Okay, here's the deal. For the 4th of July holiday (which also happens to be the anniversary of the first AT40 in 1970), Casey always used to take a break from counting down the hits of the week to do special theme shows. So for this week's 70s show, we're getting a 1978 show in which Casey counted down the Top 40 artists of the decade to that point. The ranking was based on a point system using the singles charts. So for the next few days, I'm going to first go through this list, artist by artist, and then I'll cover this week's 80s show, which ran down the Top 40 artists of the 80s as of July 1983. So here we go:
40 - EARTH, WIND AND FIRE
To this point in the decade: Since first charting in 1974 with "Mighty Mighty," the funk stars had totalled ten Top 40 singles,including the '75 #1 "Shining Star," and the song Casey played this week, their #5 of that year, "Sing a Song. The rest fell short of the Top 10.
My favorite of theirs from this time: Probably the #12 ballad "That's the Way of the World." Just simple and good.
How they finished out the decade: Four Top 40s, all of which went Top 10: "Got to Get You Into My Life," "September," "Boogie Wonderland" (with the Emotions) and the #2 ballad "After the Love has Gone."
39 - ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
To this point: Jeff Lynne and his symphonic rockers broke America with the #9 "Can't Get it Out of My Head." Six Top 40s followed, including the Top Tens "Telephone Line," and the song Casey played, "Evil Woman."
My favorite: "Livin' Thing" (#13), but only because "Mr. Blue Sky," didn't crack the Top 40 until about a month after this.
How they finished: Five more top 40s, including two Top Tens: "Shine a Little Love" and their only U.S. Top Five, "Don't Bring Me Down."
38 - GRAND FUNK (RAILROAD)
To this point: The Flint, Michigan rock machine reached the 40 nine times, going Top 5 four times and hitting #1 twice with "The Loco-Motion," and the song Casey played: "We're an American Band."
My favorite: "We're an American Band," obviously. Sleaze and debauchery all the way.
How they fininshed: Apart. They broke up in 1977.
37 - ABBA
To this point: Ten top 40s for the Swedish quartet, starting in 1974 with the Top Ten Casey played "Waterloo." They hit the top 5 twice, with "Take a Chance on Me" and their only #1 "Dancing Queen."
My favorite: The lovely desperation of "SOS" (#15)
How they finished: Just two more top 40s, "Chiquitita" and the fun disco cheese slice "Does Your Mother Know."
36 - THE STEVE MILLER BAND
To this point: Seven Top 40s for the San Franciscans, including four Top Tens, a #2 ("Fly Like an Eagle") and two charttoppers (their first hit "The Joker," and the song Casey played "Rock'n Me").
My favorite: Their only Top 40 that missed the Top 20, the raucous #23 "Jungle Love."
How they finished: They put out a Greatest Hits in the fall of '78, then took a break until the early 80s.
35 - RINGO STARR
To this point: The surprising second-biggest solo Beatle of the decade made the 40 nine times. Seven of those hit the Top 10, with both "You're Sixteen" and "Photograph" making it all the way to the top.
My favorite: The #4 "It Don't Come Easy" So catchy, and it always makes me think of Marge Simpson trying to paint Mr. Burns.
How he finished: No hits after 1976's "A Dose of Rock n' Roll
34 - THE CAPTAIN AND TENILLE
To this point: The Dragons didn't hit the charts until '75, but they did so in a big way with that year's biggest hit "Love Will Keep Us Together." They followed with five more Top 40s, four of which made the Top Five.
My favorite: Gotta be the "Am I really listening to a song about rodent romance?" pleasures of "Muskrat Love" (#4)
How they finished: One more hit in the second half of '78, the #10 "You Never Done it Like That." At the tail end of 1979, they put out "Do That to Me One More Time," but that didn't become their second and final #1 until February 1980.
33 - THE STYLISTICS
To this point: Ten Top 40s for the Philly soulsters, including five Top 10s, the biggest of which was the #2 "You Make Me Feel Brand New." For some reason, Casey played the uncharacteristically upbeat "Rockin' Roll Baby" (#14).
My favorite: "You Make Me Feel Brand New." That falsetto blew my mind as a kid.
How they finished: Not great. All their pop hits came between '71 and '74, and in the last 18 months of the seventies, they only made the Top 100 once...on the R&B charts.
32 - CARLY SIMON
To this point: Since debuting in 1971 with the #10 relationship drama "That's the Way I've Always Heard it Should Be" (which Casey played), the New York singer-songwriter racked up a total of nine Top 40s, including five Top Tens, the #2 Bond theme "Nobody Does it Better," and the classic #1 smash "You're So Vain."
My favorite: "You're So Vain," easy. Sass, attitude, and Mick Jagger on backup. What's not to like?
How she finished: Just one more hit, the #36 duet with James Taylor, "Devoted to You."
31 - DONNY OSMOND
To this point: The young star of Utah's answer to The Jackson 5 was an even more formidable hitmaker on his own, hitting the Top 40 eleven times with a series of oldies covers. Five of these made the Top Ten, and his first hit "Go Away Little Girl" (which Casey played) was his only #1.
My favorite: Not my cup of tea at all, but if I have to pick, I'll go with his satisfactorily desperate take on "Puppy Love" (#3).
How he finished: His last hit, a 1976 cover of the Four Seasons' "C'mon Marianne," just scraped in at #38. As for July '78-December '79, he went through the flop of his and Marie's comedy film Goin' Coconuts and then the cancellation of their variety show. So this was a down time for the man, to say the least.
30 - LINDA RONSTADT
To this point: The pride of Tucson, Arizona, had become the biggest female rock singer of her time, with ten Top 40 singles. Five reached the Top Ten, including a #2 in "When Will I be Loved" and a #1 in "You're No Good" (the latter of which Casey played).
My favorite: Her cover of the fantastic Warren Zevon song "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (#31).
How she finished: Two more hit covers: Chuck Berry's "Back in the U.S.A" (#16) and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles "Ooh Baby Baby," (#7). Plus, dating Jerry Brown.
29 - ROD STEWART
To this point: The Scottish playboy and frustrated footballer first hit in the U.S with the song Casey played, the #1 "Maggie May." He'd chart nine more times. Only two made the top ten, but both were Top Five, and "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) was a monster #1.
My favorite: The sweet but not sappy love song "You Wear it Well" (#13).
How he finished: Another huge charttopper with "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," followed by the minor hit "Ain't Love a Bitch" (#22).
28 - ROBERTA FLACK
To this point: The daughter of musical parents, Flack had only seven Top 40 hits in the decade so far, and three of those were duets with Donny Hathaway. But two of those duets went Top Five (including the recent #2 "The Closer I Get to You"), and three of her four solo hits went all the way to #1: "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Feel Like Makin' Love," and the track Casey played, "Killing Me Softly."
My favorite: "Killing Me Softly," in spite of its later Fugees overkill.
How she finished: Just one more hit, "If I Ever See You Again," (#24), written by Joe "You Light Up My Life" Brooks.
27 - THE TEMPTATIONS
To this point: The Motown stars of the 60s stayed hot into the next decade, with fourteen Top 40 singles, including five Top Tens and two #1s: "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."
My favorite: Gotta be the 1970 #3 "Ball of Confusion." I first heard it through the Love and Rockets cover in the 80s, but the original has blown that version out of my head.
How they finished: Off of Motown, in the middle reaches of the R&B charts.
26 - JAMES TAYLOR
To this point: The Boston-born, North Carolina-raised folkie had, including collaborations with wife Carly Simon and buddies Simon and Garfunkel, eleven Top 40 singles, including six Top Fives and the #1 Casey played, "You've Got a Friend."
My favorite: His first hit, "Fire and Rain." (#3)
How he finished: "Devoted to You," with Carly Simon, and a 1979 cover of the Drifters' "Up on the Roof," (#28).
25 - PAUL SIMON
To this point: Garfunkel's old running buddy had successfully struck out on his own, and scored ten Top 40 singles. Among his five Top Fives were two #2s ("Kodachrome" and the song Casey played, "Loves Me Like a Rock"), and a #1 in "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."
My favorite: The bouncy ode to photography "Kodachrome," barely noses out "Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard" (#22).
How he finished: No further hits, but in 1979 he did switch record labels (Columbia to Warner Bros.) and sign on to star in the movie One-Trick Pony, which came out the next year.
24 - WAR
To this point:This California band was originally put together as a group built around ex-Animals singer Eric Burdon, and in that incarnation, they hit #3 in 1970 with "Spill the Wine." Burdon left the next year, but the band continued on and scored eleven more Top 40 hits, including five Top Tens, the biggest of which was the #2 "The Cisco Kid," which Casey played.
My favorite: "Why Can't We Be Friends" (#6). Catchy, a good message, and rhyming "CIA" with "Mafia"? Genius.
How they finished: No more hits after early '78's #39 "Galaxy."
23 - BREAD
To this point: The L.A, soft rockers seemed boring to me, but they had a formula that worked. They debuted in 1970 with the #1 Casey played, "Make it With You." Eleven more Top 40s followed, but while five of those hit the Top Ten, they didn't top the chart again.
My favorite: 1972's #11 "The Guitar Man." One of the few times they showed signs of life.
How they finished: Broken up for the second time, while singer David Gates' solo career was quickly running out of steam.
22 - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
To this point: The Australian songbird took America by storm with a dozen Top 40 hits, including six Top Tens and three Number Ones: "Have You Never Been Mellow," "You're the One that I Want" (with Grease costar John Travolta), and the one Casey played, "I Honestly Love You."
My favorite: "Have You Never Been Mellow." Just warm and comforting and good.
How she finished: Very strong. She was credited on two more Top Fives from Grease: "Hopelessly Devoted to You" and "Summer Nights," then she charted twice more with "A Little More Love" (#3) and "Deeper Than the Night (#11).
21 - ELVIS PRESLEY
To this point: The King may have fattened up and gone to Vegas, but he was still putting out records at an impressive clip, and many found their way onto the charts. He had a whopping 20 Top 40 hits in this decade. But only two of them made the Top Ten: the 1970 #9 hit that Casey played, "The Wonder of You," and 1972's immortal #2 smash "Burning Love."
My favorite: His first hit of the decade, "Kentucky Rain" (#16). A dramatic ballad about a man searching for his runaway bride. He would never use his voice better again, as far as I'm concerned.
How he finished: He didn't, unfortunately.
Next time: The 20 biggest. If you've been following BGC from the start, I'm sure you can figure out most of who's still to come.
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