not about re-fighting the Civil War, but rather a tribute to Southern rockers of the time like Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers Band, and ZZ Top. And Freddy Fender is here with the song that gave him a second chance at stardom after his first try in the early sixties was derailed by a drug arrest. It's a ballad about a guy who says he's happy for his beloved's apparent contentment with another man, but who promises to jump right in to comfort her if that guy ever leaves her. Okay, it sounds a little less creepy when Freddy sings it. Especially in Spanish.

Of course there's rock. Fanny are best remembered as the first major American all-female band (as opposed to the many all-girl vocal groups that had come before). They didn't have a huge career, but they did manage three Top 40 singles, the last of which was the one here, in which the singer makes her sexual desires known in the most explicit terms that 1975 pop radio would allow. It's a catchy little ditty, and I'm giving it the Uneasy Rider Award not for the gender makeup of the band (whose lineup at this time included the sister of Suzi "Leather Tuscadero" Quatro), but because of the way the carnal frankness of the lyric combines with the song's title. Just what does she want this boy to do with that butter? Elton John is present yet again with one of my favorites of his, a bouncy, string-drenched ode to liberation whose title was inspired by the name of his friend Billie Jean King's team in the World Team Tennis league. I used to have a digital watch whose alarm tone always reminded of me of this song, because it sounded like the two-note violin motif heard throughout "Philadelphia Freedom." And Bad Company are back with a song about a ramblin' man. I'd much rather hear...um..."Ramblin' Man."

And there will always be MOR. Once and future Bread man David Gates returns with one of his solo hits that really weren't that different from the stuff he did with the band. He's just musical wallpaper. And Dan Fogelberg, future balladeer of New Year's Eve and the Kentucky Derby, had his very first hit single with a folky, uptempo tune about living and learning. Eventually, he'd get all sappy with that "Longer" song. Of course, that was his biggest hit, so I guess he had the right idea. Still hate it, though. But this one's okay.

30 - "Supernatural Thing, Part I," Ben E. King

29 - "Emma," Hot Chocolate

28 - "I'm a Woman," Maria Muldaur
27 - "Harry Truman," Chicago
26 - "Roll On Down the Highway," Bachman-Turner Overdrive
25 - "Emotion," Helen Reddy
24 - "Chevy Van," Sammy Johns
23 - "Once You Get Started," Rufus
22 - "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," B.J. Thomas
21 - "Pick Up the Pieces," The Average White Band

We start with soul/funk. Ben E. King, a hitmaker of the late 50s and early 60s, had his first hit in twelve years by updating his sound and singing about "interplanetary, extraordinary love." He wouldn't have another first-time hit, but in another 11 years, he was back on the charts when his classic "Stand by Me" was re-released in conjunction with the hit movie of the same name. Britain's Hot Chocolate had their first taste of American success with this tale of a woman who dreams of movie stardom, but fails to find success and eventually commits suicide. I didn't remember this too well, but now I have to say I like it better than their other hits. Kind of reminds me of Dr. Hook's version of Shel Silverstein's "Queen of the Silver Dollar." Chaka Khan and Rufus moved into disco territory with a song that I was surprised to learn contained the phrase "party hearty." And the Average White Band are here once again with their signature instrumental. Funky Scotland represent.

Lots of easy listening type stuff by solo artists. Maria Muldaur returns to brag about her cooking and loving skills. Helen Reddy, one of the patron saints of BGC, has an just-okay-for-her song here about a woman trying to hang on to a guy who's losing interest. Sammy Johns had his only hit with this gentle song about no-strings-attached sex with a hitchhiker. Hitchhiking has lost a lot of its appeal over the years. Casual sex, on the other hand... And B.J. Thomas, who'd had some major successes with "Hooked on a Feeling" and "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head," had his first and only #1 with this country number about a guy whose romantic woes put him in the mood to hear "a real hurtin' song." At the time, this was the longest-titled charttopper ever. Don't ask me if that record still stands.

A couple non-funk bands play us out. Chicago were at their jazziest with a song decrying the politcal corruption of the Nixon era and asking for help from the man who upset Thomas Dewey. And BTO show up again. singing about the road and rockin' Canadian style.

Tomorrow: We've got smoke, poetry, and a prostitute. You know that's a party you want to go to.

March 10, 1979

We're back in the last vestiges of this decade, so another cut-off countdown. But on the plus side, one-stop shopping!

33 - "Maybe I'm a Fool," Eddie Money
32 - "Somewhere in the Night," Barry Manilow
31 - "I Was Made for Dancing," Leif Garrett
30 - "Music Box Dancer," Frank Mills
29 - "Song on the Radio," Al Stewart
28 - "Blue Morning, Blue Day," Foreigner
27 - "No Tell Lover," Chicago
26 - "Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet," Gonzalez
25 - "Stumblin' In," Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman
24 - "Forever in Blue Jeans," Neil Diamond
23 - "Crazy Love," Poco

Several shades of rock in this opening group. Eddie Money, the meat and potatoes rocker from a family of Irish-American cops leads off with a disco-sounding song that doesn't suit him nearly as well as earlier hits "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise." Al Stewart, whose biggest success came with the enigmatic "Year of the Cat" and "Time Passages," had his third hit with a slightly more lyrically straightforward tune about a lady who reminds him of tunes he hears on his wireless. Foreigner are back singing about colors and times of day. Okay, Lou, I'll see things your way. Suzi Quatro was an American who had multiple hits in Britain, but her only U.S. hit was this mellow duet with the singer from Smokie (the band we encountered "Living Next Door to Alice" a while back). But to me and many of my generation, she'll always be Pinky Tuscadero's little sister Leather from Happy Days. And folk-rockers Poco, a band co-founded by Buffalo Springfield's Richie Furay and future Kenny Loggins sidekick Jim Messina, had their best known hit with "Crazy Love," even though by now, those two guys were long gone. Oh, and this was from an album whose cover was designed by Phil Hartman.

A big showing from the easy-listening squad as well. Barry Manilow returns with a song from our last visit to this period. Casey calls him something to effect of "the best thing to happen to romance since, well, Cupid." I like Barry and all, but I would dispute that. Then it's Frank Mills, the Canadian pianist who sweeps in to claim this week's Uneasy Rider Award with his tinkly instrumental than broke five years after its initial release. It was on the B-side of a new single, but an Ottawa DJ decided to play it instead of the A, and it became a hit there. Later, a Nashville TV producer heard it and decided to use it as the closing music for the nightly news, and that's how it began to spread in the U.S. Anyway, it sounds like it's title, and young Homer Simpson once used it as backing music for an ill-fated gymnastics routine. Chicago are back, making adultery sound much too mushy for my tastes. And Neil Diamond shows up to sing the praises of denim on a track from his You Don't Bring Me Flowers album. My parents acquired this LP, but I don't remember how.

What's left is disco. Teen sensation Leif Garrett is back with his biggest hit, professing his aptitude for dance. Having never seen him trip the light fantastic, I can't comment. And British funk group Gonzales had their only U.S. hit with a song written and co-produced by Gloria Jones, who is best known for two things: recording the original version of Soft Cell's 80s classic "Tainted Love," and being behind the wheel of the car that crashed and claimed the life of her boyfriend, T. Rex's Marc Bolan. Her story is much more interesting than this slice of boilerplate disco.

22 - "Knock on Wood," Amii Stewart

21 - "Big Shot," Billy Joel

20 - "I Just Fall in Love Again," Anne Murray
19 - "Lady," The Little River Band
18 - "Dancin' Shoes," Nigel Olsson
17 - "The Gambler," Kenny Rogers

Amii Stewart had her only U.S. hit with this high-energy disco remake of Eddie Floyd's R&B classic. I remember loving this as a kid, and I also remember her seeing her perform this on TV in some bizarre outfit that I vaguely remember. Anyway, it's still fantastic.

Next is Billy Joel with a rockin' song about a rich young lady who rides in limousines and wears Halston, but embarrasses herself with the thing she does under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. I'm certain there were several women at the time hanging around Studio 54 who could have inspired this. In introducing this, Casey said Billy "looks like a boxer but sings like an angel." I suppose, Case.

Continuing with Casey's introductions, he presented Anne Murray's then-current hit by saying that she, smoked salmon, and the fact that the Vikings first landed in North America there are the three things Nova Scotia is most famous for. Nothing really remarkable about the song. I heard it a million times back then, and it's pleasant enough.

Australia's boring Little River Band are here singing about a woman who's "there on the dance floor making me want you somehow." I assume she'd have to be dancing to a song other than this to achieve that. In the battle of late 70's "Lady" songs, Styx wins, but that's hardly a ringing endorsement.

Nigel Olsson was the original drummer for Elton John's touring band, but he would leave Reg to start a solo career. His biggest period of success was now, and his second and biggest hit was here. He sounds a bit like Gary Wright, but this maudlin ballad is no "Dream Weaver," that's for sure.

Last in this bunch is good old Kenny R. and his ballad of that warm summer's eve on that train bound for nowhere. I've heard this song hundreds of times, and I still can't say that I know when to hold 'em or when to fold 'em. Am I missing something?

16 - "Every Time I Think of You," The Babys
15 - "What You Won't Do for Love," Bobby Caldwell
14 - "Don't Cry Out Loud," Melissa Manchester
13 - "Got to Be Real," Cheryl Lynn
12 - "Lotta Love," Nicolette Larson
11 - "Le Freak," Chic

This section begins with the second and last hit for John Waite's first big band. It's very similar to "Isn't it Time," but there's a female voice that sings the hook on the choruses. I think I like "Isn't it Time" just slightly better, but both are nice pop-rock nuggets that provoke good memories of the era.

Then it's Bobby Caldwell and his only major U.S, hit, a catchy bit of jazzy soul that I think I remember. His record company felt they needed to hide the fact that Caldwell was white to get him on R&B radio, but this is so good I don't think it would have mattered. Apparently, he would go on to be big in Japan.

Melissa Manchester follows with her big diva ballad about circuses and stifling emotions. I remember some of her later, more uptempo material. "Pretty Girls" I liked, but "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" was terrible.

Then it's Cheryl Lynn, dercrying the artificial and lighting up the disco. It's good, I've covered it before, not much more to say.

In a similar vein, we have Nicolette Larson's main impression on pop culture, her Neil Young cover. I heard it a lot back then, and it was probably in the upper third of songs I liked at the time.

Ending this sextet are Chic, who probably have two of the five greatest disco songs of the era with "Good Times" and this one which I heard three weeks in a row recently due to CKOC glitches.

Let's go Top Tennin', now, everybody's learnin' how.

10 - "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits
Mark Knopfler was inspired to write his first hit, this song about an unsung jazz band, after hearing a group play to a deserted pub. Still my favorite song of theirs. Plus it wasn't banned by Canadian radio stations recently, unlike "Money for Nothing."

9 - "Y.M.C.A.," The Village People
And there they are again: the cop, the cowboy, the Indian, the construction worker, the biker, and the guy who was sometimes a soldier and others a sailor. Yes kids, there was a time when most people looked at the Village People and didn't immediately jump to conclusions about their sexuality. Under all the camp, there was genuine subversion. Then in the 80s, they tried a "New Romantic" look and sound. There's nothing subversive about failed trend-hopping. Fortunately for everyone, no one remembers that. Well, almost no one.

8 - "What a Fool Believes," The Doobie Brothers
Here it is, the song whose massive success cemented the fact that the Michael McDonald version of the Doobies was no longer a fun boogie-rock band, but instead, a slick, corporate MOR machine. McDonald wrote it with fellow unthreatening boy Kenny Loggins. But for all that, it's not a bad little song. It certainly doesn't inspire the intense rage in me that much of Jefferson Starship's 70s output does.

7 - "Shake Your Groove Thing," Peaches and Herb
The aptly named Herb Fame had some hits with the original "Peaches," Francine Barker, in the late 60s. Then he got out of the music business. But in the late 70s, he returned with a new Peaches, Linda Greene, and had some more hits, most notably "Reunited" and this disco classic that coins yet another name for the posterior regions. Apparently, Herb's still working, and he's on Peaches #6. I don't know about you, but if all the surviving ex-Peaches got together and toured, I'd go see them.

6 - "A Little More Love," Olivia Newton-John
ONJ is back with the song that was to her career what her outfit at the end of Grease was to the Sandy character. "Tell me about it, stud." Okay, I will. I found the country-folk stuff of the early years much sexier. This is a good song, but the persona seems put-on.

5 - "Heaven Knows," Donna Summer with Brooklyn Dreams
The return of this hit by disco's Grande Dame, on which she was assisted by the guy who wrote that Karate Kid song and his group. Apparently, Brooklyn Dreams also co-wrote "Bad Girls." That's a better song, possibly because this guy doesn't sing on it.

4 - "Fire," The Pointer Sisters
Anita, Ruth, and June, covering Bruce. Love it, even when there's no one around for me to accompany on mouth bass while she sings it and sings it damn well.

3 - "Tragedy," The Bee Gees
Of all the Gibbs' disco-era hits, this is probably third behind "Jive Talkin'" and "Nights on Broadway." Yes, I like it better than the Saturday Night Fever songs. It just has an urgency to it that I like. Almost an ominousness at some points. And Barry's falsetto is at its fullest flower, especially on that one extended high note near the end.

2 - "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," Rod Stewart
As Tim Curry once sang on his shoulda-been-a-hit "I Do the Rock," "Rodney's feeling sexy." As I've said, this is less icky than "Tonight's the Night." But because of the 90s cover version by Revolting Cocks, I always end up thinking of "K-Y jelly" instead of "milk and coffee" when I hear the last verse. Damn you Al Jourgensen!

And 32 years ago, everyone in the United States was living their lives while the following song played in the background more often than any other:

1 - "I Will Survive," Gloria Gaynor
We all know it. Many of us are sick of it. Myself, I resent this song because it overshadows Gloria's cover of "Never Can Say Goodbye," which is much better. Oh well, I guess if people have used it as an anthem to get over hard times, I can live with it. I just don't need to hear it ever again.

The two NotCasey Extras were songs #35 and #38 from this week: Eddie Rabbitt's title song to the Clint Eastwood movie Every Which Way But Loose, and Sister Sledge's first Top 40 hit "He's the Greatest Dancer." Casey played two #1s from early '73: Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" and Elton John's "Crocodile Rock." And there was a Long Distance Dedication from a woman named Laura to her first love David, with whom she fell in love during a high school trip to the province of Quebec. She asked Casey to play Gino Vanelli's "I Just Wanna Stop," because she hoped David would hear it wherever he was and think about "those nights in Montreal."

Another one next week, and I'll be listening and giving you something to kill a few minutes reading. It's good to have a purpose in life.

March 6, 1976 Part Two

The fun doesn't stop 'til we get to the top.


20 - "The White Knight," Cledus Maggard and the Citizens' Band
19 - "Dream On," Aerosmith
18 - "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," Neil Sedaka
17 - "Golden Years," David Bowie
16 - "Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)," Bee Gees

The second half opens with a guy named Jay Huguely, who was working as an advertising executive when he recorded this novelty record, which capitalized on the way CB radio and trucker lingo had begun to penetrate popular culture (see also C.W. McCall's "Convoy.") In this song, a trucker thinks he's getting help avoiding police speed traps from a fellow traveler who calls himself The White Knight, only to find that his "good buddy" is actually a "smokey" who is luring him into going over the limit in a speed trap so he can make an arrest. Um, breaker breaker, etc.

Next are Aerosmith with their first Top Ten, which didn't chart until two years after it's initial release. It's one of the prototypical power ballads, which was later sampled to great effect on Eminem's "Sing for the Moment." Steven Tyler is showing himself to be a surprisingly soft touch on Idol. I miss Simon.

Neil Sedaka continued his career revival with a maudlin piano ballad version of one of his biggest 60s hits. Not necessary at all. Without "kamma kamma dow doo-bee-doo dow dow," what's the point.

David Bowie only had four Top 40 singles in the U.S. during this decade, and "Golden Years" was the last. It continued in the funk/R&B vein of "Fame." Perhaps it's no coincidence that he wouldn't hit the 40 in America by himself until he returned to that territory with "Let's Dance."

The Bee Gees end this section with an unremarkable disco ballad. It wasn't released as a single in the U.K., but given what "fanny" means in British slang, that's probably for the best.

15 - "Love to Love You Baby," Donna Summer

14 - "Baby Face," The Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps

13 - "Junk Food Junkie," Larry Groce

12 - "Wake Up Everybody," Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes

11 - " Sweet Thing," Rufus featuring Chaka Khan

This group is led by the breakthrough hit for disco's future queen. Its lyrics were somewhat sexually explicity, but it was Donna's breathy delivery that really sold it. The full, 16-plus minute version apparently includes a great deal of simulated orgasmic moaning from Ms. Summer, just in case a few people still didn't get the point.

"Baby Face" dates all the way back to 1926. It's so old, Al Jolson had a hit with it. It had been covered many times since, but it was first introduced to my young ears in this disco version by the cheekily named Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps. It's a silly little trifle that I liked as a kid, but now, I would need an extremely forceful shove to fall in love with it.

Larry Groce had his only hit with this jokey folk number about a man who consumes nothing but health food during the day, but at night gets his fix of less nutritious treats, to his great shame. Some of the references are dated (communes, Euell Gibbons), but the subject matter has, if anything, increased in relevance. It's not hilarious or anything, but it's fun, and certainly different enough to claim this week's Uneasy Rider Award.

Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes had their last Top 40 single with this entry in the crowded "Let's change the world" R&B song category. And it does not stand out in that field

Finally it's Chaka Khan and her band with a sultry soul love song. It's really nice. Sorry, but sometimes, there's only so much that can be said. Just seek this out and listen for yourself.

Ten to one, fun fun fun.

10 - "You Sexy Thing," Hot Chocolate

The best-remembered hit by these British funksters. It was frequently sung by SCTV station manager Edith Prickley, and later provided the background for stripteases by the steelworkers-turned-dancers in The Full Monty and Krusty the Clown's monkey sidekick Mr. Teeny.

9 - "Love Hurts," Nazareth
These Scottish rockers had their biggest single with this cover of a song from 1960 that had previously been recorded by the Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison, among others. But even though I love Roy and what he did with this, this version deserves to be the definitive one.

8 - "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," Paul Simon
Garfunkel's ex had another big one on his own with this list of suggestions to those who want to get out of relationships. Although contrary to what the song says, I'm sure slipping out the back is meant to be an option for people who aren't named Jack. Same for hopping on a bus and people not named Gus, dropping off the key and people not named Lee, etc.

7 - "Lonely Night (Angel Face)," The Captain and Tennille

Daryl Dragon and Toni T. return with another song written by Neil Sedaka, who also wrote "Love Will Keep Us Together." This was almost as successful, but nowhere near as catchy. And I don't remember it at all. Honestly, I'd rather hear "Muskrat Love."

6 - "Dream Weaver," Gary Wright
This New Jersey musician, who'd previously experienced background glory by playing piano on Harry Nilsson's hit "Without You," came out front and scored a smash with this spacey, echoey ballad whose lyrics were inspired by the book Autobiography of a Yogi. I dare you to listen to it and not imagine yourself making out with someone in the back of a van. That seems to be what this song was made for.

5 - "Take it to the Limit," The Eagles
Most of this juggernaut's hits were sung by either Don Henley or Glenn Frey, but on this one, bassist Randy Meissner handled the vocal chores. To me, his voice sounds like what the result would be of electronically blending Henley's and Frey's voices. Anyway, this is probably in the top tier of the band's hits, and one I could actually picture myself singing along to in a public setting.

4 - "Theme from S.W.A.T.," Rhythm Heritage
This funky instrumental was much more successful than the cop show that spawned it. S.W.A.T. only lasted two seasons, while the theme song hit #1. I vaguely remember the show, but I'm sure the song is much better.

3 - "December 1963 (Oh What a Night)," The Four Seasons
I didn't like this song much as a kid, and I downright hated it when it came out again as a remix in the 90s. Probably one of the worst "first time" songs ever recorded. This is not the only reason I'll never see Jersey Boys, but it's the biggest by far.

2 - "All By Myself," Eric Carmen
Here it is, the song that single-handedly transformed Eric Carmen from the cool power-pop hero of The Raspberries to the purveyor of vomitous easy-listening mush. Terrible terrible terrible. You deserve to be all by yourself for writing whiny dreck like this, Carmen. And he also had to give a writing credit after the fact to classical composer Sergei Rachmaninoff for mistakenly believing one of his concertos was in the public domain. Plagiarist bastard.

And topping the charts four months before the USA turned 200 was...

1 - "Love Machine," The Miracles
Smokey never topped the pop charts without the Miracles, but they did without Smokey. And deservedly so. There's a whiff of cheese to this bumping funk number about the contraption d'amour that "won't work for nobody but you," but the way that one guy grunt-groans "HuhooHOOOhyyuh" on all the choruses is enough to make it worthy by itself, as far as I'm concerned.

NotCasey gave us two Extras: "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" by Elvin Bishop, and Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon." And Casey himself played Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans" after telling the story behind Guthrie's classic "Alice's Restauraunt."

Another one I'm looking forward to is on tap for next week. Join me, please.

March 6, 1976 Part One

The latter half of the decade, and 39 fresh songs out of 40. I'm happy.

40 - "Action," Sweet
39 - "Only Love is Real," Carole King
38 - "Let Your Love Flow," The Bellamy Brothers
37 - "Good Hearted Woman," Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson
36 - "Insperable," Natalie Cole
35 - "Hold Back the Night," The Trammps
34 - "Take it Like a Man," Bachman-Turner Overdrive
33 - "Love is the Drug," Roxy Music
32 - "Squeeze Box," The Who
31 - "Sweet Love," The Commodores

A good-sized rock contingent in this first group. British glam rockers Sweet kick things off with the most grandiose-sounding of their hits. This BTO song I didn't know at all, which I'm surprised at, given my heritage. It's basic blue-collar rock about life on the road, andmakes references to ZZ Top and prostitutes. It was their last U.S. hit. Bryan Ferry's smooth slicksters made their only impact on the American mainstream with this fantastic, dance floor-ready ode to cruising for chicks. The car-starting sounds at the beginning, incidentally, are from a TV-movie called Duel, which is best remembered for the fact that it was directed by some guy named Spielberg. And The Who show up with their memorable semi-novelty about what Mama has that causes Daddy's lack of sleep. And even though Roger Daltrey says that she wears the title instrument on her chest, one gets the feeling that it might really be located somewhat lower on her person. I had no idea about any of this at five, though. It was just fun and catchy. Plus, a banjo solo!

Then it's Carole King and the country bunch. Carole does her Kingly thing on yet another song. Nothing about it stands out. Just add it to the ball. The Bellamy Brothers (David and Homer to their loved ones) would have a long string of country hits, but their best known song, the future pop #1 didn't even crack the country Top 20. Their only other pop Top 4o was the immortal "If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me." Apparently, the current Britney Spears paraphrases that song's wordplay, and neither David nor Homer are happy about it. And another C&W duo, Waylon and Willie, cracked the pop charts with a live version of Waylon's song about a nice girl who can't help but love a bad boy. In a war of coolness and general badassery, the Ws crush the Bellamys.

This group closes out with the soul patrol. Nat King Cole's daughter followed up "This Will Be" with a kind of loungey number about how much she likes having her man around. I only knew the Trammps from "Disco Inferno," so I was quite surprised to hear that this earlier hit sounded like a cross between 60s Motown and "Build Me Up Buttercup." And the Commodores got their first Top Ten with a pretty but unremarkable ballad. It's a lot heavier on strings and such than later smashes like "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady." That's probably why I like those much better,

30 - "Just You and I," Melissa Manchester
29 - "Tangerine," Salsoul Orchestra
28 - "Cupid," Tony Orlando and Dawn
27 - "I Write the Songs," Barry Manilow
26 - "Disco Lady," Johnnie Taylor
25 - "Bohemian Rhapsody," Queen
24 - "Only Sixteen," Dr. Hook
23 - "Money Honey," The Bay City Rollers
22 - "Slow Ride," Foghat
21 - "Deep Purple," Donny and Marie Osmond

The residents of the middle of the road start us off. Melissa Manchester isn't somebody that ever made much of an impression on me, and even though this ballad is pretty big, especially at the end, it pales in comparison to such doctor's office classics as "Midnight Blue" and "Don't Cry Out Loud." Barry Manilow has the only returning hit from our last visit to this vicinity, telling us that he writes all the world's tunes when he didn't even write this one. Lying bastard. And Donny and Marie, whom commercials for their doll likenesses would refer to as "a fabulous pair," had another hit cover with a song that was written in 1933, had lyrics added five years later, was a 60s #1 for another bro/sis duo (Nino Temple and April Stevens), and was the inspiration for the name of the band who gave the world "Smoke on the Water." And writing all that was way more interesting and enjoyable than the song.

Also among the bland battalion are not one but two covers of Sam Cooke songs. Tony Orlando and Dawn had their last Top 40 hit with his song about a matchmaking cherub. But they had a good run, and the decade would not have been the same without their cheesy cheese. And Dr. Hook began his run of Medicine Show-less suckage with his take on Sam's tale of teen romance. Both have about as much soul to them as the late Mr. Cooke had in his pinky fingernail.

A mere two disco numbers here. The Salsoul Orchestra, the backup band for the label for which they were named, contained many of the members of MFSB, the Philadelphia International Records backing band that did the hit theme from Soul Train. Here, they're fronted by anonymous female vocalists singing about some really hot lady named after a fruit. And Johnnie Taylor, the man who had in the past advised men not to get divorced and watch out for Lotharios named, uh, Jody, debuted this week with a future #1 in which he tells a woman in a dance nightclub to "move it in" and then "shove it out." The man was nothing if not a smooth operator.

We close this section with rock. Queen didn't exactly "bring ballet to the masses," as Sid Vicious once accused Freddie Mercury of attempting to do when they encountered each other, but they did add a little opera to the lives of unsuspecting pop radio listeners with the "Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?" middle section of their hit here, which would be revived in the 90s by a couple of fictional suburban Chicago teens. Yes, when you look at it out of the context of its immense familiarity, it's a contender for the Uneasy Rider Award. But it was legitimately beaten out, I assure you. Scotland's teen heartthrobs named after a city in Michigan actually showed some real rock chops on their song here about the importance of currency. So now I can say I like two Bay City Rollers songs. And finally we have Foghat and their biggest hit, a rock staple about taking it easy. We all know it, so what else is there to say?

Tomorrow: a hit about CB radio (but probably not the one you're thinking of), an even older song than "Deep Purple," and a disco queen comes onto the scene. Literally.