|
Post by davewollenberg on Feb 1, 2015 21:32:10 GMT -5
Actually, mga, the backup vocal on 'Miss Sun' was done by Canadian singer Lisa Dal Bello.
|
|
|
Post by blackbowl68 on Feb 1, 2015 22:01:29 GMT -5
I have heard radio equally play one of two versions of Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real": one with her scatting over the breakdown or one with no vocal there at all (as heard on the 2/03/1979 AT40 show). Does anyone which version was issued on the original 45RPM single? Or if both were?
|
|
|
Post by ivanzero on Feb 1, 2015 22:02:42 GMT -5
7) Love On the Rocks--Neil Diamond (2) Much, much better than "Hello Again"! Would it have hit #1 if not for a certain tragic 12/8/80 event? Probably. I'm thinking almost certainly. We'd be talking about how John's big comeback got shut out of the top spot by Diamond and perhaps Streisand or maybe even Leo Sayer. And hopefully about his plans for 2015.
|
|
|
Post by mga707 on Feb 2, 2015 3:17:44 GMT -5
Actually, mga, the backup vocal on 'Miss Sun' was done by Canadian singer Lisa Dal Bello. Will correct. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by bestmusicexpert on Feb 2, 2015 6:16:57 GMT -5
Blackbowl, without digging my copy out, IIRC, its the scatting one.
|
|
|
Post by bestmusicexpert on Feb 2, 2015 6:19:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Feb 2, 2015 8:30:01 GMT -5
It's appropriate that "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was featured as an archive song on the 1/31/81 countdown since it was # 1 seventeen years ago that week.
|
|
|
Post by jamie9012 on Feb 2, 2015 12:30:30 GMT -5
Greetings again.
I did not know that they began offering second choices for the 80s version of American Top 40. I would have liked to have heard the 1981 Ep., but I heard the one from 1987. Yet, this is still good! I did enjoy the Episode very much. I will list the top ten Songs from it.
January 31, 1987
10: TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) - SAMANTHA FOX - This was good. The first Song from her that I have ever heard was "I Wanna Have Some Fun", which was released one Year later. 9: LIVIN' ON A PRAYER - BON JOVI - A strong Hit from this band from New Jersey. I did not know that the band members were worried that the Fans could mistake their name for something else. 4 Weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February/March of 1987. 8: SHAKE YOU DOWN - GREGORY ABBOTT - Very great! I do like his Voice. 7: SOMEDAY - GLASS TIGER - I heard this Song a lot in 2005, and I would listen to it all the time. I just like the music so much! The second Hit for this Canadian band peaked here at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. 6: CONTROL - JANET JACKSON - Good beat in this Song. It follows her previous Single release "When I Think Of You". 5: CHANGE OF HEART - CYNDI LAUPER - I did not hear a lot of this Song, but I did like it. 4: LAND OF CONFUSION - GENESIS - "This is the World we live in. And these are the Hands we're given." For me, it feels like many Songs from the middle and late 1980s (and even now) featured many serious Subjects. From abstinence to abuse. 3: C'EST LA VIE - ROBBIE NEVILLE - Good. 2: OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA - One of my favorite Songs from her! It is very good that it reached #1, and I was happy to hear it. 1: AT THIS MOMENT - BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS - "If I..... if I could just hold you..." he sings on this big Hit. It was first released in 1981. After it was featured in "Family Ties" (television show), it was released once again, and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. I think that Casey Kasem mentioned that this Song broke a record for the amount of time taken for a Song to reached #1. After this, the band called Sheriff reached #1 with the Song "When I'm With You", which had also been recorded years earlier.
Perhaps I can soon began listing all of the 40 Songs again. Thank you for reading!
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 6, 2015 14:46:05 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - February 7, 2015
This week's presentation - February 12, 1983
Wow, that was sort of a curveball, since we heard a 1983 show just about a month ago. But that's cool; it makes up for the past three years, in which the first 1983 show was featured no earlier than late February. Plus, it was a brand-new show:
Droppers: BAD BOY - RAY PARKER, JR (35) - Good song. The sequel to "The Other Woman" did not do quite as good as that song. HAND TO HOLD ONTO - JOHN COUGAR (32) - This one was pretty good (better than the annoying Jack & Diane), but I preferred "Hurts So Good". SHOCK THE MONKEY - PETER GABRIEL (29) - Good song - my favorite of his Top 40 hits. MICKEY - TONI BASIL (23) - This song was a little silly, but I sure liked it at the time!
LW#1: AFRICA - TOTO 40: MR. ROBOTO - STYX (debut) - This song was OK, but one of my least favorites from them. 39: THE WOMAN IN ME – DONNA SUMMER (40) - Good song - a rare slow song from her (slow all the way through, that is - the songs of hers that start out slow and pick up the pace a few bars into the song don't count). 38: THE CRAPPING SONG – PIA ZADORA (debut) - No. Just no. 37: I KNEW YOU WHEN – LINDA RONSTADT (38) - Not a fan of this one either. She was in somewhat of a slump in the early-80s, IMO. In late 1982, she had a song that she pretty much screamed. This one was a little better, but I found the "yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus lead-ins annoying. 36: I KNOW THERE’S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA (debut) - Good song, though I generally preferred her with Abba. Phil Collins' trademark drumming was featured in this song. 35: FALL IN LOVE WITH ME – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (debut) - This wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. 34: THE GIRL IS MINE – MICHAEL JACKSON & PAUL McCARTNEY (16) - Great song! Of the two big duets they charted with, this was definitely my favorite. 33: BREAKING US IN TWO – JOE JACKSON (39) - Great song! Sounds sort of like a slower version of his recent Top Ten "Steppin' Out". 32: DIRTY LAUNDRY – DON HENLEY (7) - Wow, what a huge drop! The weird charts did indeed continue into 1983, but there weren't as many odd chart moves as there were the year before. Anyway, this was a good song - one of his best solo hits. 31: ON THE LOOSE - SAGA (34) - Great song! One I remember quite well from early 1983 (since Chicago stations WLS and B96 played it regularly). OPTIONAL EXTRA: I'M ALIVE - NEIL DIAMOND - Good song - another one I remember hearing in 1983 (mainly on South Bend's WTHQ, which is now Sunny 101.5). This one had a rather odd chart run - it would debut at #35 the following week, stay there for a month, and then drop out of the Top 40. 30: SPACE AGE LOVE SONG – A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (31) - Great song! My favorite of their three Top 40 hits! 29: WHAT ABOUT ME – MOVING PICTURES (30) - Good song. This was where the song was peaking, but it definitely got a lot of mileage, spending 13 weeks in the Top 40 and half a year on the charts. 28: ONE ON ONE – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (37) - Great song! My favorite of their 1983 hits! 27: SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY (36) - Wow, both of the biggest movers of the week were back to back! And here's a good one - this one made it to #1 on the R&R chart, and leapfrogged over the Hall & Oates song which peaked at #2 the week before. 26: TWILIGHT ZONE – GOLDEN EARRING (33) - Great song! Another song that the two Chicago stations mentioned above played quite a lot. That said, it's a shock that this song came nowhere near the R&R chart. 25: HEART OF THE NIGHT – JUICE NEWTON (25) - This was a good song, but it was clear to see that she'd had her day in the sun. After 1983, she was nowhere to be found in the Top 40, but she continued to do well at Country. 24: WE’VE GOT TONIGHT – KENNY ROGERS AND SHEENA EASTON (28) - We heard Bob Seger's version last week, and now we hear the cover. This is my favorite of the two versions, which isn't saying much, since I preferred many other songs by both artists. 23: BILLIE JEAN – MICHAEL JACKSON (27) - Great song! This was the second big hit from Thriller. Speaking of which, earlier in the show, Casey answered a question letter about the artist with the most #1 hits without a #1 album. Believe it or not, Michael Jackson, who tied with Frankie Valli, had yet to have a #1 album. That would change a mere two weeks later, when Thriller hit #1 for the first of 37 non-consecutive weeks. 22: BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG – THE PRETENDERS (26) - Great song! One of their best hits! LDD: THE ONE YOU LOVE – GLENN FREY - This song was so/so, but what a LDD story! A lady met a guy at an airport, after both of their flights had been delayed. They hadn't exchanged last names and as far as the lady know, they would never see each other again, but the guy managed to track her down with sporadic information about her and, long story short, they were planning to marry at the time of this show. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DER KOMMISSAR - AFTER THE FIRE - Good song - one of the biggest one-hit wonders of the 1980s and an 80s mix show essential. 21: YOU ARE – LIONEL RICHIE (24) - Great song! Not quite as good as "Truly", but I did like it better than his next top 40 entry "My Love". 20: YOU GOT LUCKY – TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS (20) - Good song, but I preferred several others from him/them. 19: HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF – DURAN DURAN (22) - Great song! The first of many huge hits for one of the biggest new acts of the 80s! 18: DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME – CULTURE CLUB (21) - Well, they played the one with the whiny intro and the annoying bridge, so I think you know my comment about that. 17: ALLENTOWN – BILLY JOEL (17) - Great song - one of his best! This song was spending the second of six weeks at its peak of #17, en route to being the highest-ranked song on the 1983 year-ender (#63). Its sixteen weeks in the Top 40 was largely instrumental in that. 16: ALL RIGHT – CHRISTOPHER CROSS (19) - Great song! Given its extra high debut (#29) and the fact that it peaked at #3 on the R&R chart, I'm quite surprised that this song ran out of gas at #12 on the Hot 100. 15: HEART TO HEART – KENNY LOGGINS (15) - Another song that hit the Top Five in R&R but missed the Top Ten on the Hot 100 (in fact, there were three of them in a row, since "Allentown" also peaked at #3 on R&R). Anyway, this was a great song - one of his best, and they played the album version of the song - not sure how many times that happened on AT40 - they usually went with the single version. 14: YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY – SAMMY HAGAR (18) - Great song! My favorite of his solo hits! 13: PASS THE DUTCHIE – MUSICAL YOUTH (14) - This was OK, but kinda weird. 12: GOODY TWO SHOWS – ADAM ANT (13) - This song was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Wonderful" from twelve years later. 11: THE OTHER GUY – LITTLE RIVER BAND (11) - Good song, but I preferred the follow-up. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LIES - THOMPSON TWINS - Good song! My favorite song from them, however, was their biggest, "Hold Me Now". 10: YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE – PHIL COLLINS (10) - Good song - even better than the original by the Supremes. 9: STRAY CAT STRUT – STRAY CATS (12) - Great song! This was my favorite of their two Top Ten hits from Built For Speed. 8: ROCK THE CASBAH – THE CLASH (8) - Good song. LDD: WE ARE FAMILY – SISTER SLEDGE - I dozed off during the first part of Hour 4, so I'm not sure what the LDD was about - I'll have to try and catch the show later on this weekend. 7: YOU AND I – EDDIE RABBITT AND CRYSTAL GAYLE (9) - Great song! One of my favorites from both artists! 6: MANEATER – DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (6) - Good song. Kind of odd that it was holding at the same position for a third week when it was on its way down the chart. 5: AFRICA - TOTO (1) - Great song, though I sure didn't have that same opinion back in the day - I hated this song back then, due to overplay. 4: SHAME ON THE MOON – BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND (5) - Good song - reminded me a little of "Fire Lake". 3: SEXUAL HEALING – MARVIN GAYE (3) - This one was mediocre at best, IMO, but it sure made a huge splash on the soul chart, having recently spent ten weeks on top (and, of course, it also did well here on AT40). 2: BABY, COME TO ME – PATTI AUSTIN (4) - Great song! This song would hit #1 the following week. 1: DOWN UNDER – MEN AT WORK (2) - This one, along with "Who Can It Be Now", was, and still is, quite overplayed. Too bad the Cargo singles don't get much in the way of airplay anymore. Anyway, this song was actually returning to the top spot for a fourth nonconsecutive week - the last time that would happen for quite awhile.
Predictions for next week: I'm thinking that next week's show will be February 16, 1985 (and I sure hope so - it would be completely new to the Premiere re-runs - all of the other February, 1985 shows were part of the AT40 Flashback series). My back-up prediction is February 13, 1982, which would be a repeat.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Feb 6, 2015 18:17:45 GMT -5
This week's 70s show is a repeat, so it's recycled commentary time...
American Top 40: The 70s - February 7, 2015
This week's presentation - February 14, 1976
Droppers: BREAK AWAY - ART GARFUNKEL (39) - FLY AWAY - JOHN DENVER (37) - Great song! I liked most of his songs (since I was exposed to his music at a very young age). LOVE OR LEAVE - THE SPINNERS (36) PALOMA BLANCA - GEORGE BAKER SELECTION (32) - Great song! Shame that it dropped off! WALK AWAY FROM LOVE - DAVID RUFFIN (23) -
40: TANGERINE – SALSOUL ORCHESTRA (debut) - Pretty good song. Not sure if I prefer this or "Nice and Nasty". 39: SWEET LOVE – THE COMMODORES (debut) - It's okies, but I preferred their songs from the late 70s and early 80s. 38: MONEY HONEY – THE BAY CITY ROLLERS (debut) - This wasn't bad, but I wasn't generally a huge fan of them. 37: THEME FROM “MAHOGANY”(DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO) – DIANA ROSS (14) - Great song! One of her best! This song was the last song ever to fall out of the Top Ten from the top spot - before the PPW era started, that is. 36: ONLY SIXTEEN – DR. HOOK (40) - Good song, but it's no "Better Love Next Time". 35: I LOVE MUSIC (PART 1) – THE O’JAYS (12) - It's okies, but I prefer other songs by them, such as "Love Train" and "Use Ta Be My Girl". 34: DREAM ON - AEROSMITH (debut) - Great song! One of their best, and one I remember quite well. 33: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY - QUEEN (38) - Great song! I remember this one quite well too, from both of its chart runs! 32: LET THE MUSIC PLAY – BARRY WHITE (33) - Good song, though I wasn't a fan of his in general. 31: SWEET THING – RUFUS FEATURING CHAKA KHAN (debut) - Nice R&B slow jam. 30: DEEP PURPLE – DONNY & MARIE OSMOND (35) - Great song! One of their best! 29: JUNK FOOD JUNKIE – LARRY GROCE (34) - Funny song - was recorded at McCabes Guitar Shop in Santa Monica. 28: SLOW RIDE – FOGHAT (30) - This wasn't bad. Definitely a classic rock staple. OPTIONAL EXTRA: RIGHT BACK WHERE WE STARTED FROM - MAXINE NIGHTENGALE - Great song, though I did slightly prefer her other Top 40 hit, "Lead Me On". 27: DREAM WEAVER – GARY WRIGHT (31) - This was pretty good, but I prefer his other two songs. 26: TRACKS OF MY TEARS – LINDA RONSTADT (27) - Great song! Not sure if I prefer this or the original. 25: THE WHITE KNIGHT – CLEDUS MAGGARD (29) - This was OK, but seemed to be a ripoff of "Convoy" by C.W. McCall. 24: GOLDEN YEARS – DAVID BOWIE (26) - Meh, not one of his best by any means. 23: TIMES OF YOUR LIFE – PAUL ANKA (7) - Good song, but I preferred a few others by him (such as "Hold Me 'Til The Morning Comes"). 22: FANNY (BE TENDER WITH MY LOVE) – THE BEE GEES (24) - Great song! Their song from later in the year, "Love So Right" reminded me of this one. 21: LONELY NIGHT (ANGEL FACE) – THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (25) 20: BABY FACE – THE WING & A PRAYER FIFE AND DRUM CORPS (21) - Good song. 19: SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT – HELEN REDDY (20) - Great song! Barry Manilow would do a cover of this song and hit the Top Ten three years later. 18: DECEMBER 1963 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) – THE FOUR SEASONS (28) - Great song! This was on its way to #1, showing that they were just as strong in the mid-seventies as they were in the sixties (though their comeback pretty much ended with this song). 17: GROW SOME FUNK OF YOUR OWN – ELTON JOHN (22) - Good song, though I preferred the flipside, "Feel Like A Bullet". This song was off to a promising start (even Casey predicted that this song would hit #1), but unfortunately, this song hit a brick wall - peaked at #14 two weeks later and fell clean off the chart the week after. Not sure what happened; I guess people got tired of this one fast. 16: SQUEEZE BOX – THE WHO (17) - Great song! Definitely one of their best! 15: WAKE UP EVERYBODY (PART 1) – HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (16) - This was pretty good - typical old school R&B slow jam. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CUPID - SAM COOKE - Great song! This was heard on last week's 1988 show, for the same reason as they played it on this show (Valentine's Day, natch!) 14: ALL BY MYSELF – ERIC CARMEN (18) - Great song! We heard a drop piece of this on the 80s version of the show last week. 13: LOVE HURTS - NAZARETH (15) - Great song! One of the best power ballads of the 1970s! 12: TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT – THE EAGLES (19) - Great song! One of their best. This one featured Randy Meisner on lead vocals. 11: CONVOY – C.W. McCALL (9) - Great song! My favorite song on the chart this week inspired by CB radios. 10: EVIL WOMAN – THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA (13) - Good song, but not my favorite song by them. They sure butchered this one pretty good, didn't they? 9: BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO – NEIL SEDAKA (10) - Great song! I actually prefer this song to the original. 8: LOVE MACHINE PART 1 – THE MIRACLES (11) - Pretty good song, though I prefer a few of their other songs (as well as Smokey Robinson solo) 7: LOVE ROLLERCOASTER – THE OHIO PLAYERS (6) - Not bad. Casey mentioned that this was only one of only three songs in the past few years to spend as many as ten weeks in the Top Ten (of course, as the chart was starting to move a little slower, there would be several more of those during the year). 6: I WRITE THE SONGS – BARRY MANILOW (4) - Good song, but one of my least favorite of his slow songs (ironically, he did NOT write this song - Bruce Johnston, of the Beach Boys, did). 5: SING A SONG – EARTH, WIND & FIRE (5) - It's okies, but I prefer several others by them. 4: THEME FROM “S.W.A.T.” – RHYTHM HERITAGE (8) - Even though I've never watched a single episode of the TV show, the theme is great and very worthy of hitting #1 a few weeks later. 3: YOU SEXY THING – HOT CHOCOLATE (3) - Meh, not a fan of this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LET YOUR LOVE FLOW - BELLAMY BROTHERS - Great song! Too bad it was their only really big hit. 2: LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY - DONNA SUMMER (2) - Meh, this one was way too repetitive. I preferred her songs from later on in the decade. 1: 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER – PAUL SIMON (1) - Great song! The week before, this song made a huge jump to #1, from #10. No song would equal or surpass that until late 1992.
|
|
|
Post by pb on Feb 6, 2015 22:20:02 GMT -5
37: I KNEW YOU WHEN – LINDA RONSTADT (38) - Not a fan of this one either. She was in somewhat of a slump in the early-80s, IMO. I remember noticing around then that her music was losing some steam. Makes sense that three albums of orchestral standards came next.
|
|
|
Post by ivanzero on Feb 6, 2015 23:17:01 GMT -5
February 12, 1983 ... ah, fun!
40. MR. ROBOTO - STYX 5/10 The 4th week in a row that the highest Hot 100 debut of the week was inside the top 40. Inane but catchy. The ridiculous album & tour caused so much intraband friction that they broke up.
39. THE WOMAN IN ME - DONNA SUMMER 8/10 Sultry! Sort of a more mature, less overstimulated "Love to Love You Baby". Heart recorded an excellent cover of this about a decade later.
38. THE CLAPPING SONG - PIA ZADORA 3/10 Pia's a better singer than actress, which isn't saying much. A pointless update of the 1965 Shirley Ellis hit.
37. I KNEW YOU WHEN - LINDA RONSTADT 8/10 The end of the trail for "classic" Linda - by year's end, she's singing Big Band. She gives a powerful reading to the old Joe South tune, originally a hit for Billy Joe Royal & a b-side for Donny Osmond (!).
36. I KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON - FRIDA 7/10 A slamming dance track from the former ABBA member. Produced by Phil Collins, thus the big drums. Her only U.S. hit.
35. FALL IN LOVE WITH ME - EARTH, WIND & FIRE 8/10 EWF's last trip to the Top 40. Solid & funky, with their classic sound intact. Little did we know that they'd soon swap real instruments for synthesizers and make their worst album ever.
34. THE GIRL IS MINE - MICHAEL JACKSON & PAUL MCCARTNEY 3/10 Lame. Soggy & fluffy. I used to be convinced it was a practical joke cooked up to make the second single (coming up) sound like even more of an atom bomb blast, but as lasvegaskid pointed out in another thread, Top 40 had become so inhospitable to "urban" music that this single was a Trojan horse to help get the later singles thru the door.
33. BREAKING US IN TWO - JOE JACKSON 10/10 Just superb. The sound of the piano on this just floors me. Joe's technically not a great singer, but he really sells his lyrics here.
32. DIRTY LAUNDRY - DON HENLEY 7/10 The lyrics haven't dated a bit, and the guitar solos melt your mind, but Don Henley is still kind of a douche.
31. ON THE LOOSE - SAGA 9/10 I have such a soft spot for this song! It came along at the perfect time for me - I was 18 & aimless, and in dire need of a rock anthem. It still works in 2015, too!
30. SPACE AGE LOVE SONG - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS 6/10 That patented AFOS guitar sound is always great, but the song itself isn't anything spectacular. Radical haircuts, though.
29. WHAT ABOUT ME - MOVING PICTURES 4/10 Unremarkable middle of the road pop ballad that almost hit the 40 again 6 years later. The vocalist ain't half-bad. Bonnie Tyler would've done a good job on this tune.
28. ONE ON ONE - HALL & OATES 10/10 The boys were just hitting one home run after another by this time. A killer ballad with a distinctive sound that just hits all the right synapses.
27. SEPARATE WAYS - JOURNEY 3/10 The video will always be a classic of unintentional hilarity, but on it's own, the song is just a bombastic dud. Steve is just annoying at times.
26. TWILIGHT ZONE - GOLDEN EARRING 7/10 Steady & propulsive. These guys had a knack for making good driving songs, which seems strange seeing as they came from Amsterdam. Guess it'd work just as well in a canal.
25. HEART OF THE NIGHT - JUICE NEWTON 5/10 After 5 terrific hits in a row, Juice runs out of ... steam on this bland, faceless record. At the time, there were dozens of these interchangeable sleek pop songs about the night.
24. WE'VE GOT TONIGHT - KENNY & SHEENA 5/10 Neither partner had seen the top 10 for a couple of years, but for whatever reason this unremarkable remake of the Bob Seger ballad did the trick.
23. BILLIE JEAN - MICHAEL JACKSON 10/10 And here's the aforementioned atom bomb. Then, three months later, he busted out the Moonwalk. Flawless performance & production, rivaled in his catalog only by "Rock With You".
22. BACK ON THE CHAIN GANG - PRETENDERS 10/10 Make it two flawless tracks in a row. After losing half the band to substance abuse the previous year, Chrissie & Martin soldiered on and produced this perfect gem. IMO, it's her best vocal.
21. YOU ARE - LIONEL RICHIE 8/10 He may have gone solo, but Lionel was clearly reluctant on his first album to stray too far from the Commodores template. A good song that would've been even better with the old band.
20. YOU GOT LUCKY - TOM PETTY 6/10 Stellar guitar work as usual, but the repetitive synths are annoying, as is Tom's vocal.
19. HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLF - DURAN DURAN 6/10 D squared finally comes to the US, and the teeny boppers go wild. The band is fine, but Simon le Bon's vocal stylings are a taste I've never acquired.
18. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HURT ME - CULTURE CLUB 7/10 The new British invasion rolls on. Unlike Mr. le Bon, I find Mr. O'Dowd (aka Boy George) to be a very agreeable vocalist, and the band lays down a rather pleasant lite reggae backing.
17. ALLENTOWN - BILLY JOEL 8/10 One of the Piano Man's more overlooked classics. A fantastic piano riff over a solid propulsive beat, highlighted by one of his best vocals and a still-pertinent lyric.
16. ALL RIGHT - CHRISTOPHER CROSS 6/10 This always sounded like a sitcom theme to me. Yacht rock was running out of steam by '83, and Chris would only see the Top 40 once more.
15. HEART TO HEART - KENNY LOGGINS 7/10 Unlike our previous sailor, Loggins knew when to abandon ship. This would be his last big hit in the smooth music category before he jumped onto the fighter jet of soundtrack stardom.
14. YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY - SAMMY HAGAR 7/10 I used to blame Sammy for "ruining" Van Halen, but have never found much fault with his solo work or his Montrose records. A good solid piece of power pop rock.
13. PASS THE DUTCHIE - MUSICAL YOUTH 5/10 Writing this on Bob Marley's 70th birthday, I'm again struck by how tame & watered-down reggae has always had to be in order to make the Top 40. A cutesy sanitized remake of a Mighty Diamonds song in which they asked "how does it feel when you've got no HERB".
12. GOODY TWO SHOES - ADAM ANT 8/10 One of the year's catchiest choruses, set to unstoppable drums & an infectious horn line. The first of our two punk rock vets on the countdown, and the more likely pop star.
11. THE OTHER GUY - LITTLE RIVER BAND 7/10 LRB replaces lead singers & starts off their last year of Top 40 success with a decent mid-tempo song about being replaced by an inferior guy.
10. YOU CAN'T HURRY LOVE - PHIL COLLINS 8/10 Phil's love for classic pop really shines through on this terrific Supremes remake. Former bandmate Peter Gabriel takes Flo & Mary's parts.
9. STRAY CAT STRUT - STRAY CATS 9/10 Technically part of the British invasion, despite being Long Island boys. This hit #11 in the UK 2 full years before most of us heard it. Another loving homage to classic sounds, featuring particularly magnificent guitar work from Brian Setzer.
8. ROCK THE CASBAH - THE CLASH 8/10 I have to admit, there's still something unsettling about seeing the Clash in the Top 10. And at the time, there was something extremely amusing about watching folks bopping along to this with absolutely no clue as to the content of the lyrics Joe Strummer was singing.
7. YOU AND I - EDDIE RABBITT & CRYSTAL GAYLE 7/10 I grew up listening to country music, believe it or not, so I rather enjoyed hearing these two team up. A lovely little ballad that perfectly suits their voices. R.I.P. Eddie.
6. MANEATER - HALL & OATES 10/10 What was I saying earlier about hitting home runs? There's a reason you're still regularly hearing this on the radio.
5. AFRICA - TOTO 10/10 Not surprising that this one finally took them to the top of the charts. Another example of flawless performance & production, with just the right touch of exotic-ness.
4. SHAME ON THE MOON - BOB SEGER / SBB 8/10 Excellent cover of a great Rodney Crowell tune. Kind of a late '70s throwback, so it's pleasantly surprising that it got all the way to #2.
3. SEXUAL HEALING - MARVIN GAYE 10/10 Awww yeah. There are some fine singers on this week's chart, but there was only one Marvin Gaye. Nothing else to say.
2. BABY, COME TO ME - PATTI AUSTIN & JAMES INGRAM 9/10 Austin's a decent enough vocalist, but pairing her with a force of nature like James Ingram wasn't exactly Quincy Jones' best production decision ever. All in all, a great slow jam.
1. DOWN UNDER - MEN AT WORK 6/10 I once had quite a spirited debate over whether this should be considered a novelty song. I said yes, and stand by that opinion. It's a fun enough record, but 4 weeks at #1? It was a weird time for music.
|
|
mmb
New Member
Posts: 42
|
Post by mmb on Feb 9, 2015 3:16:35 GMT -5
My comments of February 5, 1972 (I was 1 st the time) 40: EVERYTHING I OWN - BREAD- Great tune, own their greatest hits collection. 39: MY WORLD - THE BEE GEES- Pretty good track, like their soundalike followup RUN TO ME better. 38: AIN'T UNDERSTANDING MELLOW - JERRY BUTLER & BRENDA LEE EAGER- Good soul track. Jerry had one of the best R&B voices of our generation. 37: TOGETHER LET'S FIND LOVE - THE 5TH DIMENSION- Not bad. 36: FOOTSTOMPIN' MUSIC - GRAND FUNK RAILROAD-Nice Detroit-Soul sounding rocker. 35: SWEET SEASONS - CAROLE KING- Pretty good, as I pointed out in a past edition, my 3 favorite CK songs are IT'S TOO LATE, I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE and JAZZMAN. 34: FEELIN' ALRIGHT - JOE Cocker- Got overplayed on the Classic Rock station I listened to, but a good track. 33: FLOY JOY - THE SUPREMES- Not one of their best, STONED LOVE and NATHAN JONES do it for me in the Jean Terrell era Supremes. 32: IT'S ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS (YES LOVE) - THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY- Their material is largely bubblegum pop, but I like this one, surreal with good harmony. 31: BANG A GONG (GET IT ON) - T. REX- Good song, like Power Station's 1985 version better. 30: FAMILY AFFAIR - SLY & THE FAMILY STONE- For some reason I think of the Brian Keith sitcom of the same name when I hear this song. Good soul track. Unrelated to the Mary J. Blige 2000 song of the same name. 29: DON'T SAY YOU DON'T REMEMBER - BEVERLY BREMERS- I've heard this song many times, tried to like it, just doesn't do it. Though her story is amazing on how she got the lead in HAIR. 28: THAT'S THE WAY I FEEL ABOUT 'CHA - BOBBY WOMACK- Pretty good track. 27: MAKE ME THE WOMAN THAT YOU GO HOME TO - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS- Great soul track that should've been a top 10 hit. 26: I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING (IN PERFECT HARMONY) - THE HILLSIDE SINGERS- Take it or leave it, I'll always think of Coca-Cola when I hear it. 25: FIRE AND WATER - WILSON PICKETT- OK. 24: LEVON - ELTON JOHN- Love the song, but change the G-D IS DEAD lyric to something else. 23: BLACK DOG - LED ZEPPELIN- Rocker that stands the test of time. 22: THE WITCH QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS – REDBONE- Love this song, should've been top 10. 21: KISS AN ANGEL GOOD MORNING - CHARLEY PRIDE- Good Country cut by a guy who almost became a Baseball player. 20: THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT - ROBERT JOHN- OK remake of the Tokens 1961 hit, it was used in ACE VENTURA PET DETECTIVE. Liked his track of 7 years later better. 19: STAY WITH ME - FACES- Overplayed on the Classic Rock station I listened to, but a rocker nonetheless. 18: I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING (IN PERFECT HARMONY) - THE NEW SEEKERS- See #26. 17: DROWNING IN THE SEA OF LOVE - JOE SIMON- Pretty good but my favorite from him is GET DOWN, GET DOWN (his only top 10 hit) 16: SUGAR DADDY - JACKSON 5- Pretty good song, though today the title is taken out of context. 15: YOU ARE EVERYTHING - THE STYLISTICS- 1st top 10 for Philadelphia's finest and it stands the test of time. 14: ANTICIPATION - CARLY SIMON- Like I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING, I think of Heinz Ketchup when I hear this, but it's respectable. 13: SCORPIO - DENNIS COFFEY & THE DETROIT GUITAR BAND- Pretty good track, the mid-section of the song is later sampled in Young MC's 1989 hit BUST A MOVE. 12: DOWN BY THE LAZY RIVER - THE OSMONDS- Take it or leave it, don't care for the Osmonds in the 70's. 11: CLEAN UP WOMAN - BETTY WRIGHT- Great R&B mover. 10: JOY - APOLLO 100- Listenable instrumental, heard in the movie BOOGIE NIGHTS in 1997. 9: HURTING EACH OTHER - THE CARPENTERS- Like their rendition of a song originally recorded by Jimmy Clanton of JUST A DREAM and VENUS IN BLUE JEANS fame. 8: PRECIOUS AND FEW - CLIMAX- Ballad that stands the test of time. 7: SUNSHINE - JONATHAN EDWARDS- Still love this song after all these years, as a kid I confused his name with comedian Jonathan Winters. 6: NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN - THREE DOG NIGHT- The trio from Los Angeles who took their name from an Canadian expression does justice to another Hoyt Axton composition. 5: WITHOUT YOU - NILSSON- All-Star collaboration, written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of BADFINGER, Gary Wright on Piano and Harry belts it to the best of his ability, Mariah Carey's version of 1994 though pleasant doesn't hold a candle to Nilsson's version. 4: DAY AFTER DAY - BADFINGER- The two writers of WITHOUT YOU score with their own ballad that has George Harrison involved, if only George was at #3? Good track. 3: BRAND NEW KEY - MELANIE-OK. Heard in the movie BOOGIE NIGHTS in 1997 and think of Heather Graham's character Rollergirl. 2: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - AL GREEN- Willie Mitchell composition that stands the test of time. 1: AMERICAN PIE - DON McLEAN- As a kid, I hated how long it was, but as I got older I grew more appreciative of the song, storytelling at its best. Thank you for reading my trip through time to my childhood.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Feb 9, 2015 8:18:12 GMT -5
Actually The Bellamy Brothers managed to have a minor follow up hit which peaked at #39 in July 1979:"If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)".
|
|
|
Post by jamie9012 on Feb 9, 2015 12:22:45 GMT -5
My comments of February 5, 1972 (I was 1 st the time) 40: EVERYTHING I OWN - BREAD- Great tune, own their greatest hits collection. 31: BANG A GONG (GET IT ON) - T. REX- Good song, like Power Station's 1985 version better. 30: FAMILY AFFAIR - SLY & THE FAMILY STONE- For some reason I think of the Brian Keith sitcom of the same name when I hear this song. Good soul track. Unrelated to the Mary J. Blige 2000 song of the same name. 20: THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT - ROBERT JOHN- OK remake of the Tokens 1961 hit, it was used in ACE VENTURA PET DETECTIVE. Liked his track of 7 years later better. 10: JOY - APOLLO 100- Listenable instrumental, heard in the movie BOOGIE NIGHTS in 1997. 6: NEVER BEEN TO SPAIN - THREE DOG NIGHT- The trio from Los Angeles who took their name from an Canadian expression does justice to another Hoyt Axton composition. 5: WITHOUT YOU - NILSSON- All-Star collaboration, written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of BADFINGER, Gary Wright on Piano and Harry belts it to the best of his ability, Mariah Carey's version of 1994 though pleasant doesn't hold a candle to Nilsson's version. 4: DAY AFTER DAY - BADFINGER- The two writers of WITHOUT YOU score with their own ballad that has George Harrison involved, if only George was at #3? Good track. 3: BRAND NEW KEY - MELANIE-OK. Heard in the movie BOOGIE NIGHTS in 1997 and think of Heather Graham's character Rollergirl. 2: LET'S STAY TOGETHER - AL GREEN- Willie Mitchell composition that stands the test of time. 1: AMERICAN PIE - DON McLEAN- As a kid, I hated how long it was, but as I got older I grew more appreciative of the song, storytelling at its best. Thank you for reading my trip through time to my childhood. I did like this Critique. It was good to read. Though I do not recognize most of the Songs in the episode, these were some of my Favorites (along with the Song #8, which I deleted by error when I quoted the Critique). I thought that the Band name Three Dog Night referred to early natives of Australia sleeping with Dogs on cold Nights. Or did you mean that the phrase originated from Canada? Of course, I could be wrong.
|
|