For the week ending March 22, 1975:
Wow, ivanzero, you delivered one fine critique! But unlike mga707, I'm NOT going to quit, but will continue to churn out critiques. (sorry, guys) But just in case mga707 changes his mind, I'd better get crackin' and type fast. I'd hate for him to beat me to the punch and leave me in the position of following TWO superior critiquers.
40. Wolf Creek Pass/C. W. McCall--This is one brilliantly funny and clever story song. In fact, it's almost too hilarious, which may explain why it spent only one week on AT40. I guess Mr. William Fries had to dial back his wit a bit and latch on to a hot fad (the Citizen's Band radio) to achieve pop music's ultimate goal, which he did less than a year later with "Convoy".
39. Jackie Blue/The Ozark Mountain Daredevils--What would have been just an average lite rock number is given a nice boost by the prevalence of that dramatic, ubiquitous three note piano riff, heard multiple times.
38. My Boy/Elvis Presley--I have always thought this song to be just too sappy and melodramatic. It wasn't until recent years, however, that I actually listened carefully to the verses and realized that the boy was the only reason the singer was staying in a loveless, failed marriage, which has made me appreciate the song a little more than before.
37. To The Door Of The Sun (Alle Porte Del Sole)/Al Martino--A fairly beautiful, easy-listening hit, with the upbeat keyboards in the verses contrasting nicely with the mellower grandeur of the Italian/English choruses.
36. The Bertha Butt Boogie (Pt. 1)(You mean there actually was a Pt. 2??)/The Jimmy Castor Bunch--Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous! "NO QUESTION!" this has to be one of the campiest hits from a decade that gave us a plethora of intentional and unintentional musical camp. Of course, that makes this release all that more irresistible.
35. Long Tall Glasses/Leo Sayer--I've never liked this annoying, dorky song. While the above song is so dumb, it's hilarious, this song is just----dumb. Our hero stumbles into some joint serving wonderful food and "Long Tall Glasses" of wine. (Hence, the clunky origin of the song's title). Immediately, the bouncer grabs him and make him "dance like Fred Astaire" before he can eat. (What? Instead of paying for the food, he has to dance for his dinner?) Soon, our hero gets so caught up with his newly found talent for dancing, he seems to have forgotten to stop and fill his belly with ham, turkey, and caviar. Are you buying any of this? I'm not.
34. L-O-V-E (Love)/Al Green--Another pleasant, catchy, funky release from Reverend Al, one of his last before he left secular music.
33. What Am I Gonna Do With You/Barry White--Another splendid orchestral soul hit by Maestro Barry, which, indeed, is very reminiscent of his charttopper from six months back, "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe"
32. Satin Soul/Love Unlimited Orchestra--And the maestro does it back-to-back, this time with an instrumental that is no "Love's Theme", but is still sweet and funky.
31. Shining Star/Earth, Wind, & Fire--Although mildly catchy, it's not nearly as good as later hits like "September", "Fantasy", & "After The Love Has Gone". Probably the most intriguing thing about this release is the last few seconds of acappella harmonizing at the end.
30. Butter Boy/Fanny--I don't remember this song at the time, but it is a somewhat fun release. I especially like how it starts out jazzy, then switches gears to rock out. (Isn't this the very first all-female rock band to make the Billboard Top 40?)
29. The South's Gonna Do It Again/The Charlie Daniels Band--It's a somewhat fun country rocker, but far from great.
28. Walkin' In Rhythm/The Blackbyrds--A truly gorgeous, magestic soul classic. I, too, love the impeccable harmonies and the flute interlude. My favorite parts of the song, however, is when they belt out "I got to get back home" twice in a row, stretching out the second "home" in dramatically soulful fashion.
27. Lonely People/America--I can take it or leave it.
26. Before The Next Teardrop Falls/Freddy Fender--Ditto
25. Up In A Puff Of Smoke/Polly Brown--This is still another of those fascinating records I remember from my childhood that I had not heard in many years until I heard it on AT40: The '70's. And it was even better than I remember, with a beautiful, yet catchy arrangement and fine vocals by Ms Brown. (Do any of you remember that she sang co-lead for a group called Pickettywitch, which had a minor hit in 1970 called "That Same Old Feeling". It's another fine song that I haven't heard in years.)
24. Supernatural Thing, Pt. 1/Ben E. King--It has a mildly appealing soul groove, but is otherwise just so-so.
23. Emma/Hot Chocolate--A very tragic story song about a beautiful, sweet young woman who gets so despondent about failing to fulfill her dreams of stardom, she ends her life. It's peculiar that, at the time, the tragic nature of the song eluded me because, frankly, I didn't pay close enough attention to the words of the song. That's true for lots of songs; you often don't notice the details of the song right away, but only years later.
22. Emotion/Helen Reddy--The verses are only so-so, but the choruses are very lush and dramatic.
21. Harry Truman/Chicago--A very intriguing, yet unlikely tribute to our 33rd President. Even then I though it was an oddball record for Chicago to release, and I especially think so now. This is in light of the fact that their debut album from 1969 (Chicago Transit Authority) contains the splendid song "Someday" which was a tribute to the rioters at the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968 (even including snippets of the rioters chanting). I really don't think those anti-war protestors thought too highly of the only human being in the history of mankind to ever use nuclear weapons to end a war. (BTW, I'm just pointing out irony; I'm not injecting my opinion one way or the other. I know better than to start another political argument
20. Chevy Van/Sammy Johns--I think by now most of you can guess what my opinion is of this sleazy, misogynistic story song. Never mind that the girl was a willing participant, even quite sexually assertive. The story's narrator is still a love-em-and-leave-em jerk, as demonstrated by how quickly he got her out of his van and out of his life for good, all the better to wipe his hands of any accidental future consequences of the encounter. (Sorry, mga707)
19. Best Of My Love/The Eagles--Like most of their hits, I can take it or leave it.
18. Can't Get It Out Of My Head/ELO--This group's debut Top 40 hit established their trademark lush, yet distorted, orchestral rock sound brilliantly. I especially am fascinated by the dramatic staccato violin riff which begins and ends the song.
17. Once You Get Started/Rufus featuring Chaka Khan--Although not quite as fun as "Tell Me Something Good", it's still quite enjoyable, with fine brass and a smooth, yet funky, synthesizer.
16. (Song with title too long to type)/BJ Thomas--So-so
15. I Am Love, Pt. 2/The Jackson 5--I was unfamiliar with this song before last Sat morning, but I'm with the rest of you--it's one fascinatingly complex and intriguing release, with a scintillating synthesizer accompaniment.
14. Sad Sweet Dreamer/Sweet Sensation--An utterly breathtaking, gorgeous song, with a heavenly arrangement, and shimmering harmonies. Before I heard it last year on a '70's countdown, I had not heard this song in many years. THe next time I purchase songs from iTunes, this and the Polly Brown song will be at the top of my list.
13. Shame, Shame, Shame/Shirley & Company--A rather catchy, fun R&B release which was the inspiration for the creation of my first thread (see: Single, Duplicate, and Triplicate Titles) Thanks, all of you who responded; I'm grateful that many of you were intrigued enough by the topic put forth to send me a response.
12. Lady/Styx--Very few songs take me back to the first three months of 1975 more than this stellar debut hit by Styx. (I remember hearing it on WLS and WCFL out of Chicago a lot.) And this rocker still holds up today, thanks to its ferocious guitar work and dense arrangement.
11. Philadelphia Freedom/Elton John--This has always been one of my favorite songs by Sir Elton. It has such a lush yet lively arrangement. At first I thought it was written and released in honor of our nation's Bicentennial, which was already getting much publicity. It wasn't until years later I learned it was a tribute to Billy Jean King and her team, the Philadelphia Freedoms.
10. Don't Call Us, We'll Call You/Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta--I have always been amused by this light-hearted story song. I also love the assertive organ riff heard throughout, as well as the guitar riff borrowed from the Beatles' "I Feel Fine".
9. No No Song/Ringo Starr--For being a supposed anti-drug song, it sure comes across as silly and vapid. Although I guess I can give Ringo credit for trying send out a positive message, I have a feeling we'll never hear it in a PSA from Partnership For A Drug-Free America.
8. Poetry Man/Phoebe Snow--Another song I can take or leave. It wasn't until after she passed on did I learn that this song was about an extramarital affair. At the time, I had no idea.
7. You Are So Beautiful/Joe Cocker--Although I have lukewarm feelings towards the music of the late Mr Cocker in general, this lyrically arresting ballad is the exception. Talk about a love song that doesn't beat around the bush, but just directly pours out the simple expression of one's love for a woman. The raw emotions conveyed just takes my breath away.
6. Express/B.T. Express--A fairly enjoyable dance song, with intriguing train sound effect.
5. Have You Never Been Mellow/Olivia Newton-John--A very smooth, flowing, and (yes) mellow pop song. I had almost forgotten how well-crafted and enjoyable it really is.
4. Black Water/The Doobie Brothers--Due to major overplay over the years, it does nothing for me except for the catchy acappella part towards the end.
3. Lovin' You/Minnie Ripperton--Although this song has many detractors, I'm not ashamed to say that it's one of my absolute favorite love songs of all time, even beating out Mr. Cocker's masterpiece at #7. It's partly due to the sweet, gentle arrangement. I think it's also partly because it's a sweet female voice singing to her man, and it's easy for any man like me to envision her singing it to him. C'mon men, admit it. Wouldn't you love the woman of your dreams to sincerely sing these heartfelt lyrics to you? You bet I would!
2. Lady Marmalade/LaBelle--If the above song represents a sexual relationship at its best and most sacred, this is the other end of the sexual scale: cheap, sleazy, shameful. I'll pass, thank you. (Although I'll confess, the pounding, pulsating melody is catchy.)
1. My Eyes Adored You/Frankie Valli--A sweet, sincere love ballad.
And my favorite song of the week (drum roll):
Speaking of sweet, sincere love ballads, nobody sang them better than Minnie Ripperton (RIP)
Thank you and good night. (Man, it way past my bedtime!)