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Post by Scott Lakefield on Jun 27, 2009 7:51:43 GMT -5
An interesting point about that "Hall of Fame" feature on the 1985 show critiqued above... I don't remember whether I actually read this in Rob's book or if it's a story he told me, but that "Hall of Fame" feature was supposed to be a regular thing. But instead, it happened only once, on this show. I don't remember why it was stopped. Whoops...I guess the point is that the feature didn't last long...but obviously longer than one week! Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Elton John had also been featured.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jun 27, 2009 17:03:56 GMT -5
I'll go ahead & critique the top twenty songs from the 6/22/74 countdown:#20-"I'm Coming Home"-The Spinners-A lesser known hit from this veteran R&B group,but it's a good one nonetheless-#19-"One Hell Of A Woman"-Mac Davis-The second top forty hit for this native of Lubbock,Texas-Great tune-#18-"Save The Last Dance For Me"-De Franco Family-Lackluster remake of a song that originally went to #1 for The Drifters in 1960-#17-"On & On"-Gladys Knight & The Pips-Another winner for this legendary R&B group from Atlanta,Georgia-#16-"You Won't See Me"-Anne Murray-Anne's great cover of a Beatles tune,which originally appeared on their "Rubber Soul" album from 1965-#15-"Rock Your Baby"-George Mc Crae-A future #1 smash for this singer from West Palm Beach,Florida-By the way,this song was written by Harry Wayne Casey,who launched his own career a year later as KC of KC & The Sunshine Band-#14-"Haven't Got Time For The Pain"-Carly Simon-The second single from her album "Hotcakes"-Great song & one of her more introspective tunes-#13-"For The Love Of Money"-The O'Jays-Great song with a powerful message-#12-"Rock The Boat"-Hues Corporation-The first disco song to top the pop chart & an all-time dance floor classic-#11-"Midnight At The Oasis"-Maria Muldaur-My wife & I both love this song-#10-"The Entertainer"-Marvin Hamlisch-From the soundtrack of the Oscar winning movie "The Sting",this certainly qualifies as another guilty pleasure-#9-"Hollywood Swinging"-One of my all-time favorite songs by Kool & The Gang-#8-"Dancing Machine"-Jackson Five-On its way down after peaking at #2,another winner for Michael & his siblings-#7-"If You Love Me,Let Me Know"-Olivia Newton-John-One of ONJ's greatest hits-#6-"Band On The Run"-Paul Mc Cartney & Wings-One of Sir Paul's best post Beatle solo hits-#5-"Be Thankful For What You've Got"-William De Vaughn-See my comments regarding "For The Love Of Money"-#4-"The Streak"-Ray Stevens-An all-time classic in the world of novelty records-#3-"Sundown"-Gordon Lightfoot-The only #1 hit this Canadian troubadour would have-Great song-#2-"You Make Me Feel Brand New"-The Stylistics-An all-time R&B classic featuring the falsetto voice of Russell Thompkins Jr-#1-"Billy,Don't Be A Hero"-Granted it's a cheesy song,but a true guilty pleasure as far as I'm concerned.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 3, 2009 23:47:37 GMT -5
Well, I was kinda hoping for a special Independence Day show this weekend, but that was not to be. But 1986 was actually a pretty good year in music, so I’m glad they went with that year. Anyway, here’s my commentary on this week’s show:
Droppers: I WANNA BE A COWBOY - BOYS DON’T CRY - Fun novelty song. I liked it. A DIFFERENT CORNER - GEORGE MICHAEL - Frankly, I’m kinda glad this song dropped out, because it was so maudlin. IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS - THE BANGLES - Great song. Shame that it fell off. LIVE TO TELL - MADONNA - This song was pretty good. We heard it on the last 1986 show. I CAN’T WAIT - NU SHOOZ - No. Just no. (Or actually yes, as the song dropped out this week. Good riddance - until next year, that is).
40: DANCING ON THE CEILING - LIONEL RICHIE (debut) - Good song, and very neat video for this song. 39: BABY LOVE - REGINA (debut) - This was a good song - she sounded so much like Madonna on this song. 38: TAKE ME BREATH AWAY - BERLIN (debut) - Good song, one of nine songs from a movie (On last week’s 1980 show, there were eight, which was a record at the time. I wonder what the record was at this point.) 37: MOUNTAINS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (29) - Good song, somewhat underrated. Back in 1987, I used to tape myself pretending to be doing a radio show and the beginning of this song was the intro music for it. 36: ONE STEP CLOSER TO YOU - GAVIN CHRISTOPHER (38) - Great song! One of my favorites on the chart this week! This was yet another underrated song. 35: ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD - THE OUTFIELD (40) - Another great song. Possibly my favorite song of theirs. 34: VENUS - BANANARAMA (debut) - No. Just no. 33: HYPERACTIVE - ROBERT PALMER (36) - Great song! My favorite from the “Riptide” album (because it wasn’t overplayed like the other two). 32: SWEET FREEDOM - MICHAEL McDONALD (39) - Great song! Sort of my “summer theme” for 1986, for a variety of reasons. 31: THE EDGE OF HEAVEN - WHAM (debut) - Great song! Casey mentioned that this was likely the last song from the duo (and, as it turned out, it was, as the follow-up, “Where Did Your Heart Go” petered out at #50). But it was a good song to go out with, as it’s possibly my favorite from them. And, of course, George would embark on a very successful solo career, with many more good hits. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON’T FORGET ME (WHEN I’M GONE) - GLASS TIGER - Good song, my favorite from them. And, as we all know, fellow Canadian Bryan Adams sings back-up. (At this point in the show, KQLL went to regular programming for the remainder of the hour, which had eight minutes left. But they stuck to 1986, playing “What About Love” by ‘til tuesday and then “Rumours” by the Timex Social Club.) 30: SUZANNE - JOURNEY (37) - Good song. My second favorite song from “Raised On Radio”, behind “I’ll Be Alright Without You”. LDD: CHERISH - KOOL & THE GANG - Good song. This was the first of three LDDs on this week’s show and all three of them focused on families. 29: TAKE IT EASY - ANDY TAYLOR (35) - This was a good song, sounds a little like his song with the Power Station “Get It On Bang A Gong”, only better. I remember hearing this song a lot back in the summer of 1986. 28: RUMORS - TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB (33) - The second time within an hour that I heard this song. It was pretty good, but I did not like it back during its chart run (probably due to overplay). 27: HIGHER LOVE - STEVE WINWOOD (34) - Speaking of overplay, this is a classic example. This and “Addicted To Love” are probably THE two most overplayed songs of 1986. I’m still burned out on both of them, especially this one. 26: LIKE NO OTHER NIGHT - .38 SPECIAL (20) - Great song, definitely among my favorites from them. 25: YOU SHOULD BE MINE (THE WOO WOO SONG) - JEFFREY OSBORNE (30) - OK, but one of my least favorite songs from him. 24: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (15) - OK song, but one of my least favorite songs by them. 23: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD (13) - I like this song 22: DREAMS - VAN HALEN (23) - Great song - possibly my favorite from the 5150 album. I liked Casey’s story about the four most common dreams and what they usually mean. OPTIONAL EXTRA: MONEY$ TOO TIGHT (TO MENTION) - SIMPLY RED - Great song - much better than “Holding Back The Years”. But they cut out so much of the song - I don’t even think it was two minutes long. 21: SECRET SEPARATION - THE FIXX (26) - Good song, one of my favorites by them. 20: TUFF ENUFF - THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS (10) - Good song, with a southern rock flavor. 19: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (8) - Great song, possibly my favorite Hojo song. Glad this song got in a week at #1 on R&R. 18: DIGGING YOUR SCENE - THE BLOW MONKEYS (21) - Great, lost hit. One of my favorite songs of 1986. 17: WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF - JERMAINE STEWART (22) - Great song with a good message. 16: LIKE A ROCK - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (12) - Good song, but not my favorite from him. LDD: WE ARE FAMILY - SISTER SLEDGE - Yet another family LDD. As for the song, which AT40 picked out at the request of the author, it’s pretty good, though overplayed. 15: MODERN WOMAN - BILLY JOEL (19) - OK song, but far from being my favorite from him. 14: WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND - GTR (14) - Great song. They remind me a little of the group Yes. 13: OPPORTUNITIES (LET'S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY) - PET SHOP BOYS (16) - Great song. The guy in the video reminded me of a younger version of Toht from Raiders Of The Lost Ark. 12: PAPA DON'T PREACH - MADONNA (24) - The biggest mover on the countdown. It’s OK, but far from being my favorite song by her. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WORDS GET IN THE WAY - MIAMI SOUND MACHINE - Great song, like most of their slow material (though I do like a few of their upbeat numbers. 11: MAD ABOUT YOU - BELINDA CARLISLE (18) - OK song, but she’s had better. I didn’t know Andy Taylor was playing guitar in this song! 10: LOVE TOUCH - ROD STEWART (17) - Good song, but I prefer many other songs by him. 9: YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - THE MOODY BLUES (9) - Great song, one of my favorites from him. This was also a Long Distance Dedication from a girl to her grandfather, who taught her how to dream, and to follow her dreams. 8: THERE'LL BE SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (3) - Great song, one of my favorites from him. 7: GLORY OF LOVE - PETER CETERA (11) - Another great song and one of my favorite of his solo hits. 6: WHO'S JOHNNY - EL DeBARGE (5) - Great song (and a funny video) 5: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (1) - Good song, though it was sure overplayed back in the summer of 1986. I always thought that Mick Hucknall sounded like Alice from the Brady Bunch in this song. 4: DANGER ZONE - KENNY LOGGINS (7) - Pretty good song, but one of my least favorite of his movie songs. 3: NASTY - JANET JACKSON (4) 2: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL (6) - OK song, but I prefer “Shock The Monkey”. 1: INVISIBLE TOUCH - GENESIS (2) - Great song! One of my favorites from them!
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Post by mrjukebox on Jul 5, 2009 9:36:41 GMT -5
I'm going to critique the special countdown from 7/2/77,which featured the top ladies of the rock era-#40-"Say,Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose"-Tony Orlando & Dawn (1973)-A top five smash-Any record by this group is a guilty pleasure & this one is no exception-#39-"Ramblin' Rose"-Nat "King" Cole-One of the greatest male vocalists of the 20th century-This was a top five smash in 1962-Has a definite country feel to it-#38-"Lady Marmalade"-Labelle (1975)-A simultaneous #1 on both the pop & R&B charts-Great tune-#37-"Mandy"-Barry Manilow-The breakthrough smash for this artist from Brooklyn,NY-A superb ballad-#36-"Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"-Elton John (1975)-The most successful remake of a Beatles tune to make the top 40-It was #1 for two weeks-By the way,listen for John Lennon on guitar-His pseudonym was listed as Dr.Winston O' Boogie-#35-"Clair"-Gilbert O' Sullivan (1973)-A top five smash for this Irish singer,whose real name is Raymond Frances Sullivan-A definite guilty pleasure-#34-"Help Me Rhonda"-Beach Boys (1965)-The second #1 hit for this quintet from Hawthorne,California-A fun song to sing along to-#33-"Venus"-Shocking Blue-A song that also topped the charts in 1986 for the British girl group Bananarama-In 1970,this group from Holland got to #1 first with their version-Fantastic tune-#32-"Devil With The Blue Dress On/Good Golly,Miss Molly"-Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (1966)-The biggest hit for this singer,who was born William Levise-A medley of two songs that were made famous by Shorty Long & Little Richard respectively-Great rocker-#31-"Jackie Blue"-Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1975)-The biggest hit for this group,who hailed from Springfield,Missouri-Terrific tune-#30-"Candida"-Dawn (1970)-The breakthrough smash for Tony Orlando & company-FYI:The two ladies on this record were songwriters Ellie Greenwich & Toni Wine-A true guilty pleasure-#29-"Sheila"-Tommy Roe (1962)-The breakthrough smash for this native of Atlanta,Georgia-Classic oldie,which sounds like something Buddy Holly might've recorded-#28-"Sundown"-Gordon Lightfoot (1974)-The biggest hit for this Canadian troubadour-A song that deserved to be #1-#27-"Marianne"-Terry Gilkyson & The Easy Riders (1957)-A huge hit during the calypso craze of the late 50's & another guilty pleasure-#26-"Cracklin'Rosie"-Neil Diamond (1970)-A #1 smash,which contrary to popular belief,wasn't written about a woman,but a popular type of wine,Rose'-#25-"Susie Darlin'"-Robin Luke (1958)-A singer from Hawaii wrote this song about his younger sister Susie-A true lost hit since you don't hear it on oldies radio today-#24-"Oh,Julie"-Crescendos (1958)-A lost classic from the doo-wop era,which doesn't receive recurrent airplay on oldies radio-#23-"Angie"-Rolling Stones (1973)-Written about Angela Barnett,the ex-wife of David Bowie-A true rock & roll classic-#22-"Annie's Song"-John Denver (1974)-Written about Ann Martell,Denver's first wife-Pretty ballad-#21-"Angie Baby"-Helen Reddy (1974)-Written by Alan O'Day,who topped the chart in 1977 with "Undercover Angel"-Another song that could be considered a guilty pleasure-#20-"Mrs.Robinson"-Simon & Garfunkel (1968)-A song whose original working title was "Mrs.Roosevelt"-"Mrs. Robinson" was featured on the soundtrack of the movie "The Graduate"-One of my favorite Paul Simon compositions-#19-"Runaround Sue"-Dion (1961)-The only #1 national hit for this Bronx,NY native,whose full name was Dion Di Mucci-Classic oldie-#18-"Judy In Disguise"-John Fred & His Playboy Band (1968)-A song that was basically a spoof of The Beatles classic "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"-A #1 smash for this group who hailed from Baton Rouge,Louisiana-#17-"Brandy"-Looking Glass (1972)-This group formed while they were students at Rutgers University in New Jersey-Another song that's fun to sing along to-#16-"Hey Paula"-Paul & Paula (1963)-A #1 smash for this Texas duo,whose real names were Ray Hildebrand & Jill Jackson-Another rock & roll classic-#15-"Delta Dawn"-Helen Reddy (1973)-A song that also topped the country chart for Tanya Tucker-Yes,it's another guilty pleasure-#14-"Peggy Sue"-Buddy Holly & The Crickets-Peggy Sue was the real life girlfriend of Crickets drummer Jerry Allison-A rock & roll classic from late 1957-#13-"Me & Mrs.Jones"-Billy Paul (1972)-Songs about marital infidelity have been few & far between in the top 40-This song managed to hit #1 on both the pop & R&B charts-A bona fide classic-#12-"Windy"-The Association (1967)-The biggest hit for this group-It spent four weeks at #1-It was supposedly about a female hippie-Another song that's fun to sing along with-#11-"Sherry"-Four Seasons-The breakthrough smash for the original Jersey Boys:Frankie Valli,Bob Gaudio,Tommy De Vito,& Nick Massi-One of my favorites from these guys-#1 for five weeks in 1962-#10-"Donna"-Ritchie Valens (1959)-Valens along with Buddy Holly & The Big Bopper died in a plane crash on 2/3/59 while en route to a concert in Clear Lake,Iowa-Donna was Donna Ludwig,who was Valens' real life sweetheart-#9-"Sara Smile"-Hall & Oates (1976)-Written about Sara Allen,who was Daryl Hall's girlfriend at the time-#8-"Honey"-Bobby Goldsboro (1968)-A bona fide tear jerker,which topped the pop chart for five weeks-#7-"Venus"-Frankie Avalon (1959)-The biggest hit for this teen idol-Interesting bit of trivia:The song was initially offered to another Philadelphia native,Al Martino,who turned it down-#6-"Cathy's Clown"-Everly Brothers (1960)-In 1960,the Everly Brothers left Cadence Records to sign with Warner Brothers Records-An all-time classic,which spent five weeks at #1-#5-"Hello,Dolly"-Louis Armstrong (1964)-At age 63,this legendary artist from New Orleans holds the record for being the oldest male to have a #1 hit in the rock era-#4-"Diana"-Paul Anka (1957)-Written about Diana Ayoub,the baby sitter of Paul's younger siblings-Another rock & roll classic-#3-"Maggie May"-Rod Stewart (1971)-This was the B-side of "Reason To Believe"-However,a disc jockey in Cleveland,Ohio started playing "Maggie May" & shortly thereafter,the B-side became the bigger hit-#2-"Wake Up,Little Susie"-Everly Brothers (1957)-The first #1 hit for Don & Phil Everly-Considered a bit risque,but that's nothing compared to most of the music from today-#1-"Tammy"-Debbie Reynolds (1957)-From the movie "Tammy & The Bachelor",the biggest pop chart for this singer from El Paso,Texas-Yes,it's another guilty pleasure.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jul 5, 2009 15:16:02 GMT -5
Oops!-"Tammy" by Debbie Reynolds from 1957 was her biggest pop chart hit.
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Post by mrjukebox on Jul 5, 2009 15:35:53 GMT -5
Two of the songs on the 7/19/86 countdown were later parodied by other artists:"Rumors" became "Roaches" by Bobby,Jimmy & The Critters-It received a lot of airplay on Dr.Demento's show that year & I think it made the R&B chart-"Who's Johnny" was turned into "Here's Johnny" by "Weird" Al Yankovic-It was meant to be an homage to Johnny Carson's long time announcer Ed Mc Mahon,who just passed away on June 23rd.
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Post by mkarns on Jul 6, 2009 13:23:57 GMT -5
July 19, 1986:
DROPPERS: (note: four of these five were recently heard on SXM's 6/7/86 broadcast; the Bangles' song was not on there.) I CAN’T WAIT – NU SHOOZ (catchy dance song; sounds slightly dated to me today, but still fun to hear.) LIVE TO TELL – MADONNA (very good, atmospheric ballad; I’d rather hear this than the song from her we did hear this week.) IF SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WANTS – THE BANGLES (good Jules Shear song that should’ve been a bigger hit.) A DIFFERENT CORNER – GEORGE MICHAEL (emotional song with little instrumental backing; nice to hear occasionally but not something I’d want to hear again and again.) I WANNA BE A COWBOY – BOYS DON’T CRY (No. Just no.)
Now, on with the countdown: 40: DANCING ON THE CEILING - LIONEL RICHIE (fine in and of itself, but compared to Lionel’s previous hits, it feels like a too-obvious retread of “All Night Long.”) 39: BABY LOVE – REGINA (good dance/pop number much like Madonna’s hits of this period, aided by sometime Madonna collaborater Stephen Bray.) 38: TAKE ME BREATH AWAY - BERLIN (pretty boring song, but it is from one of my favorite soundtrack albums, “Top Gun”.) 37: MOUNTAINS - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (very well done, if less distinctive sounding than “Kiss”.) 36: ONE STEP CLOSER TO YOU - GAVIN CHRISTOPHER (sort of a lost 80’s R&B hit; decent but nothing really special) 35: ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD - THE OUTFIELD (one of my favorites in the countdown) 34: VENUS – BANANARAMA (fun dance remake of Shocking Blue’s 1970 hit.) 33: HYPERACTIVE - ROBERT PALMER (I like this better than the good but overplayed “Addicted To Love.” Should’ve been a bigger hit, since Palmer’s preceding and followup singles hit #1 and 2, but this was its peak. Maybe if he’d made another video with those models “backing him up”?) 32: SWEET FREEDOM - MICHAEL McDONALD (fun, fast paced song) 31: THE EDGE OF HEAVEN – WHAM (very good soul-styled song, with some Beatlesque “yeah yeah yeahs” added in.) OPTIONAL EXTRA: DON’T FORGET ME (WHEN I’M GONE) – GLASS TIGER (good first hit for them, though I like “Someday” and “I’m Still Searching” better.) (**At this point, there was evidently a break in the countdown, as WQSR inserted Heart’s “These Dreams”, which wasn’t in that week’s top 40. Still, it’s an excellent song and from this countdown’s year.) 30: SUZANNE – JOURNEY (good song, one of four hits from “Raised On Radio”; why is it that we don’t hear them much nowadays while “Separate Ways” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”, among others, are done to death?) LDD: CHERISH - KOOL & THE GANG (rather dull song, but letter was nice.) 29: TAKE IT EASY - ANDY TAYLOR (more rock oriented than his Duran Duran hits.) 28: RUMORS - TIMEX SOCIAL CLUB (R&B/dance number that still sounds good today, even though its production is very much of its time.) 27: HIGHER LOVE - STEVE WINWOOD (catchy song that Chaka Khan really set afire.) 26: LIKE NO OTHER NIGHT - .38 SPECIAL (great rocker.) 25: YOU SHOULD BE MINE (THE WOO WOO SONG) - JEFFREY OSBORNE (classy, well sung midtempo soul ballad) 24: CRUSH ON YOU - THE JETS (enjoyable if fluffy dance pop) 23: ON MY OWN - PATTI LaBELLE & MICHAEL McDONALD (good pairing of two excellent singers.) 22: DREAMS - VAN HALEN (great rocker, IMO much better than the previous “Why Can’t This Be Love” which was a bigger hit.) OPTIONAL EXTRA: MONEY’$ TOO TIGHT (TO MENTION) – SIMPLY RED (interesting followup to “Holding Back the Years”, with lyrics that probably too many of us have recently been able to relate to.) 21: SECRET SEPARATION - THE FIXX (very good) 20: TUFF ENUFF - THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS (fun R&B oriented rocker, a bit rawer in style than most hits of this era.) 19: NO ONE IS TO BLAME - HOWARD JONES (synth wizard delivers a winning ballad.) 18: DIGGING YOUR SCENE - THE BLOW MONKEYS (good British soul-pop somewhat like Simply Red or Culture Club.) 17: WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE OUR CLOTHES OFF - JERMAINE STEWART (kitschy, fun uptempo tune) 16: LIKE A ROCK - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (another of his several autobiographical ballads; good song even with the later Chevy overplay.) LDD: WE ARE FAMILY - SISTER SLEDGE (interestingly, the author of this letter asked Casey and his staff to select a song for a family event. Good choice.) 15: MODERN WOMAN - BILLY JOEL (fast paced soundtrack song that is enjoyable if not one of his more enduring compositions.) 14: WHEN THE HEART RULES THE MIND – GRT (well played rocker with Genesis alum Steve Hackett, though production seemed a bit strident.) 13: OPPORTUNITIES (LET'S MAKE LOTS OF MONEY) - PET SHOP BOYS (great song; as good or better than the somewhat overplayed “West End Girls”.) 12: PAPA DON'T PREACH – MADONNA (never really liked this song, though it means well.) OPTIONAL EXTRA: WORDS GET IN THE WAY – MIAMI SOUND MACHINE (first ballad hit for Gloria Estefan & Co., and a nice change of pace) 11: MAD ABOUT YOU - BELINDA CARLISLE (well sung, though rather overproduced compared to her Go-Gos hits.) 10: LOVE TOUCH - ROD STEWART (somewhat routine 80s pop tune that Rod manages to bring to life) 9: YOUR WILDEST DREAMS - THE MOODY BLUES (also an LDD this week. One of their biggest, and best hits) 8: THERE'LL BE SAD SONGS (TO MAKE YOU CRY) - BILLY OCEAN (No. Just no.) 7: GLORY OF LOVE - PETER CETERA (lots of soundtrack hits this week. This soaring ballad was Cetera’s first solo hit, though little different from his Chicago hits of the 80s such as “Hard To Say I’m Sorry” and “You’re the Inspiration.”) 6: WHO'S JOHNNY - EL DeBARGE (great song from what was one of my favorite movies of the time, “Short Circuit.” I can’t remember how many times my family rented that one.) 5: HOLDING BACK THE YEARS - SIMPLY RED (low-key, soulful ballad about growing up in tough times.) 4: DANGER ZONE - KENNY LOGGINS (second Top Gun hit in the countdown, and better than the first.) 3: NASTY - JANET JACKSON (Miss Jackson’s second hit further established her as a force of her own, with a delightfully sassy, outspoken attitude.) OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE CAPTAIN OF HER HEART – DOUBLE (pleasant pop number that resembles smooth jazz, but with enough of a beat to keep it from getting boring.) 2: SLEDGEHAMMER - PETER GABRIEL (excellent song that is probably best remembered for its video, but stands on its own very well.) 1: INVISIBLE TOUCH – GENESIS (catchy, upbeat pop-rocker that is some distance from their prog-rock roots, but done with similar skill.)
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Post by jaxxalude on Jul 6, 2009 20:52:09 GMT -5
OK, I'm going to break the rules slightly by posting a critique of a chart that will probably not ever be rebroadcast.
July 8, 1989
Droppers:
FOREVER YOUR GIRL – PAULA ABDUL - Production wise, it's very much of its time. Mild hip-hop beats, some freestyle tangents. Nevertheless, it's a minor pop gem. BE WITH YOU – THE BANGLES - There is a reason why this was one of their lowest charting songs: it's completely forgettable. COMING HOME – CINDERELLA - Let's face it: in the grand hair metal scheme, Cinderella only broke through because of their fleeting Bon Jovi connections. Other than that, the fact that even their biggest hit - "Don't Know What You've Got (Till It's Gone)" - is as unremarkable a power ballad as they come speaks volumes. WHERE ARE YOU NOW? – JIMMY HARNEN WITH SYNCH - I'm sorry, but dentist's office soundtracks aren't my forte! ROCK ON – MICHAEL DAMIAN - Starting your career with a cover version sends out the message that your original material isn't up to par - and voilà, that was effectively the case! Besides, as Jack Wagner and Gloria Loring before him proved, there was only one Rick Springfield. VERONICA – ELVIS COSTELLO - Good thing that his biggest American hit turned out to be one of his best and most memorable songs. And having Paul McCartney to help out on songwriting duties certainly didn't hurt.
40: FRIENDS – JODY WATLEY WITH ERIC B. & RAKIM - Probably the first R&B singer/rapper sparring ever on the Top 40. Good thing it was this good! 39: THE END OF THE INNOCENCE – DON HENLEY - His last big solo hit. Good, interesting lyrics, but definitely no "Boys of Summer". 38: CLOSE MY EYES FOREVER – LITA FORD (DUET WITH OZZY OSBOURNE) - As far as power ballads go, this is definitely NOT one of the most recommended. 37: HEADED FOR A HEARTBREAK - WINGER - On the contrary, this one was actually one of the best of that era. OK, so the lyrics were perfunctory. But Reb Beach's guitar work and Paul Taylor's keyboards made this a very convincing "Love Bites"-style rock ballad. Too bad it's so overlooked these days. 36: COLD HEARTED – PAULA ABDUL - This one aged badly. Like "Forever Your Girl", the production is dated, but in a bad way. It's "Straight Up"'s poorer cousin. 35: I’M THAT TYPE OF GUY – L.L. COOL J - You know what? If this would be released today, it would actually sound current. And I say that in the best possible way! On top of that, LL practically sings in this song, anticipating Kanye West's ventures into non-rap territory by almost 20 years! One golden gem, this one. 34: CRY - WATERFRONT - One thing's for sure: these days, no one - not even rappers - would get away with a lyric like this!
I know you’re just sixteen But looking all of twenty-one (Twenty-one, you’ll be married with a gun) Daddy would go to jail for you If he thought you were having the wrong sort of fun
Anyway, in the disposable pop stakes, this one gets away with a positive grade. 33: NO MORE RHYME – DEBBIE GIBSON - On the contrary, this one doesn't. 32: SECRET RENDEZVOUS – KARYN WHITE - I listened to this song again this weekend. It wasn't as good as I remembered. 31: HEY BABY – HENRY LEE SUMMER - Rick Springfield he wasn't! 30: EVERY LITTLE STEP – BOBBY BROWN - No matter what he did afterwards, this song is nothing short of a classic of its era! New Jack Swing power! 29: SEND ME AN ANGEL ’89 – REAL LIFE - OK, so this version didn't exactly differ very much from the original. And yes, its production is dated. But the song itself is strong enough to hold its own. Besides, I'm sure it's not just me who thinks that this song's synth hook wouldn't fall out of place in most of the electro-pop-influenced songs that currently dominate Top 40 radio, 28: DRESSED FOR SUCCESS – ROXETTE - No one takes away the quality of the production. It's just that even in a very undemanding subgenre like MOR pop, Roxette weren't very good, no matter how carefully constructed and catchy their songs were. 27: DOWN BOYS – WARRANT - By far, their best single - although that's not saying much. But at least they were trying to come up with something a bit less formulaic than what would come later from them. 26: INTO THE NIGHT – BENNY MARDONES - Like Waterfront, another statch song! ;D But this one's undoing wasn't even the fact that it was an essentially ipsis verbis remake of his own 1980 original. It was the fact that it was sappy to the point of mawkishness. 25: MY BRAVE FACE – PAUL McCARTNEY - Like "Veronica", this one was written along with Elvis Costello. Guess Costello got the better half of the bargain! 24/LDD: WIND BENEATH MY WINGS (FROM “BEACHES”) – BETTE MIDLER - You know, I can understand why this song means so much to many people, and why it was chosen so many times as an LDD. But other than that, this song is a prime example of why AC music is so derided as clichéd and LCD. 23: I LIKE IT - DINO - Is it "good"? Not really. Is it a guilty pleasure? Probably. 22: WHO DO YOU GIVE YOUR LOVE TO – MICHAEL MORALES - In terms of AOR pop/rock, you could do worse than this. At least it's got a minimum sense of melodic craft, unlike Henry Lee Summer. 21: I’LL BE LOVING YOU (FOREVER) – NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK - OK, just as mawkish as "Wind Beneath My Wings". But this one has at least a certain kitsch value. 20: ONCE BITTEN TWICE SHY – GREAT WHITE - Glam metal hacks doing a poor job of covering the real glam thing. 19: ON OUR OWN (FROM “GHOSTBUSTERS II”) – BOBBY BROWN - See Dino's entry. 18: CRAZY ABOUT HER – ROD STEWART - Rod Stewart is capable of the best and the worst. Guess which group this song belongs to! 17: ROOMS ON FIRE – STEVIE NICKS - When she was on fire (no pun intended), Nicks was one of the undisputed masters of the soft rock tune. And the amount of polished late 80's production actually only helped proving it. Should have charted higher. 16: LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME – BON JOVI - Yes, Bon Jovi (and glam metal in general, let's face it) trade in cliché. But when you do it under such a sense of melodic and pop craft, you just can't resist it. Pump your fists! 15: SO ALIVE – LOVE AND ROCKETS - For all the talk of Nirvana opening doors for alternative rock in the mainstream, one must not forget that by 1989 we already had acts from the same college rock circuit like R.E.M., The Cure and Love and Rockets going Top 10 on a semi-regular basis. Rest assured this wasn't exactly representative of their work at large, which tended to be more intricate and darker. But no one can deny how much of a pop gem this is. Now altogether: "I'm alive, so alive"! 14: THIS TIME I KNOW IT’S FOR REAL – DONNA SUMMER - A late career hit for the undisputed disco queen. And although it has its charms, as far as Stock/Aitken/Waterman production work goes, one has to go look to the British charts to find much better examples of it. 13: I WON’T BACK DOWN – TOM PETTY - Another solid Tom Petty number, with interesting guitar work from his main Heartbreaker, Mike Campbell. 12: BATDANCE (FROM “BATMAN) - PRINCE - Probably one of the most unique sounding #1 hits ever. At a time when sampling was still a relatively new concept, this was probably one of the first mainstream examples of a track mostly dominated by it. But the most astounding thing is how this track has aged so well after all these years, not losing any of its edginess. But hey, this is Prince we're talking about here - it's not for nothing that he's considered a genius! 11: THE DOCTOR – THE DOOBIE BROTHERS - The fact that this marked their reunion was probably enough to go Top 10. But let's face it: its inherent catchiness doesn't hide the fact that this doesn't hold a candle to their best 70's material. 10: WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW – EXPOSE - This was probably the moment where the Expose formula was starting to wear a bit thin. What had worked so well in songs like "Point of No Return" was now sounding calculated and formulaic. No wonder their chart fortunes started slipping. 9: BUFFALO STANCE – NENEH CHERRY - What a classic! It's hip-hop, for sure; but it's also a lot of other stuff too. And those synth hooks? Still do the trick after all these years! 8: SATISFIED – RICHARD MARX - Let's face it: as successful as Richard Marx was at the time, it's easy to conclude that only "Keep Coming Back" had any substance and depth to it, if one cared to scrutinize his music more carefully. No amount of polished late 80's production could disguise the fact that, as a songwriter, Richard Marx was as transparent as they came. Is it any wonder that "Right Here Waiting" is the only song people truly remember from him? 7: MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY – NATALIE COLE - Her last significant hit in a mainstream pop style, before the smooth-jazz train came a-runnin'. Didn't matter: it was still a perfectly inoffensive AC ballad. 6: I DROVE ALL NIGHT – CYNDI LAUPER - Ever wonder why so many cover versions were made of this song? Because if not even Roy Orbison could nail it, then you know something is very wrong. Maybe people are still subliminally reminded of Cyndi Lauper in the nude in the video... 5: TOY SOLDIERS – MARTIKA - It's not exactly a bad song - it has, in fact, a certain airy charm. It's just that Eminem actually turned into something much more interesting years later. 4: EXPRESS YOURSELF – MADONNA - A great Philly soul-inflected track, even if not one of Madonna's undisputed classics. Still, it's hard to resist it. 3: IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW – SIMPLY RED - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' original is still the one to go. And Simply Red weren't far from producing their best album, and the one where they truly came into their own, in Stars. Too bad America didn't care by then. It was their loss. 2: BABY DON’T FORGET MY NUMBER – MILLI VANILLI - It's very easy to knock Milli Vanilli these days. Fakers! Puppets! And although this song is admittedly silly, that coupled with the ridiculously robotic-sounding production is precisely part of its charm. It's pop music at its purest: fun, bouncy, bubblegum and absolutely irresistible. 1: GOOD THING – FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS - A European Top 3 - would you get that these days? Anyway, this was a good example of a song which effortlessly managed to convey vintage soul music into modern pop production. Coupled with a memorable piano hook, this was a recipe that was bound to hit. And hit it did!
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Post by mkarns on Jul 7, 2009 11:53:24 GMT -5
26: INTO THE NIGHT – BENNY MARDONES - Like Waterfront, another statch song! ;D But this one's undoing wasn't even the fact that it was an essentially ipsis verbis remake of his own 1980 original. It was the fact that it was sappy to the point of mawkishness. Actually, IIRC the 1989 hit version of "Into the Night" was the exact same recording as that of 1980, just reissued as a cassette (and CD?) single after some radio stations rediscovered it. One extra feature of this countdown was a "flashback", in this case drop-pieces of the top 5 songs of the week of 7/10/82. This was one of the Shadoe Stevens-era innovations that I actually liked ("we'll journey the musical mists back to the year when....".)
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Post by mstgator on Jul 7, 2009 18:08:46 GMT -5
26: INTO THE NIGHT – BENNY MARDONES - Like Waterfront, another statch song! ;D But this one's undoing wasn't even the fact that it was an essentially ipsis verbis remake of his own 1980 original. It was the fact that it was sappy to the point of mawkishness. Actually, IIRC the 1989 hit version of "Into the Night" was the exact same recording as that of 1980, just reissued as a cassette (and CD?) single after some radio stations rediscovered it. Correct, the Polydor re-release was available on cassette and 7" vinyl. There was a Benny Mardones re-recording released around the same time (on Curb Records) to try to capitalize on the success of the original, but that version didn't chart. I have to say I actually like "Into The Night", although the opening lyric is a bit squicky.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 10, 2009 22:44:36 GMT -5
I finally got my critiques of the shows played on the WMGN marathon this past weekend. Now, since I didn't know many of the songs on the "Top 40 Girls Of Rock & Roll" countdown, that was not included. First off, here's the show from September 18, 1976:
40: SUNRISE - ERIC CARMEN - When I first heard the beginning of this song, I thought it was going to be another one of his slow songs, but this one actually was quite energetic. It was OK, but I preferred 39: IT'S OK - BEACH BOYS - The title pretty much says it all. I prefer most of their other songs. Their comeback sure didn’t last, such was the case with their other successive comebacks (but at least they got a number one hit out of their last one). 38: GET THE FUNK OUT MA FACE - THE BROTHERS JOHNSON - Meh, I was never a big Brothers Johnson fan at all. This song was mediocre at best. 37: DR. TARR & PROFESSOR FETHER - ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - Very interesting song. I still prefer their 80s songs. 36: SUPERSTAR - PAUL DAVIS - See what I said about #37 35: I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU - BAY CITY ROLLERS - Good song, one of my favorites by them, even if I did overplay it on a tape on which I used to have the song. 34: KISS AND SAY GOODBYE - MANHATTANS - Depressing song, reminds me a little of my breakup last year. 33: DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - No, this was not the original version of the song Journey charted with at the end of 1981. It was completely different. It’s pretty good, but sounds a lot like her other mid-70s hits. 32: I CAN'T HEAR YOU NO MORE - HELEN REDDY - Blends in with all mid-70s disco. 31: (DON’T FEAR) THE REAPER - BLUE OYSTER CULT - Great song! A classic rock staple! 30: BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY - PETER FRAMPTON - This is where I tuned in after getting home from the parade. This song was OK, but I prefer “Show Me The Way” and “I’m In You”. 29: THIS MASQUERADE - GEORGE BENSON - Great song. I hear this song on smooth jazz stations quite frequently. 28: ONE LOVE IN MY LIFETIME - DIANA ROSS - wtf did this sound like again? Must not have made an impression on me if I don’t remember. 27: STREET SINGIN' - LADY FLASH - I don’t remember this one either. 26: MAGIC MAN - HEART - This song’s good, but I preferred “Crazy On You” as well as most of their 70s hits. 25: HEAVEN MUST BE MISSING AN ANGEL - TAVARES - Good song, but nothing special. 24: LET 'EM IN - WINGS - This song was pretty good. Sounds like a marching band when the drums kick in. 23: ROCK 'N ME - STEVE MILLER BAND - I was starting to doze off during the last three songs, but by now, I was completely asleep, as I don’t remember hearing this one at all. It was a good song, but I preferred his 1977 songs. 22: SHOWER THE PEOPLE - JAMES TAYLOR - Great song! Very positive message in this song. 21: THAT'LL BE THE DAY - LINDA RONSTADT - I think I’ve heard her version of the Buddy Holly classic, but I’m not sure. She usually did justice to songs she remade, though. 20: SHE'S GONE - HALL & OATES - Meh, not one of my favorites by them by a longshot, but still pretty good. 19: WHAM BAM (SHANG-A-LANG) - SILVER - Great song! I’ve heard it plenty of times, as it’s on the Barry Scott Lost 45s CD that I have. 18: WHO'D SHE COO - OHIO PLAYERS - wtf did this sound like again? 17: GETAWAY - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - I woke up at this point. The song was pretty good, but I prefer “September”. 16: STILL THE ONE - ORLEANS - Awesome song, like their other two Top 40 hits. Very upbeat, and a good song to dedicate to your sweetie. 15: A LITTLE BIT MORE - DR. HOOK - Great song, my favorite song by them behind “Better Love Next Time”. 14: DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART - ELTON JOHN & KIKI DEE - Great, classic duet by them. This is one of my all-time favorite songs by Elton John. 13: DISCO DUCK - RICK DEES & HIS CAST OF IDIOTS - No. Just no. 12: WITH YOUR LOVE - JEFFERSON STARSHIP - This song (which sounds a lot like “Miracles”) was pretty good, but my favorite JS song of the Marty Balin era would be “Count On Me” 11: SAY YOU LOVE ME - FLEETWOOD MAC - Great song, one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs with Christine on lead vocal. 10: YOU SHOULD BE DANCING - BEE GEES - OK song, but one of my least favorites by them. 9: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - Classic Chicago song! One of my favorites by them. This is one of several songs on this week’s show that I actually remember from when it was popular (even though I was not even five years old yet!) 8: SUMMER - WAR - Good song. The timing of this song was kind of like Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” - being released when summer was already in progress and peaking in the early fall. 7: DEVIL WOMAN - CLIFF RICHARD - OK song, but he’s had many better. 6: LOWDOWN - BOZ SCAGGS - Possibly my least favorite of his Top 40 songs, but still good. 5: YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LOVE LIKE MINE - LOU RAWLS - Great song! I've only heard a few songs from him, but this one might be my favorite! EXTRA: BRING IT ON HOME TO ME - SAM COOKE - wtf did this sound like again? And what was the story behind it? I remember it being kind of weird. I think I may have been starting to doze off again. 4: A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN - WALTER MURPHY BAND - Great, disco version of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. The beginning (of the Walter Murphy hit) actually sampled that song. 3: I'D REALLY LOVE TO SEE YOU TONIGHT - ENGLAND DAN & JOHN FORD COLEY - Great song! Short, but sweet! 2: SHAKE YOUR BOOTY - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND - This song’s OK, but I think the dance that went with this song is just about as dumb as the “Y.M.C.A.” dance. 1: PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC - WILD CHERRY - Good song, but quite overplayed on oldies stations.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 10, 2009 22:45:45 GMT -5
Now, here's the one from September 30, 1978:
I didn’t listen to most of this show, as I was gearing up to listen to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 Summer Hits of the 1980s, in honor of the Fourth. I figured, since I have a copy of the next show (which was the first four-hour AT40), I could just take a listen to that one if this show had too many unfamiliar songs.
40: DANCE (DISCO HEAT) - SYLVESTER - Sounds like most of other the late-70s disco hits. Nothing special. 39: I WILL STILL LOVE YOU - STONEBOLT - Great song! I remember this being a Long Distance Dedication on an early 1980 AT40 show. It’s also on the Barry Scott’s Lost 45's CD that I have. 38: DOUBLE VISION - FOREIGNER - Great song! One of my favorites from them! 37: HEARTBREAKER - DOLLY PARTON - Beautiful song. I still prefer her song from earlier in the year called “Here You Come Again”. 36: DEVOTED TO YOU - CARLY SIMON & JAMES TAYLOR - Good song, a remake of an Everly Brothers classic. The melody sounds a little like the hymn “For The Beauty Of The Earth”. 35: ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE - MICHAEL JOHNSON - Wow, I always thought Michael Johnson had only two Top 40 hits. Anyway, this one is pretty good, sounds like something that a smooth jazz station would play. 34: GOT TO GET YOU INTO MY LIFE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - Meh, this doesn’t do justice to the Beatles’ original at all!33: IT'S A LAUGH - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - I just recently heard this song for the first time and I must say, it is a great one! If I listened to this one enough, I might put this on my list of all-time faves from the duo. 32: JOSIE - STEELY DAN - OK song, but I prefer “Peg”. 31: BEAST OF BURDEN - ROLLING STONES - Though I prefer several other songs by them, this definitely beats the hell out of that piece of cowplop that somehow managed to top the chart earlier in the year. 30: 5705 - CITY BOY - Not quite a “No. Just no” song, but close. 29: HOW MUCH I FEEL - AMBROSIA - Great song! This is right up there with “Biggest Part Of Me” as my favorite songs by Ambrosia. 28: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - CRYSTAL GAYLE - Another great song, definitely one of her best. 27: I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE - ALICIA BRIDGES - Wow, three great songs in a row? I prolly should’ve listened to this show (especially since I never did get all the way through the Summer Hits show!). This is one of my favorite disco songs of all time! KEITH MOON (THE WHO) OBITUARY 26: WHO ARE YOU - THE WHO - No. Just no. (I just knew that the phrase “famous last words...” was going to rear its ugly head! Three great songs and one barfola!) 25: McARTHUR PARK - DONNA SUMMER - UGH! Another one - No. Just no. 24: YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT - THE CAPTAIN AND TENNILLE - OK song, but I prefer “Do That To Me One More Time” (and thank God it wasn’t three great songs in a row, followed by three “No. Just no” songs!) 23: COME TOGETHER - AEROSMITH - Not a big fan of either version of this song. 22: SHE'S ALWAYS A WOMAN - BILLY JOEL - Great song. Very beautiful melody. The tempo of it makes it sound a lot like his signature song “Piano Man”. 21: PRISONER - BARBRA STREISAND - Good song, very powerful for a slow song. 20: BACK IN THE U.S.A. - LINDA RONSTADT - wtf did this sound like again? 19: GET OFF - FOXY - Like the song at #40, this song pretty much blended in with all the other disco music of that particular era. 18: RIGHT DOWN THE LINE - GERRY RAFFERTY - Great song, much better than that overplayed “Baker Street”. 17: FOOL IF YOU THINK IT'S OVER - CHRIS REA - Good song. He recorded an updated version of this song ten years later, but the original was worlds better. 16: OH DARLING - ROBIN GIBB - Good song. This has to be a remake of a song from the 50s or 60s, even though the Joel Whitburn books I have don’t seem to list any such song.
15: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER - Great song, but I prefer their other hit on the chart 14: HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - Good song, but far from being my favorite by Mr. Seger and his band. 13: YOU AND I - RICK JAMES - Meh, I’m not a Rick James fan by any means. 12: WHENEVER I CALL YOU FRIEND - KENNY LOGGINS & STEVIE NICKS - Great song, one of my favorites from both of them. I was delighted to find out this song made it to #1 on the R&R chart. 11/LDD: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY - Great song, one of many songs by her that I like a lot. 10: AN EVERLASTING LOVE - ANDY GIBB - Three great songs in a row? Uh-oh! Well, anyway, let’s enjoy it while it lasts. This is very possibly my favorite song by Andy Gibb. 9: LOVE IS IN THE AIR - JOHN PAUL YOUNG - Whew! Not a “No. Just no” song! This song is actually a pretty good one. I vaguely remember hearing it when it was popular. 8: REMINISCING - LITTLE RIVER BAND - Though I prefer their other Top 40 hit from the “Sleeper Catcher” album (that, of course, would be “Lady” - the full album version), this is a great one too. 7: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY - NICK GILDER - Great song, although I preferred his mid-charter from the following year, called “(You Really) Rock Me”. 6: DON'T LOOK BACK - BOSTON - Good song, but one of my least favorites from them. 5: SUMMER NIGHTS - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Great, fun summertime song! 4: THREE TIMES A LADY - COMMODORES - Good song, though overplayed. I liked the full-album version the best. 3: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - For personal reasons, I can’t listen to this song anymore. 2: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A TASTE OF HONEY - Great party song! Another one of my favorite disco songs. 1: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE - Good song. This song always reminds me of the movie “Happy Gilmore”, where he was singing this to his girlfriend, but an old lady passing by thought it was directed at her. This show was the last three hour American Top 40. It is interesting to note that Casey didn't mention that this was the last three-hour program or that AT40's first four-hour show was the following week. The change was quite low-key.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 10, 2009 22:46:05 GMT -5
I tuned into this one a little late, so I missed the first two songs. 40: YOU MAKE LOVIN’ FUN – FLEETWOOD MAC - Great song - possibly my favorite song by them with Christine singing lead. 39: DO YOUR DANCE (PART 1) – ROSE ROYCE - wtf did this sound like again? 38: CHANGES IN LATITUDES, CHANGES IN ATTITUDES – JIMMY BUFFETT - This was a great song, but not quite as good as “Fins”. EXTRA: LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN – NEIL SEDAKA - Wow, I’m pretty sure that I had tuned in at this point, but I sure don’t remember hearing this. 37: I GO CRAZY – PAUL DAVIS - Good song. Little did anyone know how tenacious this song would be! 36: MY FAIR SHARE – SEALS & CROFTS - As I recall, this was a great song. I’d probably recognize it if I took a listen to it. 35: COME SAIL AWAY - STYX - Great song, but I always thought that the edit of this song was overkill. I can see cutting out the instrumental bridge with the outer space sounds, but it wouldn’t have been too long with the second verse left in. Oh well.34: IT’S SO EASY – LINDA RONSTADT - Great song! Most of Linda’s songs were remakes of older hits, but I believe this was an original. I might be wrong, but the only version of this song listed in my Joel Whitburn book is Linda’s. 33: I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU - FOGHAT - Not a big fan of this song or Foghat in general. 32: ISN’T IT TIME – THE BABYS - Great song! Not sure if I like this or “Everytime I Think Of You” better. 31: DAYBREAK – BARRY MANILOW - Not your typical Manilow song (his departure from normal would be even larger the following year), but a great one. 30: SEND IN THE CLOWNS – JUDY COLLINS - As cheesy as this song is, I actually kind of like it. 29: IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG - RONNIE MILSAP - This sounds like something Barry Manilow should have recorded. I like this song. 28: ON AND ON – STEPHEN BISHOP - Great song! One of my favorite songs of 1977. 27: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING – ANDY GIBB - This is another one of my favorites from that year (and the general public agreed, as this song became the top song of 1977). Too bad they cut out the second verse. IMHO, they should have extended to four hours before they did. 26: WE JUST DISAGREE – DAVE MASON - I used to love this song but somehow, it doesn’t sound quite as good anymore. I still like it, though. 25: DUSIC - BRICK - As I recall, this was nothing special. 24: SHE DID IT – ERIC CARMEN - I vaguely remember hearing this song a lot back in late 1977. It was a good song. 23: DO YOU WANNA GET FUNKY WITH ME – PETER BROWN - Not a big fan. 22: HELP IS ON THE WAY – THE LITTLE RIVER BAND - Good song, but I liked a few of their later hits better. 21: BLUE BAYOU – LINDA RONSTADT - Good song. Remake of an old Roy Orbison song. 20: SURFIN’ USA – LEIF GARRETT - A lot of people don’t like this song, so I guess you could call this a “guilty pleasure”. EXTRA: IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW - CHICAGO - Wow, I don’t remember hearing this song twice during the marathon. Was this also chopped out of the show like I suspect “Laughter In The Rain” was? 19: SWAYIN’ TO THE MUSIC (SLOW DANCIN’) – JOHNNY RIVERS - OK song, but I was never a big Johnny Rivers fan. 18: SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERED – PETER FRAMPTON - Good remake of the old Stevie Wonder classic. 17: WE’RE ALL ALONE – RITA COOLIDGE - I never knew this was a remake, but Frankie Valli had a minor hit with this song the year before. Boz Scaggs was the writer of the song (and he also recorded a version of it). Anyway, this was a great song. 16: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL - Great song, possibly my favorite song from them. 15: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE – THE BEE GEES - Great song, and, like the Paul Davis song we heard earlier, it showed tenacity on the charts. 14: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER - Great song, one of my favorites by them. 13: THE KING IS GONE – RONNIE McDOWELL - Meh, this one was kind of dull, but a good tribute to Elvis nonetheless. 12: HEAVEN ON THE 7th FLOOR – PAUL NICHOLAS - Great song! I like the melody and the story in the song. 11: BABY, WHAT A BIG SURPRISE - CHICAGO - This song was pretty good, but they have had many better songs. 10: DON’T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE – CRYSTAL GAYLE - Good song, but I prefer “Talking In Your Sleep”. 9: STAR WARS TITLE THEME - MECO - Good song. I do prefer his “Empire Strikes Back Medley” from three years later. 8: IT’S ECSTASY WHEN YOU LAY DOWN NEXT TO ME – BARRY WHITE - Meh, not a big fan of this one. 7: I FEEL LOVE – DONNA SUMMER - No. Just no. 6: BRICKHOUSE – THE COMMODORES - Meh, quite overplayed. EXTRA: YOU’RE SIXTEEN – RINGO STARR - Good song. I hear this song inspired Billy Ocean’s 1988 hit “Get Out Of My Dreams, Get Into My Car”. 5: KEEP IT COMIN’ LOVE – K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND - I’ve recently started liking this song more than I used to. 4: BOOGIE NIGHTS - HEATWAVE - Meh, don’t like this one. 3: THAT’S ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – SHAUN CASSIDY - Great song. I remember hearing this song, but didn’t know the title. I thought it was called “Come On Everybody” or something like that. 2: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER – CARLY SIMON - Great song! One of my faves by her! 1: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE – DEBBY BOONE - I guess you could call this song a guilty pleasure of mine, since a lot of people I know detest this song. But I think it’s a great one.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 10, 2009 22:48:15 GMT -5
Now, for the 80s show from this weekend. Finally, at long last, they decided to run a 1982 show! A lot of great music on this one, so let’s get right down to it:
Dropped: HOPE YOU LOVE ME LIKE YOU SAY YOU DO – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (36) - Great song! Shame that it only got as high as #36. AFTER THE GLITTER FADES (32) – STEVIE NICKS - wtf did this sound like again? BODY LANGUAGE (28) – QUEEN - No. Just no. Glad that it dropped off!
LW#3: EBONY AND IVORY – PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER LW#2: ROSANNA - TOTO LW#1: DON’T YOU WANT ME – HUMAN LEAGUE
All of the above will be commented on later.
40: ANGEL IN BLUE – J. GEILS BAND (40) - Pretty good song - too bad it didn’t go any higher than #40 39: OUT OF WORK – GARY U.S. BONDS (debut) - Great song! Sort of a timely message, with today’s economy. 38: DANCING IN THE STREET – VAN HALEN (38) - Decent remake of the old Martha & The Vandellas classic. 37: ISLAND OF LOST SOULS - BLONDIE (37) - This one had sort of a tropical feel like “The Tide Is High”. It was pretty good. 36: IF THE LOVE FITS, WEAR IT – LESLIE PEARL (debut) - Great song! I’ve heard it plenty of times on the Barry Scott’s Lost 45s CD that I own. 35: BE MINE TONIGHT – NEIL DIAMOND (35) - OK, but far from being my favorite song by him. 34: HOOKED ON SWING – LARRY ELGART & HIS MANHATTAN SWING ORCHESTRA (39) - Up to now, every song on the countdown was either a debut or a song holding at the same position as the week before. Anyway, as we all know, there was a medley fad on the charts in the early 1980s, and this was a big band one. It was actually pretty good. Casey didn’t talk over the song this week, but a few weeks later he did as he told the listeners the title of every song. He did that a few times with “Hooked On Classics” earlier in 1982. 33: THIS MAN IS MINE - HEART (33) - Ah, this really WAS 1982, with so many songs in holding pattern. Anyway, this song was OK, but nothing special.32: YOU SHOULD HEAR HOW SHE TALKS ABOUT YOU – MELISSA MANCHESTER (debut) - This song’s OK, but kind of corny. I’m a little embarrassed to say that this was once my favorite song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO – THE CLASH - Meh, not a big fan at all. I prefer “Rock The Casbah” and even “Train In Vain”. 31: BREAK IT UP - FOREIGNER (26) - Great song. Reminds me a little of “Blue Morning, Blue Day” and “Double Vision” 30: THE OTHER WOMAN – RAY PARKER, JR. (14) - Not a big fan of this one at all. 29: CRIMSON AND CLOVER – JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS (12) - Nor am I too crazy about this one either - this or the original. 28: EARLY IN THE MORNING – THE GAP BAND (31) - This song was pretty good, but I prefer “You Dropped A Bomb On Me” a little better. 27: GOING TO A GO-GO – THE ROLLING STONES (30) - Meh, don’t really like it. LDD: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL - Great song, possibly my favorite from them. 26: HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY - CHICAGO (34) - Used to be my favorite song in 1982, but overplay has since dimmed my fascination for this song. 25: WASTED ON THE WAY – CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (29) - Great song! Possibly my favorite song by them! 24: EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER – AIR SUPPLY (27) - Ah, the song that broke the record for the longest fall out of the Top 40! Anyway, I like it - one of my all-time faves by Air Supply. 23: FORGET ME NOTS – PATRICE RUSHEN (23) - Aka “The Blinker Song”. It’s a pretty good song, has a jazzy feel to it. 22: PERSONALLY – KARLA BONOFF (25) - Great song! I have her “Wild Heart Of The Young” album and love each and every song from it! OPTIONAL EXTRA: PAPERLATE – GENESIS - This song was good, but not one of my favorites from Genesis. It sounds a little like “No Reply At All”. 21: WHAT KIND OF FOOL AM I – RICK SPRINGFIELD (21) - This song was in the midst of a six-week stay at this position which was and, to my best of knowledge, still is a record. It was a good one - the lead-in to the chorus reminded me a little of “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot. 20: STILL THEY RIDE - JOURNEY (24) - Great song! One of their best and also one of their most underrated song. 19: ALWAYS ON MY MIND – WILLIE NELSON (6) - Good song, but I prefer the Pet Shop Boys’ version. 18: TAKE ME DOWN - ALABAMA (18) - OK song, but not my favorite by them (I’ll bet I know what Bry’s opinion of this song is!) 17: PLAY THE GAME TONIGHT - KANSAS (17) - Good song. Jon Elefante sang lead on this one. 16: KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN’ – REO SPEEDWAGON (20) - Good song, but they’ve had many better. This was the third of their four Top Ten singles (you thought they had more, didn’t you?) 15: ABRACADABRA – THE STEVE MILLER BAND (19) - Good song. 14: ANY DAY NOW – RONNIE MILSAP(15) - Great song, one of my faves by him!EXTRA: RESPECT – ARETHA FRANKLIN - Meh, quite overplayed. I generally prefer her more recent material 13: DO I DO – STEVIE WONDER (16) - This song was OK, but I preferred his other two singles from this album. 12: HOLD ME – FLEETWOOD MAC (22) - Good song, but not my favorite by them. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THINK I’M IN LOVE – EDDIE MONEY - Good song, but I like his newer stuff better. 11: ONLY THE LONELY – THE MOTELS (13) - Great song, like most of their charted hits. 10: CAUGHT UP IN YOU - .38 SPECIAL (10) - Great song, one of my favorites from them! 9: TAINTED LOVE – SOFT CELL (11) - Meh, this song is quite overplayed. 8: EBONY AND IVORY – PAUL McCARTNEY & STEVIE WONDER (3) - This song’s pretty good, despite the cheese factor. 7: LOVE’S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME – JUICE NEWTON (8) - Great song! I liked her three 1982 songs the best. 6: LET IT WHIP – THE DAZZ BAND (7) - No. Just no. 5: EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (9) - Good song, one of the fastest climbing songs of that year. The song hit #1 in its fifth week in the Top 40. 4: HEAT OF THE MOMENT - ASIA (4) - Great song! 3: HURTS SO GOOD – JOHN COUGAR (5) - Good, classic song by John Cougar. Much better than his next hit. 2: ROSANNA - TOTO (2) - Good song, but I prefer several others by them. 1: DON’T YOU WANT ME – HUMAN LEAGUE (1) - Awesome song! Glad this song made it to #1.
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Post by Hervard on Jul 10, 2009 22:58:27 GMT -5
July 19, 1986: (**At this point, there was evidently a break in the countdown, as WQSR inserted Heart’s “These Dreams”, which wasn’t in that week’s top 40. Still, it’s an excellent song and from this countdown’s year.) I'm wondering if there was a portion of the original countdown that was cut out, because KQLL did the same thing - went to regular programming. For some reason, Hour 1 ended at about 8:52, so they played two hits to fill out the hour. And, as I recall, the countdown didn't start off much earlier than 8:00.
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