August 18, 1979

I wasn't going to do an entry on this week's 70s show, but I got a look at it and just couldn't resist. A lot of great stuff I haven't encountered yet. So here we go.

33 - "Cruel to be Kind," Nick Lowe
32 - "Born to be Alive," Patrick Hernandez
31 - "I Want You to Want Me," Cheap Trick
30 - "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)," Robert Palmer
29 - "Highway Song," Blackfoot
28 - "I Do Love You," G.Q.
27 - "One Way or Another," Blondie
26 - "Morning Dance," Spyro Gyra
25 - "Heaven Must Have Sent You," Bonnie Pointer

We begin with rock. Nick Lowe had made a name for himself first in the British pub-rock group Brinsley Schwarz and then through his collaborations with Elvis Costello before scoring his lone American hit with this impossibly catchy paradox. Yet another Top 20 of the Decade contender. Cheap Trick return with their Budokan-rockin' breakthrough it. Shine up your old brown shoes, put on a brand new shirt, and enjoy. Robert Palmer had his second Top 40 single with this rocker about an ailment that only sweet, sweet lovemaking can cure. Great song, and the fact that it was written by a guy named Moon Martin makes it even better. Blackfoot, a Southern rock band so named because of the Native American heritage of three of its members, are here with this tune about that timeless rock topic: the loneliness of the touring lifestyle. It sounds a lot like Lynyrd Skynyrd, but I suppose they come by it honestly, seeing as leader Rickey Medlocke was briefly in the band in 1970, then was invited to rejoin them in the 90s. And Blondie picked up their second Top 40 with a song that sounded much closer to their punk roots than the discofied "Heart of Glass." This wasn't as big a hit as their first, but it's become almost as popular over the years. It's no mystery why. Who wouldn't want to be stalked by Debbie Harry?

Then there's disco. Frenchman Patrick Hernandez scored his only American hit with this disco relic that has one of the stupidest titles of all time. I mean, think about it. Anyway, the only relevant thing about Hernandez these days is the fact that one of the backup dancers he hired for his lone U.S. tour was one Madonna Louise Ciccone. And Bonnie Pointer had her biggest success without her three sisters with this above average dancefloor filling device that, as Casey pointed out, features a Louis Armstrong impression from Ms. Pointer herself. This is a big part of that "above average" rating.

We close with the soft stuff. G.Q. followed up "Disco Nights (Rock Freak)" with their second and final hit, a boilerplate R&B ballad with nothing new or interesting to say for itself. And Spyro Gyra, a Buffalo lite-jazz band named for a species of algae, had their only hit single with this bit of Muzak that cannot be saved from blandness by steel drums. Makes me long for Chuck Mangione.

24 - "Hot Summer Nights," Night
23 - "Let's Go," The Cars
22 - "Lonesome Loser," The Little River Band
21 - "Is She Really Going Out with Him," Joe Jackson
20 - "Goodbye Stranger," Supertramp
19 - "Hot Stuff," Donna Summer
18 - "Gold," John Stewart
17 - "Suspicions," Eddie Rabbitt
16 - "I'll Never Love This Way Again," Dionne Warwick

Once again, we begin with the rock. Night were a band of Brits that got together in Los Angeles, and had their only credited Top 40 hit with this slick little tale in which singer Stevie Vann reminisces about her old days playing in a bar band. Their song "If You Remember Me" was also a Top 40 single, but when it was released, it was credited solely to the band's other singer, Chris Thompson. Boston New Wavers The Cars scored their third Top 40 with this fun, hiccupy ode to a nightlife-loving beauty with "wonderful eyes and a risque mouth." Sounds like a pleasant compainon. England's Joe Jackson made his first impression on the pop world with this angsty little number about a man staring out the window down at the "pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street." This is the sound of smug sexual frustration, something I must admit I'm familiar with. Supertramp kept building the sales of Breakfast in America with this song about a man who enjoys his one-night stands. It's most memorable for that high voiced "Goodbye Mary, goodbye Jane" chorus. But not necessarily in a good way. And John Stewart returns with his terrific, Buckingham and Nicks-assisted hit about the people who turn tunes into cash. Can't say enough how much I like this one.

Then it's MOR. The Little River Band wonder if you're aware of a certain pathetic wretch. Yes, I am, so I don't need to hear you guys sing about him ever again. You're terrible. Country star Eddie Rabbitt had his second pop hit with this not-at-all country-sounding tune about his paranoia that his woman will leave him. Keep it up, Edward, and it'll become a self-fulfulling prophecy. And Dionne Warwick made her triumphant return to the pop charts with this Barry Manilow-produced version of a song originally recorded by Cheryl Ladd. Yes, the woman who replaced Farrah Fawcett on Charlie's Angels. Haven't heard that version, but I'm certain Dionne destroys it. Not the greatest song in the world, but a nice vehicle to put one of pop's greatest voices back on the map.

We conclude this section with the one disco entry here, our third encounter with one of Donna Summer's biggest hits. Not much more to say about it. It's, to coin a phrase, hot stuff.

15 - "Makin' It," David Naughton
14 - "Don't Bring Me Down," The Electric Light Orchestra
13 - "Lead Me On," Maxine Nightingale
12 - "Sad Eyes," Robert John
11 - "I was Made for Lovin' You," Kiss

This set opens with David Naughton helping to kill disco. Seriously. I'm sure this song is what helped the entire genre collapse upon itself. It's just that bad.

Next are ELO with what would be their biggest hit. I associate this song with riding the rides at carnivals and fairs. I just remember it being played a lot in those settings. Oh, and Jeff Lynne's not singing, "Don't bring me down, Bruce." That word is "grooss." He made it up.

Maxine Nightingale returns with her other hit. Still sexy after all these weeks.

Then it's New Yorker Robert John's biggest hit, a ballad about having to break off an affair because his real significant other is returning. For such a big hit, I have no childhood memory of it. Also, I find it weird that he uses his falsetto for the verses and loses it on the choruses. It's usually the other way around. But it works, I guess.

Rounding out this bunch are Kiss, returning with a song that Paul Stanley had said he co-wrote in part just to prove how easy it was to write a disco hit. But that doesn't detract from its greatness at all.

Hey hey, they're the Top Ten!

10 - "Mama Can't Buy You Love," Elton John
Elton is back from last time with his great soul effort about wealth not equalling happiness. A fantastic singalong chorus.

9 - "You Can't Change That," Raydio
Ray Parker Jr., back and stalking. But not as successfully as The Police, at least from a chart success point of view.

8 - "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," The Charlie Daniels Band
At last, we encounter Charlie Daniels' biggest hit, a rollicking country-rocker about Satan running into a talented fiddler named Johnny and betting his golden fiddle against Johnny's soul in a titanic instrumental battle. In a monumental upset, Johnny wins. Undeniable fun. And fittingly, Charlie wins this chart's Uneasy Rider.

7 - "Ring My Bell," Anita Ward
"Lay back and relax while I put away the dishes, then you and me can rock-a-bye." An oddly domestic scenario for disco, but still cool.

6 - "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman," Dr. Hook
Could they be worse than Jefferson Starship? Probably not, but I still despise what they became after such a great start.

5 - "After the Love has Gone," Earth, Wind and Fire
The funk icons slow it down on this ballad that asks the question "Can love that's lost be found?" Can't say any more than it's really, really good.

4 - "Bad Girls," Donna Summer
There's an interesting phrase in this song, "You can score if your pocket's nice." Obviously, there are two ways of interpreting this. My guess is that the dirtier one is the one that was intended. Bad girl, Donna.

3 - "The Main Event/Fight," Barbra Streisand
Barbra has a great voice, no doubt, but I just don't see much appeal in her singing an innuendo-laced disco number. But I guess people did 32 years ago, because look how high this is.

2 - "My Sharona," The Knack
These guys from suburban Detroit blew in on a wave of hype, justified that buildup with this immortal debut single that retains its pop-rock awesomeness in spite of lyrics like the one about the mystery running down the length of singer Doug Fieger's thigh. But within a year, they were a joke. But still, if you've never been moved to dance to this, I'm not sure you have a soul.

And on top this long-ago week was:

1 - "Good Times," Chic
Nor only is this a stone classic on it's own, but within a year, it had influenced two other hits. The Sugarhill Gang performed their pioneering hip-hop single "Rapper's Delight," over this song's breakdown. And Queen bassist John Deacon visited the studio while Chic were recording the song, and the bassline later, shall we say, "inspired" his playing on his band's #1 smash "Another One Bites the Dust."

Just two NotCaseys this week: "Sail On" by The Commodores and "Different Worlds" by Maureen McGovern. Casey played three Number Ones from 1975: Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good," The Average White Band's "Pick Up the Pieces," and "Fire" by the Ohio Players. Plus, there was a Long Distance Dedication: A shy high school girl sent out ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" to all the boys who hadn't yet asked her out.

Well, that's it for this week. I know what I said about this being the last full 70s recap for a while, but I've seen next week's show and I think I might want to do it. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. Regardless, there will at least be an 80s chart to cover, starting Saturday. Join me, won't you?