June of 1974. The big event of the month in Canada was when Soviet ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov defected to the West in Toronto. He then joined the Winnipeg Ballet, and would later star in the 1985 film White Nights. So without him, perhaps the world would have been denied hearing about that awesome dream Lionel Richie had. But Baryshnikov and his belly-fire would not have heard “Say You, Say Me” at this time. He may have heard some, or all, of the following:
Bonus Track: 57 - “(I’m A) Yo-Yo Man,” Rick Cunha
Californian Cunha first earned recognition as a member of the 60s country-rock band Hearts and Flowers, then went solo. The closest thing he had to a hit was this folksy tale of a young man who is inspired to hit the road performing yo-yo tricks to make a living when such a performer comes to his small town. It has kind of a Roger Millerish charm to it that I enjoy. Later, Cunha would play the song for Tommy Smothers of the Smothers Brothers, and Tommy would use it to introduce yo-yo tricks into the duo’s act, which has led to Smothers Brothers-branded yo-yos and a popular yo-yo instructional video. Edna Krabappel would not be impressed.
50 - “Can You Handle It,” Graham Central Station
The band formed by ex-Family Stone bassist Graham hit the Top 50 on both sides of the border with this midtempo funk track telling a woman that her breaking his heart only made him stronger. Sly Stone’s influence is definitely felt, but in a welcome, organic way.
45 - “The Same Love that Made Me Laugh,” Bill Withers
Another dual Top 50 soul track, this one from the grittily smooth product of Slab Fork, West Virginia. Lowdown Blues about a woman who done Bill wrong. His usual amazingness. I recently saw quite a bit of Mr. Withers in Black Godfather, a Netflix documentary about the man who discovered him, pioneering African-American music executive Clarence Avant. I highly recommend it.
41 - “Time to Cry” Don Goodwin (CanCon!)
Goodwin was from Aspen, Colorado, but he was discovered in Las Vegas by Paul Anka, who produced his debut album and provided all the material (hence the CanCon qualification) Some of it was purpose-written, like Goodwin’s debut “This is Your Song,” but others were covers of old Anka hits such as this one from 1959. The production is big and dramatic, but Goodwin just coasts through it. He’s like Terry Jacks without the substance.
40 - “One Chain Don’t Make No Prison,” The Four Tops
This came one spot short of being the Tops’ last U.S. Top 40 of the decade, but it scrapped up to #38 here. It’s a terrific marriage of harder funk and the usual Stubbs vocal heroics, as he presents his case to his lover that he deserves another chance. Find this and love it.
36 - “La Grange,” ZZ Top
The Houston boogie-rock trio scored their first significant hit with this chugging ode to the Texas brothel that inspired a Broadway musical and a Burt Reynolds/Dolly Parton film. It’s another song that peaked at #41 in the States, but due to some extenuating circumstances where show staff had to estimate chart positions instead of being able to wait for the actual chart data, it was once played on American Top 40. But here, it got the honour for real.
35 - “Chameleon,” Herbie Hancock
This three-minute edit of the centrepiece of Chicago jazzman’s commercial breakthrough Head Hunters got to #42 at home, but did better here. It’s right up there with any bigger hit funk instrumental of the period. An example of the ability to incorporate the modern in to the traditional that he would demonstrate a decade later with “Rockit.”
34 - “Another Park, Another Sunday,” The Doobie Brothers
This one did reach the Top 40 in America, but I haven’t covered it yet. It’s a gently rolling song about a lonely traveller. Nice enough, but it contained the line “the radio just seems to bring me down,” which station programmers somehow thought listeners would take to heart. Seems silly to me. But its B-side, “Black Water,” would eventually get its own push and perform much better.
29 - “Werewolf,” The Five Man Electrical Band (CanCon!)
The final domestic hit for the Ottawa band behind “Signs” about a father who has to have a dinner bell melted down into a silver bullet to put down his lycanthrope son Billy, over the objections of his wife, who seems to be okay with the idea of her husband getting mauled. Silly, B-movie fun, and a clear Canuck Uneasy Rider.
25 - “Son of Sagittarius,” Eddie Kendricks
Another AT40 hit that eluded me until now was this astrological funker from the ex-Temptation. An artifact from the days when “What’s your sign?” was the hot new pickup line. Aquarius here, in case you were wondering.
24 - “Just as Bad as You,” Shawne Jackson (CanCon!)
Toronto soul singer Jackson had spent over a decade on the local scene when she scored a deal with the magazine-affiliated Playboy Records label and scored her biggest hit with this hard-swinging female empowerment anthem. Canadian R&B hasn’t been traditionally spotlighted, but it did exist, and this shows that it could sound as good as any.
16 - “Teen Angel,” Wednesday (CanCon!)
The Oshawa, Ontario outfit followed up their #2 smash “Last Kiss” with another cover of a teenage tragedy tune, this time Mark Dinning’s 1960 hit. Although this is kind of a sequel, as it seems to indicate that the boyfriend of the girl who died in the original perished in a similar car-stalled-on-the-railroad-tracks fashion. That twist at least makes it interesting, if not necessarily worthwhile.
10 - “Oh Very Young,” Cat Stevens
The former Steven Giorigiou and future Yusuf Islam had a cross-border Top Ten with this typical folkie about wonderingly what mark the youth of the day will leave on the world. As he did then, and as I feel most people have always whether they would admit it or not, I stand in a place of cautious optimism.
9 - “The Entertainer,” Marvin Hamlisch
New Yorker adapts Scott Joplin rag for a Newman/Redford film, wins Oscars, becomes 70s celebrity, is pretty much forgotten now. But the song remains, and remains wonderful.
8 - “You Make Me Feel Brand New,” Stylistics
Triple Top Five Philly love soul. Classy, non-embarrassing mushiness.
7 - “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” Carpenters
We were the only Triple Crown nation to make this Top Ten. I approve. This may be too much of an endorsement of codependency, but Karen makes that seem healthy, for three minutes at least.
6 - “Help Me,” Joni Mitchell (CanCon!)
The Saskatoon product’s only North American Top Ten was this jazzy commitment to being non-committal. Timeless standout pop.
5 - “I’ve Been Searchin’ So Long,” Chicago
Not one of their great ballads, and Cetera starts to get whiny here, but still, there’s enough here to easily crush “If You Leave Me Now.”
4 - “Sundown,” Gordon Lightfoot (CanCon!)
The second domestic and only U.S. #1 for good ol’ Gord of Orillia, Ontario. It’s the closest he came to blues. And it may have been written about the woman who injected the fatal speedballs into John Belushi. You’d better take care, indeed.
3 - “The Streak,” Ray Stevens
Yeah, we’ve been dealing with this one a lot lately. Sadly, it will not add the OMUSURT title to its Triple Crown. Did you see what happened? Well, if you go back a few entries, you too will be able to say “Yeah, Ah did,”
2 - “Midnight at the Oasis,” Maria Muldaur
The New Yorker’s famous effort to make desert intercourse sexy. A good try, but I still don’t think cactus could ever be my friend in that situation.
1 - “Band on the Run,” Paul McCartney and Wings
Macca and company thrillingly escape the jailer man and Sailor Sam, but they also escaped a Triple Crown, because Britain judged them unworthy. Like a certain undertaker, I draw a heavy sigh.
There’s the latest. Next time, back to Britain. See you soon.
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