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Post by Hervard on Oct 3, 2015 19:08:59 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 3, 2015 This week's presentation - October 6, 1979 Droppers: AIN'T THAT A SHAME - CHEAP TRICK (35) - Anyone ever notice how the beginning of this song is exactly the same as their first Hot 100 hit "Surrender"? THE MAIN EVENT/FIGHT - BARBRA STREISAND (32) - Known for her slow songs, Streisand has had a few upbeat songs, like this one, as well as her upcoming duet with Donna Summer. I preferred this one over the latter, but I preferred a few of her slower ones. I DO LOVE YOU - GQ (20) - I seem to remember that this one was a good one, but I'll have to check it on YouTube when get a chance. LW#3: RISE - HERB ALPERT LW#2: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN LW#1: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK I think all three songs are on this weeks chart, aren't they? 40: GOOD FRIEND - MARY MacGREGOR (debut) - Many people consider her a one-hit wonder, but she did have a minor hit after that. This one was much better than "Snoozefesting Between Two Lovers" (hmmm, that sounds kind of dirty, doesn't it?) 39: GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY - BOB DYLAN (debut) - Not a big Bob Dylan fan, but this one was actually pretty good. 38: GOOD TIMES - CHIC (25) - This one is kind of overplayed, but I do prefer it over "La Freak". 37: PLEASE DON'T GO - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND (39) - No. Just no. 36: MIDNIGHT WIND - JOHN STEWART (38) - This song features Stevie Nicks on back-up vocals like his first hit "Gold", which I preferred over this one, but both songs are good. LDD: YOU'RE SIXTEEN - RINGO STARR - Interesting LDD, as this song was from the author to herself for making it through her sixteenth year. As for the song, I preferred this one over the original by Johnny Burnette. 35: THIS NIGHT WON'T LAST FOREVER - MICHAEL JOHNSON (37) - This is possibly my favorite song on the countdown (too bad the live stream had to cut off in the middle of the commercial break before it). 34: HOLD ON - IAN GOMM (debut) - 33: I KNOW A HEARTACHE WHEN I SEE ONE - JENNIFER WARNES (36) - AT40 ARCHIVES: FALLIN' IN LOVE - HAMILTON, JOE FRANK & REYNOLDS 32: COME TO ME - FRANCE JOLI (40) - This song sounded like something that Donna Summer would record, especially the way that it starts off slow and then picks up the pace. It's a good song. 31: ROLENE - MOON MARTIN (34) - Here's a song I remember from back in the day, since a lot of the stations that I listened to played it. It was OK, but nothing exceptional. 30: ARROW THROUGH ME - WINGS (33) - Wow, this was kind of different for them - this one had a taste of smooth jazz to it. It was a great one - too bad it didn't get past #29 on the chart. 29: LEAD ME ON - MAXINE NIGHTINGALE (17) - Of course, we all know that this is my favorite of her two Top 40 songs. "Right Back Where We Started From" isn't bad, but is way overplayed. 28: WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I WAS FALLING IN LOVE - LOBO (31) - He was more famous for his early 70s hits, but he did have a short-lived comeback with this song, which was a good one. 27: GOOD GIRLS DON'T - THE KNACK (29) - Well, they never quite equalled the success of "My Sharona" (then again, given how massive that song was, that would be very tough). Anyway, that song is coming up later. This song was definitely my favorite of the two. 26: DEPENDIN' ON YOU - THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (28) - Definitely a case of Third Single Syndrome. After two Top 20 hits, this song petered out at #25. The song was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as "What A Fool Believes". AT40 EXTRA: OH PRETTY WOMAN - ROY ORBISON - One of those "whatever happened to" stories. I was working on my journal at the time, so I can't remember what it was about. Anyway, this was his biggest hit - and a great one it is! 25: YOU DECORATED MY LIFE - KENNY ROGERS (30) - Meh, this one was so/so, but it doesn't hold a candle to "She Believes In Me". 24: DIRTY WHITE BOY - FOREIGNER (27) - The first single from Head Games. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the title track, which would chart about a month and a half later. 23: GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME - GERRY RAFFERTY (26) - Well, this was indeed better than the overplayed "Baker Street", but not quite as good as "Right Down The Line". 22: WHAT'CHA GONNA DO WITH MY LOVIN - STEPHANIE MILLS (22) - This one sounded a little like something that George Benson should have done (his trademark scat singing would definitely fit). AT40 ARCHIVES: GET DOWN TONIGHT - K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND - I still find it hard to believe that this song zipped up and down the chart so fast. It was a good one - I like it and "That's The Way (I Like It)" about the same. OPTIONAL EXTRA: STILL - THE COMMODORES - This song would probably get a better review from me if not for the depressing subject matter (Larry even said that the song was about a couple going through a divorce). 21: LOVIN', TOUCHIN', SQUEEZIN' - JOURNEY (23) - Remember, they say "na" exactly 154 times in the song. Yes, there was a time that I was so bored that I actually counted them. 22 na's in each group, and there are seven groups of na's, so do the math from there. Anyway, the song is a good one - one of my favorites from them. 20: SPOOKY - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (24) - Appropriate song, given that boo-time was coming up in a few weeks. Anyway, this was a good song, and, during the instrumental bridge, as well as the last verse, it sounded a lot like the original (since it was in the same key). Not sure if I prefer this one or the original by the Classics IV. 19: THE BOSS - DIANA ROSS (21) - Something about this song reminds me of Donna Summer's Top Ten hit from earlier in the year, "Heaven Knows". I liked both songs. 18: DIFFERENT WORLDS - MAUREEN McGOVERN (18) - You could definitely tell that this was a TV show theme - from the somewhat short-lived TV show Angie. I liked this song - possibly my favorite song from her. 17: THE DEVIL WENT TO GEORGIA - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (9) - Definitely their signature hit. It's a good one, but my favorite song from them is "Still In Saigon". 16: BORN TO BE ALIVE - PATRICK HERNANDEZ (16) - Disco was definitely declining noticeably and this one might have made the Top Ten otherwise, but it still gets a decent amount of recurrent airplay. The song wasn't bad, but nothing exceptional. 15: DRIVER'S SEAT - SNIFF & THE TEARS (15) - Hmm, I wonder how they came up with a band name like that? As for the song, see my last sentence in my comment for #16. 14: BAD CASE OF LOVIN' YOU - ROBERT PALMER (14) - Given how much this song is played on oldies stations today, it's a surprise that this song never hit the Top Ten (though it did peak at #7 on R&R). The song's not bad, but I've never been a huge fan of Robert Palmer (though I did like his two Top 40 remakes). 13: HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU - BONNIE POINTER (13) - It looked like this song had peaked, but it would move up two more places next week, just missing the Top Ten. It wasn't bad, but I generally preferred her sisters' group (which she herself had been a member of, but left the group the year before). LDD: WISHING YOU WERE HERE - CHICAGO - Ugh, this song gives me the creeps - especially those weird synth noises in the instrumental refrains. There's just something I find disturbing about those. The song, however, was appropriate for the dedication, especially since it features sound effects of waves at the beach (in the LDD, they said that sometimes their brother, who was in the US Coast Guard, became so lonely that he'd go to the beach and talks to the goonie birds). 12: CRUEL TO BE KIND - NICK LOWE (12) - Wow, lots of songs in holding pattern in this hour. Also, there are many one-hit wonders as well. This song fits both categories. I like this song - I remember hearing it a lot back in the day. AT40 ARCHIVE: RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL - I remember this one from back in the day as well, and it is one of the earliest such song (since I was only three at the time). One of my favorite songs from Glen Campbell. OPTIONAL EXTRA: BABE - STYX - This was their first and only #1 song (On Billboard, anyway - "The Best Of Times" managed to top the R&R chart). It was a great song - not sure which of those two songs I prefer. 11: DON'T BRING ME DOWN - ELO (10) - This was their biggest hit (peak-wise, that is; "Telephone Line" might have had a few more points since it had three more weeks in the Top 40 despite peaking as many spots lower). It was OK, but quite overplayed. I preferred their other 1979 Top Ten, which is sadly ignored by radio anymore. 10: DIM ALL THE LIGHTS - DONNA SUMMER (19) - One of those somewhat rare cases where the biggest jump of the week was in the Top Ten. Anyway, I preferred her other big 1979 hits over this one, but I still liked it better than her duet with Barbra Streisand, which would hit the chart a few weeks later. 9: AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (5) - Interesting how the band attributed their success to astrology. But it apparently worked, as they had a very successful chart career and this was one of their biggest hits. This used to be one of my favorite songs, but now, I find it mediocre. 8: POP MUZIK - M (11) - Well, Casey didn't jinx this song by saying that it might hit #1 as it had in several countries, as it did indeed make it to the top here in the states. Anyway, I think that we all know that I'm not a big fan of this song. But many people here do like it and really, more power to you. It just doesn't do anything for me. 7: I'LL NEVER LOVE THIS WAY AGAIN - DIONNE WARWICK (7) - Casey talked about Dionne's musical family and mentioned that Dionne was the most successful. Little did anyone know that her first cousin would come along six years later to give her a run for her money. As for the song, it's a great one - one of my favorites from her. 6: LONESOME LOSER - LITTLE RIVER BAND (6) - Here's one I remember hearing a lot during the fall of 1979. It was pretty good, but I preferred LRB's two other 1979 hits by a fairly wide margin. 5: SAIL ON - THE COMMODORES (8) - This one had sort of a country feel to it. It apparently worked, as it hit the Top Five (and spent three weeks at #1 on R&R). This was definitely one of my favorite songs by the Commodores. 4: MY SHARONA - THE KNACK (1) - Well, the good news is that the song dropped out of the top spot, but it would still go on to be the top song of the year. I actually used to like this song - but it was just played ad nauseum during its chart run, especially on WLS, where it was the top song of the entire decade. They butchered this song pretty good - in addition to playing the abbreviated version of the instrumental bridge, they cut out the second verse. 3: RISE - HERB ALPERT (3) - After finding out that "My Sharona" had dropped out of #1, people were probably thinking that this song had the best chance of being the song that was strong enough to dethrone the overplayed song, but in fact, it actually lost its bullet at this point (but would still go on to hit #1 two weeks later). OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEARTACHE TONIGHT - THE EAGLES - This was their fifth and final #1 hit. I wasn't a huge fan of it, though - definitely my least favorite of their chart toppers. 2: DON'T STOP 'TIL YOU GET ENOUGH - MICHAEL JACKSON (4) - His first of four Top Ten hits from Off The Wall. Not a big fan of this one at all. 1: SAD EYES - ROBERT JOHN (2) - Well, this song tied "Hot Child In The City" by Nick Gilder for the longest climb to #1. Both songs hit the top in their 21st week. The record would stand for about two and a half years. Anyway, this is definitely my favorite of the two songs.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 4, 2015 17:42:28 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 3, 2015
This week's presentation - October 5, 1985
40: BOY IN THE BOX - COREY HART (debut) - Hmm, I wonder how such a song title would fly today? Anyway, this wasn't bad, but I generally preferred Hart's slower songs, like his last his before this, "Never Surrender", which, to date, is his biggest hit. 39: LOVE THEME FROM ST. ELMO'S FIRE - DAVID FOSTER (debut) - The last of three instrumentals to chart on AT40 in 1985. This was actually my favorite of the three, since the other two were rather overplayed (but both are good; don't get me wrong). 38: NEVER - HEART (debut) - They were enjoying their biggest chart success yet with their mid-80s comeback, as this would become their second Top Five hit (and they'd have two more after this). Anyway, it would be a toss-up between this and "These Dreams" as my favorite song from their self-titled album - both are great songs! 37: COMMUNICATION - THE POWER STATION (debut) - Meh, their first two hits weren't too bad, but this one just didn't do anything for me. 36: YOU ARE MY LADY - FREDDIE JACKSON (debut) - Jackson had the most success on the R&B chart, but he did have a few pop crossovers, like this one. I liked it, though it was a little cheesy. My favorite song from him would probably be his Christmas song "One Wish". 35: INVINCIBLE - PAT BENATAR (21) - The only song between #34 and #40 that's not a debut. I liked this song, but preferred many others from her. 34: LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME - THOMPSON TWINS (debut) - Not sure where they got this name, since they're a trio (and not even related) nor is anyone named Thompson. Anyhoo, I'm not a big fan of this song - my least favorite of their charted hits. 33: AND WE DANCED - HOOTERS (38) - I'm assuming that they mean owls, correct? I thought so. Anyway, this was a good song - my favorite of their three Top 40 hits. 32: YOU BELONG TO THE CITY - GLENN FREY (39) - His second of two contributions to Miami Vice (that charted, anyway). My favorite would probably be the other one, "Smuggler's Blues", which charted earlier in the year. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG - BILLY JOEL - Sort of a curveball extra here, as this song didn't go very far on the charts. It was a good song, but I preferred many others from him. 31: WE BUILT THIS CITY - STARSHIP (40) - Their first hit under their name without Jefferson attached to it. It was a great song - one of their best, under any of their names. 30: ONE NIGHT LOVE AFFAIR - BRYAN ADAMS (37) - The fifth of six hits from Reckless, all of which hit the Top 20, which is definitely impressive. It was a good song, but my favorite song from the album would be "Heaven" (and that, of course, was the most successful of the six). 29: SUNSET GRILL - DON HENLEY (34) - The last of four singles from "Building The Perfect Beast", and my favorite from the album (though "Not Enough Love In The World" is a close second). This song peaked at #14 on the R&R chart, but didn't even hit the Top 20 on the Hot 100 (1982, anyone?) 28: BE NEAR ME - ABC (36) - This was the first of two Top Ten hits for this English group. It wasn't bad, but I preferred their two earlier hits. 27: I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR PLAYHOUSE DOWN - PAUL YOUNG (31) - He seemed to do best with remakes, as both of his Top Ten hits were previously done by other acts. But this one didn't miss the Top Ten by much, peaking at #13. It was pretty good, but it doesn't hold a candle to "Everytime You Go Away", my favorite song from him! 26: THE POWER OF LOVE - HUEY LEWIS (17) - A song from one of the best movies ever, Back To The Future. Definitely one of the songs I associate the most with the summer of 1985, along with the aforementioned favorite Paul Young song. 25: EVERY STEP OF THE WAY - JOHN WAITE (25) - His first solo hit, "Missing You" went to #1, but he couldn't seem to match that success with any of his follow-ups. This song, which uses a line from that song as the opening lyrics, was underrated, IMO. 24: THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO/MY GIRL (LIVE AT THE APOLLO) - DARYL HALL, JOHN OATES, DAVID RUFFIN, EDDIE KENDRICK (29) - This was a great rendition of these two classics by the Temptations - very energetic, as many live hits are. 23: FOUR IN THE MORNING (I CAN'T TAKE ANYMORE) - NIGHT RANGER (30) - As I've said many times, I loved most of their Top 40 hits, this one included. Not really sure what my favorite song from them is - I like everything (except for "Don't Tell Me You Love Me") about the same. 22: WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER HERO - TINA TURNER (12) - Like Heart, Tina Turner was definitely most successful on the charts during her 1980s comeback, and this is one of her biggest hits, just missing the top spot, peaking at #2. I thought it was a good song, though I preferred a few of her others. 21: POP LIFE - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (13) - This was one of my favorite songs by Prince, but it sure seemed to come and go pretty quickly. It didn't even make the Top 100 of the year, which I thought was a shame. It did a lot better on my Personal Top 30, though, hitting #1 and ranking #4 on the year-ender. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SEPARATE LIVES (LOVE THEME FROM WHITE NIGHTS) - PHIL COLLINS w/MARILYN MARTIN - I never saw the movie, but I heard the song many, many times in the fall of 1985. It was a great one! 20: HEAD OVER HEELS - TEARS FOR FEARS (28) - No case of Third Single Syndrome here! Though it didn't hit #1 like the last two, it did get as high as #3. This is by far my favorite of the three Top 40 hits from Songs From The Big Chair. 19: LOVIN' EVERY MINUTE OF IT - LOVERBOY (24) - I just listened to their Greatest Hits album on Thursday as I was taking a leisurely drive up in Michigan, and, of course, this song was on it. 18: C-I-T-Y - JOHN CAFFERTY AND THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (19) - They had a nice little string of hits over the past year. This would probably be my second favorite of them behind "Tough All Over". 17: DARE ME - THE POINTER SISTERS (14) - Ah, it's the song that fueled Casey's rage for the Dead Dog Dedication song! 16: CRY - GODLEY & CRÈME (18) - ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!! ~Beavis. But seriously, I liked the song, but I preferred the two Top Ten hits by 10cc (which, of course, Godley & Creme had been part of). 15: ST. ELMO'S FIRE (MAN IN MOTION) - JOHN PARR (8) - The second of two songs on this week's chart from the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack. I liked this song, but it was quite overplayed. I preferred the love theme from the movie. 14: I'M GOIN' DOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (20) - He may have been goin' down, but the song was on its way up, en route to #9. It was a good song, but not quite my favorite of the seven Born In The USA singles. 13: MIAMI VICE THEME - JAN HAMMER (22) - One of two instrumentals on this week's survey, which hadn't happened since the summer of 1982. Anyway, I liked this song, but, as stated earlier, I preferred the other instrumental. 12: FORTRESS AROUND YOUR HEART - STING (16) - The second solo hit by Sting, and my favorite of the four hits from the Dream Of The Blue Turtles album. 11: DON'T LOSE MY NUMBER - PHIL COLLINS (4) - Anyone notice that the video of this seemed to be a ripoff of the video for "You Might Think" by the Cars? As for the song, I liked it and was surprised that it was omitted from Collins' HITS album. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WHO'S ZOOMIN' WHO - ARETHA FRANKLIN - The title track from Franklin's big comeback album - and my favorite song from that album, as one of my favorites from Franklin overall. 10: PART TIME LOVER - STEVIE WONDER (15) - It's been a long day and I'm getting tired, so for the Top Ten, I'll have to go back to my old-fashioned critique method. Anyway, this song was OK, but I prefer many others from him. 9: DANCING IN THE STREET - MICK JAGGER & DAVID BOWIE (11) - This wasn't bad, but I prefer other songs by both artists. 8: LONELY OL' NIGHT - JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP (10) - Good song. Possibly my favorite song from Scarecrow (although "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." and "Rain On The Scarecrow" were good ones as well). 7: FREEDOM - WHAM! (3) - Well, Wham didn't have four #1s in a row, but George Michael as a solo artist would achieve that feat in 1988. This was my favorite song in the world in the summer of 1985, but I played it quite a lot and got a little tired of it, but it's still a great one! 6: SAVING ALL MY LOVE FOR YOU - WHITNEY HOUSTON (9) - This would be her first of many #1 songs. It was a good one, but I preferred many, many others from her. LDD: YOU'RE ONLY HUMAN (SECOND WIND) - BILLY JOEL - This, of course, is one of this week's droppers. It fit the LDD like a glove. 5: DRESS YOU UP - MADONNA (6) - Madonna was on a roll at this point, with six Top Fives in a row, and there was a lot more where that came from! This was one of my favorite of her upbeat songs. 4: TAKE ON ME - A-HA (7) - Great song! Glad this one made it to #1! 3: OH SHEILA - READY FOR THE WORLD (5) - This song was poised to hit the top spot, which it would take over the following week. The song was not bad, but I preferred "Love You Down". OPTIONAL EXTRA: ONE OF THE LIVING - TINA TURNER - This was OK, but I preferred her other Thunderdome hit. 2: CHERISH - KOOL & THE GANG (2) - Wow, they just barely missed hitting #1 for this, but the song at the top was just too strong for it. Anyway, I liked this song - it was my second favorite single from Emergency behind "Fresh". 1: MONEY FOR NOTHING - DIRE STRAITS (1) - And this was the song that kept "Cherish" out of the top spot. The song was OK, but it was very overplayed. I preferred their three other Top 40 hits.
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Post by davewollenberg on Oct 4, 2015 18:22:55 GMT -5
'Hooter' was the nickname of Eric Bazilian's keyboard harmonica.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 4, 2015 20:52:53 GMT -5
'Hooter' was the nickname of Eric Bazilian's keyboard harmonica. Ah...
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Post by bestmusicexpert on Oct 4, 2015 21:15:15 GMT -5
Hervard, I've told the story a few times on various episodes of The Music Expert Retro Countdown...
The Thompson Twins:
The band was named after the two bumbling detectives Thomson and Thompson in Hergé's comic strip The Adventures of Tintin.
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Post by freakyflybry on Oct 4, 2015 22:29:47 GMT -5
There were four top 40 hits from "Dream Of The Blue Turtles".
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Post by reachinforthestars on Oct 4, 2015 23:08:26 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 3, 2015 16: CRY - GODLEY & CRÈME (18) - .....I preferred the two Top Ten hits by 10cc (which, of course, Godley & Creme had been part of). Godley & Creme were not part of "The Things We Do For Love".
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Post by lasvegaskid on Oct 5, 2015 11:24:30 GMT -5
The biggest coincidence was on both the 1979 and 1982 programs, Casey was returning from illness. He must have really been glad to be back in 1979 because it sounded like the records were playing at 33 and 1/3 but Casey was going 35 or 36 rpm.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 11, 2015 14:37:42 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 10, 2015
This week's presentation - October 11, 1980
Droppers: EMOTIONAL RESCUE - THE ROLLING STONES (29) - Wow, the lowest-ranked dropper was in the Top 30! That sure didn't happen very often! Anyway, I'm sure that my former supervisor at work would be glad to hear that this was one of the droppers, as she hates this song with a passion. I myself think it's a great one! SOMEONE THAT I USED TO LOVE - NATALIE COLE (28) - This song reminded me of a Broadway musical song. It was a good song, and it would be her last hit until the late-80s, as she battled drug addiction for the next few years. I'm glad that she overcame it, as she had many great hits in the 80s and early 90s. YOU'RE THE ONLY WOMAN -AMBROSIA (25) - Though I preferred "Biggest Part Of Me", this one was a great one also. ONE IN A MILLION YOU - LARRY GRAHAM (22) - Love this song! A true guilty pleasure! Too bad it dropped off, but at least we heard it on the last 1980 show.
LW#3: UPSIDE DOWN - DIANA ROSS LW#2: ALL OUT OF LOVE - AIR SUPPLY LW#1: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN 40: WALK AWAY - DONNA SUMMER (debut) - This one may have been released a little too soon, as her song "The Wanderer" was moving up the chart at the time. Then again, since it was from her 1979 album "Bad Girls", perhaps it should have been released earlier in the year, and it may have peaked higher than #36. Of course, it did have sort of an autumnal sound to it, so maybe that's why they chose to put it out when they did. In any case, this is one of my favorite songs from her and definitely one of her most underrated hits. 39: TOUCH AND GO - THE CARS (debut) - This song definitely has the synth sounds that were popular in the early-80s. As for the song itself, it wasn't bad, but not quite their best. 38: LOVELY ONE - THE JACKSONS (debut) - Interesting that the Jackson 5/Jacksons hit #1 with their first four hits and then never again. Anyway, this song was OK, but I generally preferred the Jackson 5 era (which might sound odd coming from me, given that I'm not a fan of early-70s shows). 37: LET ME BE YOUR ANGEL - STACY LATTISAW (40) - Yawn! At least today is a warm, sunny day. If it was dull and rainy out, I just might have fallen asleep right at my computer, LOL! Don't get me wrong; it's a nice song, but they could have put a little more of a beat to it. 36: I'M ALMOST READY - PURE PRAIRIE LEAGUE (38) - This song was finishing up its run on the R&R chart at this point, but was still climbing the Hot 100. It was pretty good, but possibly my least favorite song from them. 35: DON'T ASK ME WHY - BILLY JOEL (19) - This song sounded a little different from his other Glass Houses singles; it has that sort of folk rock that appeared on his earlier albums. But it was a great one - my favorite song from Glass Houses. 34: YOU'VE LOST THAT LOVIN' FEELING - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (debut) - Daryl shares lead vocals with John Oates on this great remake of the Righteous Brothers classic. 33: OUT HERE ON MY OWN - IRENE CARA (36) - Anyone who has ever heard the obscure "How Do You Keep The Music Playing", Patti Austin's other duet with James Ingram, might notice the similarity between the two songs. This is definitely one of my favorite Irene Cara songs, and one of her most underrated. ARCHIVE: PEPPERMINT TWIST - JOEY DEE & THE STARLITERS - This was so/so. Not a big fan of songs about popular 60s dances. OPTIONAL EXTRA: COULD I HAVE THIS DANCE - ANNE MURRAY - One of many hit songs from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. As is the case with most of Murray's songs, I love this one! 32: THE LEGEND OF WOOLEY SWAMP - CHARLIE DANIELS BAND (35) - One of their trademark story songs like "The Devil Came Down To Georgia". It's a good one but not quite as good as "Still In Saigon". 31: WHIP IT - DEVO (37) - Meh, this one wasn't my cup of tea. 30: YOU'LL ACCOMP'NY ME - BOB SEGER (14) - Although this was my least favorite of Seger's three Top 40 hits from Against The Wind, it's a great song nonetheless. 29: WHO'LL BE THE FOOL TONIGHT - LARSEN-FEITEN BAND (31) - Interesting story about how this duo came to be. This turned out to be their only Top 40 hit, but it was a good one. 28: ON THE ROAD AGAIN - WILLIE NELSON (30) - I'm generally not a huge fan of his, but I actually thought this was a great song! 27: MASTER BLASTER - STEVIE WONDER (32) - He had been charting for over 17 years, but was still cranking out hit after hit. This was a good one, though I preferred many others from him. 26: DREAMER - SUPERTRAMP (33) - The studio version of this song was a popular album cut from Crime Of The Century, but it was the live version of the song that finally got it on the chart. It was a great one - I preferred it over the studio version. LDD: STILL - THE COMMODORES - This song fit the dedication like a glove. Too bad the relationship between the author and the guy she dated didn't last long. 25: MIDNIGHT ROCKS - AL STEWART (27) - He didn't have a ton of big hits, but I really liked the ones he did have, like this one. 24: DREAMING - CLIFF RICHARD (26) - 1980 was definitely his best year on the US charts, as he had two Top Ten hits that year (as well as two other Top 40 hits). This song was good, though I preferred his other Top Ten hit, "We Don't Talk Anymore", from early in the year. 23: NO NIGHT SO LONG - DIONNE WARWICK (23) - I liked most of her Top 40 hits in the 70s and 80s, this one definitely included. ARCHIVE: DUKE OF EARL - GENE CHANDLER - From what I heard, this song was played ad nauseum during its chart run. It's not bad, but nothing I'd want to hear ten times a day either. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHE'S SO COLD - THE ROLLING STONES - This was their week off during the summer/fall of 1980. "Emotional Rescue" dropped off the chart and this song was gearing up to debut the following week. This was a great song - not sure if I preferred this or "Emotional Rescue". 22: HOW DO I SURVIVE - AMY HOLLAND (24) - This song sounds a little like something Donna Summer might do. It's a great one - somewhat underrated IMO. 21: I'M COMING OUT - DIANA ROSS (34) - I wonder how many people took this title wrong? Anyway, it's definitely not one of my favorites from her by any means. 20: LADY - KENNY ROGERS (39) - Any other time, that 13-spot move would be the biggest move of the week, but this week, there was a much bigger chart jump. This is one of those guilty pleasures, as I know several people who absolutely detest this song. I didn't like it during its chart run, but I definitely like it now! 19: FAME - IRENE CARA (12) - One of two songs from the movie Fame on this week's chart. Of course, I prefer the other one. 18: THE WANDERER - DONNA SUMMER (21) - I actually used to think that this song was a slightly altered remake of Dion's song of the same title but, in fact, it's a completely different song altogether. 17: LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME - BOZ SCAGGS (20) - I never knew that Boz played with the Steve Miller Band, though I do know that they formed the Marksmen combo in the late '50s. Anyway, like the Stacy Lattisaw song back at #37, this one had that dark rainy day sound to it. I preferred most of his other songs (though this one is still a good one). 16: JESSE - CARLY SIMON (18) - A song about an old flame who comes back and wins back her heart, despite her best attempts to resist. It's a great song - one that I regularly played on the jukebox at Pizza Hut. 15: HOT ROD HEARTS - ROBBIE DUPREE (16) - Of course, I liked both of his Top Ten hits, though I slightly prefer "Steal Away". Is the back-up singer on this the same one that sings back-up on "Steal Away"? 14: NEVER KNEW LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE - STEPHANIE MILLS (17) - Her only Top Ten hit, but a great one it was! 13: ALL OVER THE WORLD - ELO (13) - One of three of their hit songs from Xanadu (and one of two on this week's chart). I preferred the title track over this song, which would fall off the chart the following week. 1982, anyone? 12: HE'S SO SHY - POINTER SISTERS (15) - This was one of their biggest hits, as well as one of my all-time faves from them! ARCHIVE: HEY! BABY - BRUCE CHANNEL - This was pretty good, but nothing exceptional. OPTIONAL EXTRA: PAT BENATAR MEDLEY - Wow, they really seemed hard-up for extras this week! But this was an interesting medley nonetheless. 11: LOOKIN' FOR LOVE - JOHNNY LEE (9) - Another guilty pleasure, though I never used to like this song. I guess it's one of those songs that gets better with age! 10: GIVE ME THE NIGHT - GEORGE BENSON (4) - Definitely one of the best jazz artists around. Like many of his songs, this one contains his trademark scat singing. I like it, but prefer a few others from him. 9: REAL LOVE - DOOBIE BROTHERS (11) - Hard to believe that, as many songs as they had, this was only their fourth Top Ten hit. It was indeed a good one, though I don't really remember it from back in the day. 8: XANADU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (10) - This was a great song, and my favorite song from the movie of the same title. 7: I'M ALRIGHT - KENNY LOGGINS (8) - I remember seeing this movie (Caddyshack) back in the day! The gopher that had been terrorizing the golf course was dancing to this song at the end. A great song! LDD: INDIAN RESERVATION - THE RAIDERS - Appropriate for the dedication, as it was from a girl who was part Indian to her Native American grandmother. 6: LATE IN THE EVENING - PAUL SIMON (6) - Love the salsa beat of this song! Quite a departure from his usual style. 5: DRIVIN' MY LIFE AWAY - EDDIE RABBITT (5) - This was his biggest hit to date, but his next one would go all the way to the top. Both were great songs! 4: ALL OUT OF LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (2) - One of my least favorite Air Supply songs, although I must like it better than I used to, as it no longer gets "No. Just no" status. 3: UPSIDE DOWN - DIANA ROSS (3) - Of her two hits on the charts, this was my favorite of the two. But of her late 1980 songs, my favorite is "It's My Turn", which would debut in the Top 40 five weeks later. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WITHOUT YOUR LOVE - ROGER DALTREY - The second of two members of the Who to hit the chart solo in 1980 (Pete Townshend, of course, was the first). This was a great song - of those two songs, it was definitely my favorite! 2: WOMAN IN LOVE - BARBRA STREISAND (7) - Wow, with a leap like that, this song was definitely going to #1, which it did two weeks later. It's a great song - one of my favorites from Streisand. 1: ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST - QUEEN (1) - As we all know, I'm not a big fan of this one. I prefer their other #1 song, from earlier in the year.
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Post by davewollenberg on Oct 11, 2015 20:09:41 GMT -5
Hervard (Chris), you were right. Many great songs were top 40-bound that week. Premiere DIDN'T have to create a Pat Benatar medley!
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Post by jmack19 on Oct 14, 2015 15:28:25 GMT -5
This week's presentation - October 11, 1980 40: WALK AWAY - DONNA SUMMER (debut) - This one may have been released a little too soon, as her song "The Wanderer" was moving up the chart at the time. Then again, since it was from her 1979 album "Bad Girls", perhaps it should have been released earlier in the year, and it may have peaked higher than #36. Of course, it did have sort of an autumnal sound to it, so maybe that's why they chose to put it out when they did. In any case, this is one of my favorite songs from her and definitely one of her most underrated hits. This looks more like an attempt to sabotage her new single(on Geffen) given Donna Summer had just "WALKed AWAY" from her previous record company(Casablanca).
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Post by Hervard on Oct 17, 2015 17:24:20 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 17, 2015
This week's presentation - October 20, 1984
DROPPERS: THE LAST TIME I MADE LOVE - JOYCE KENNEDY & JEFFREY OSBORNE (40) - I seem to recall that this was a great song and it was a shame that it didn't get any higher than #40 on the charts. THE LUCKY ONE - LAURA BRANIGAN (39) - This song appeared on the 1983 TV movie An Uncommon Love. SHINE SHINE - BARRY GIBB (37) - His only solo Top 40 hit. It was a good one, but I preferred his two duets with Barbra Streisand, especially "What Kind Of Fool". WHEN YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES - NIGHT RANGER (36) - As I've said many times, most of their Top 40 hits are great ones, this one included. TORTURE - THE JACKSONS (34) - One of two 1984 songs from the Jacksons as a group. This one was IMO much better than the other song from earlier in the year, "State Of Shock", which often gets a "No. Just no" in my critiques.
LW#1: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER 40: A GIRL IN TROUBLE (IS A TEMPORARY THING) - ROMEO VOID (debut) - The only Top 40 hit from this band from San Francisco. Rather underrated, as it had the typical 80s sound to it - not sure why it didn't get past #35 on the charts. 39: GO INSANE - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (23) - Of course, he took turns with Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie singing lead on songs by his band Fleetwood Mac, but he did have a few solo songs. This one was pretty good, though I did prefer "Trouble" (but I still liked this better than his annoying earworm "Holiday Road". 38: NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS - PAUL McCARTNEY (debut) - This song is from the movie "Give My Regards To Broad Street", which wasn't a box office smash, but the album sold quite well, especially in the UK, where it hit #1. As for the song, it was a good one. 37: IT AIN'T ENOUGH - COREY HART (debut) - The second Top 40 hit for this man from Canada. It didn't quite match the success of his first hit "Sunglasses At Night", but it did peak at #17, which ain't half bad. As for the song, it's one of my favorites from Mr. Hart. 36: I CAN'T HOLD BACK – SURVIVOR (debut) - This was my favorite song in the world for quite a long time, from about this time to the beginning of 1985. It still remains one of my favorite songs from Survivor! 35: IF THIS IS IT - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (19) - Anyone notice how this sounds somewhat like a doo-wop version of "Don't Do Me Like That" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers? Perhaps that's why it's such a good song, as both songs are among my favorite from their respective artists. 34: THE WAR SONG - CULTURE CLUB (debut) - This song indeed had a good message but, melodically, it definitely wasn't their best. LDD: YOU AND I – EDDIE RABBITT & CRYSTAL GAYLE - This song definitely fit the dedication and would do so even more when he got back from the Army. I wonder if they ended up getting married? 33: THERE GOES MY BABY - DONNA SUMMER (21) - This song was one of several songs by Summer that starts off slow and then picks up a little ways into the song. This one was actually one of my favorites from her (though I remember disliking it during its chart run). 32: FLESH FOR FANTASY - BILLY IDOL (29) - One of Idol's more obscure hits. I thought it was pretty good, but, as we all know, my favorite song from him is "Sweet Sixteen", from the summer of 1987. OPTIONAL EXTRA: I WANNA ROCK - TWISTED SISTER - Wow, this one was unexpected, as it wasn't that big a hit. This was one of my best friend's favorite songs at the time and I always called it "I Want A Rock" to get a rise out of him (he hated it when people were "cutting down" his favorite songs). 31: ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT - CYNDI LAUPER (35) - The fourth Top Ten single from She's So Unusual, and possibly my favorite of them. It's a great song and too bad they cut out the instrumental bridge. 30: PENNY LOVER - LIONEL RICHIE (38) - The album Can't Slow Down sure got a lot of mileage, didn't it? This was the fifth single from the album, and all five songs hit the Top Ten. It's a fairly close race between this and "Hello" as my favorite song from the album. 29: WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT - TINA TURNER (15) - Wow, very shortly after her comeback, she snagged the biggest song of her career! This was also true on the R&R chart - even though this song peaked at #2 and "Typical Male" made it to #1, this song spent a month longer on the chart. I wasn't crazy about this song back in the day, but now, I think it's a great one. Like fine wine, it's one of those songs that gets better with age! 28: WHAT ABOUT ME - KENNY ROGERS WITH KIM CARNES AND JAMES INGRAM (33) - Definitely a great superstar trio! Possibly my favorite song on the entire chart this week, and one of my favorite songs of the entire year! 27: CRUEL SUMMER - BANANARAMA (14) - Of their three Top 40 hits, this one is right in the middle - I prefer it over their remake of the Shocking Blue's "Venus" but, of course, my favorite song from them is "I Heard A Rumour" 26: OUT OF TOUCH - HALL & OATES (32) - Did Casey mention that this song was on its way to giving Hall & Oates the record for the most #1 songs of the 80s? I do remember that he said it was far too early to tell whether this song would top the chart (which it ultimately did). It's a pretty good song, but nowhere near being their best. 25: THE WARRIOR - SCANDAL FEATURING PATTY SMYTH (11) - Hard to believe that this was their only Top 40 hit (on Billboard). I like it, but prefer a few of their near-misses. 24: I FEEL FOR YOU - CHAKA KHAN (30) - I was never crazy about this song. I preferred her follow-up, "Through The Fire", which was a Top 20 AC hit (and wasn't it once an Optional Extra, since it spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 despite never having even cracked the Top 40)? 23: BETTER BE GOOD TO ME - TINA TURNER (28) - The second of two songs by her on this week's countdown. I prefer the other one, but this one's a good one too. 22: STRUT - SHEENA EASTON (31) - Another song I hated back in the day, but now I think is pretty good. 21: SWEPT AWAY - DIANA ROSS (23) - Is it me, or did he say that this was song #26 in the intro? OPTIONAL EXTRA: VALOTTE - JULIAN LENNON 20: BOP 'TIL YOU DROP - RICK SPRINGFIELD (22) - The third of three Top 40 hits from the movie in which Rick starred, Hard To Hold. It was a good song, but I preferred the other two singles. 19: DESERT MOON - DENNIS DEYOUNG (27) - Styx may not have broken up, but they were noticeably absent from the chart for over six years. Meanwhile, two members of the band would hit with solo hits in 1984 - Dennis was here with his first solo hit (a great song, might I add), and Tommy Shaw would chart two weeks later with "Girls With Guns". 18: WHO WEARS THESE SHOES - ELTON JOHN (25) - The second single from Breaking Hearts, and with such a good-sized jump, it's hard to believe that the song only got two spots higher. Too bad, as it was a great song! 17: SHE BOP - CYNDI LAUPER (10) - Cyndi, you naughty girl! But I did like this song - definitely my favorite upbeat song from She's So Unusual and my second favorite from the album, behind her other hit on the chart. 16: BLUE JEAN - DAVID BOWIE (20) - Never knew that he had the same name as the lead singer of the Monkees. As for the song, considering I'm not a huge David Bowie fan, it was pretty good. 15: ARE WE OURSELVES - THE FIXX (16) - This was their second biggest hit, behind the overplayed "One Thing Leads To Another". It's a good song, but my two favorites from them are "Saved By Zero" and "Secret Separation" LDD: HELL IS FOR CHILDREN – PAT BENATAR - Wow, what an intense LDD! The question is, why didn't they play the whole song instead of, as Casey put it, "a part" of it? 14: SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK - ROD STEWART (17) - The story of my life! The song itself is a good one. 13: WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO - WHAM (26) - I liked this song back in the day, since it was sort of a teenybopper song, but now, it's just OK. I still like it better than "Careless Whisper" for reasons I have explained here before. 12: MISSING YOU - JOHN WAITE (7) - This song is kind of depressing for me due to personal problems I was going through around this time. I do rather like the version of the song where you can hear John chanting "Missing You" at the beginning of the song, but AT40 tended to play the other version, without the chants. 11: THE GLAMOROUS LIFE - SHEILA E. (9) - The first of a handful of hits for the daughter of famed musician Pete Escovedo. It wasn't bad, but I preferred the follow-up, "The Belle Of St. Mark". OPTIONAL EXTRA: ALL I NEED - JACK WAGNER - Most known for his role as Frisco Jones on General Hospital, Wagner did have a few hits, though only one hit the Top 40, but a great song it was, peaking at #2 in early 1985. I like this and his 1994 AC hit "(You're The) Only One Who Knows" about the same. At the beginning of Hour 4, U93 in South Bend got a new station mention. I do remember hearing the very beginning of that show, as U93 was the station to which my clock radio was tuned and it was set to go off at 7:00, which was when AT40 started on that station. 10: I'M SO EXCITED - THE POINTER SISTERS (13) - Another song that, like the Wham song, has a teenybopper air to it. But I still like the song. 9: PURPLE RAIN - PRINCE (18) - The title track to the blockbuster movie, whose soundtrack was just as successful. This song, oddly enough, did not hit #1 on the Hot 100 (though it did sneak in two weeks at the top spot of the R&R chart) 8: ON THE DARK SIDE - JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (12) - A song I remember from both of its chart runs (as, when it was credited to Eddie & The Cruisers the year before, B96 played it in medium rotation. It was a good one, though I preferred "Tough All Over", which charted in the spring of 1985. AT40 EXTRA: HOW DO I MAKE YOU - LINDA RONSTADT - The story to tie in with this song was told on AT40 several times. A man on the East Coast was awakened to this song playing, but he couldn't find any radios on in his house. When he called the police trying to make sense of the situation, he was able to convince one to come out. It turned out that his dentures were acting as a diode and picking up a Connecticut radio station 30 miles away. Casey mentioned that songs from Captain & Tennille and Fleetwood Mac followed. I wonder if they were "Do That To Me One More Time" and "Sara"? 7: COVER ME - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (8) - The second of an incredible seven Top Ten singles from Born In The USA. This one is possibly the one of those songs that gets the least amount of recurrent airplay, but is still a good one. 6: DRIVE - THE CARS (3) - Another song that, like "Missing You", I find depressing, for the same reasons. I did like the song before this one, "Magic" - by far, my favorite of the five Heartbeat City singles. 5: LET'S GO CRAZY - PRINCE & THE REVOLUTION (2) - As always, they played the version with the shortened intro. This is my third favorite song from the Purple Rain soundtrack, behind the title cut and "Take Me With U". 4: LUCKY STAR - MADONNA (5) - Interesting story about how horseshoes and four-leaf clovers became good luck charms. As for the song, it's definitely not one of my favorites from her. 3: HARD HABIT TO BREAK - CHICAGO (4) - As this song, with lead vocals shared by Peter Cetera and Bill Champlin, was hitting #1 on the R&R chart, it was peaking on AT40 as well. Definitely my favorite of the four hits from Chicago 17! OPTIONAL EXTRA: WALKING ON A THIN LINE - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS - The fifth and final hit from Sports. Didn't quite hit the Top Ten like the first four singles. It's a good song, but not quite his/their best. 2: CARIBBEAN QUEEN (NO MORE LOVE ON THE RUN) - BILLY OCEAN (6) - He seemed destined to be a one-hit wonder, as "Love Really Hurts Without You" was his only hit for over eight years. But Billy came back with a vengeance in 1984 and there was a lot more where that came from. As for the song, it wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from him. 1: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER (1) - This song put him in second place for solo artist with the most #1s. Casey mentioned that he might someday come close to first place, which was held by Elvis Presley by a comfortable lead. But Stevie would end up having one more #1 (two more, if you count his contribution to "That's What Friends Are For", but he wasn't even credited by name and besides, it wasn't a solo hit). Anyway, this song was a good song, though my favorite version was the one where he used a voice alternator as he repeated part of the first verse. Not sure if AT40 ever played that one, but I do remember hearing it on his AC version of his show in early 1995 when he played it as an extra or LDD.
Coming up next week: It appears to be that the October 24, 1981 show is the "A" show but I'm not sure what the "B" show is as yet.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 18, 2015 17:13:48 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 17, 2015 This week's presentation - October 22, 1977 40: DO YOUR DANCE - ROSE ROYCE (debut) - Their third hit during the year - pretty much typical 70s R&B music. 39: MY FAIR SHARE - SEALS AND CROFTS (debut) - Of their eight Top 40 hits, this is the one that peaked lowest, which I thought was a shame, since it was a great song. 38: CHANGES IN LATITUDE, CHANGES IN ATTITUDE - JIMMY BUFFETT (debut) - Not one of his biggest chart hits but, from what I hear, it's a concert favorite of his. And I can see why; it's a great song. 37: DAYBREAK - BARRY MANILOW (debut) - A fun, sing-along hit from Manilow. I vaguely remember this from its chart run. 36: SEND IN THE CLOWNS - JUDY COLLINS (40) - Interesting that this song started its chart run similar to that of its original one - moving 40-36. It would deviate from it the following week, as, in its original release, it didn't get any higher, but this time around, would continue to climb the chart, en route to its peak at #19. I guess you could call this one a guilty pleasure, as I like it. 35: STRAWBERRY LETTER #23 - BROTHERS JOHNSON (25) - This one wasn't quite my cup of tea, although it wasn't exactly "roof-raising R&B" music - it was actually somewhat mellow. I guess it just didn't do anything for me. 34: DON'T STOP - FLEETWOOD MAC (23) - I used to like this song, but overplay sort of tarnished it for me. Possibly my least favorite release from "Rumors" (my favorite would be "You Make Lovin' Fun", which would debut on the chart the following week. 33: I JUST WANT TO MAKE LOVE TO YOU - FOGHAT (37) - Here's one I remember hearing quite a lot back in 1977! Not one of my favorite songs by any means, but tolerable. 32: BLUE BAYOU - LINDA RONSTADT (36) - Of Ronstadt's two Top Five hits from late 1977, this would be my favorite. The other song, "It's So Easy", would hit the chart next week. I liked that song as well. 31: TELEPHONE LINE - ELO (18) - This one certainly got a lot of mileage on the chart! This was its sixteenth week on, an unusually long chart run for a song that didn't hit the Top Five (it had peaked at #7 the previous month). 30: WE JUST DISAGREE - DAVE MASON (34) - This one sounds kind of dated. It's not bad, but it somehow doesn't sound anywhere near as fresh as it did back in 1977. 29: DO YOU WANNA GET FUNKY WITH ME - PETER BROWN (33) - This might not be roof-raising R&B, but it's definitely quite repetitive. Not a big fan. 28: DUSIC - BRICK (31) - This would probably qualify as "roof-raising R&B", but I actually kind of liked this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WE WILL ROCK YOU - QUEEN - This wasn't bad, but I much preferred the flipside, which is the song that was the big hit, while Billboard did not chart this one, but since they were segued together on the album, they were played together on many stations. 27: I BELIEVE YOU - DOROTHY MOORE (27) - This was her second hit - sounded a little like "Misty Blue", only I liked this one a lot better. EXTRA: BAD BAD LEROY BROWN - JIM CROCE - A great song by a great man who was taken away from us way, way, way too soon 26: WE'RE ALL ALONE - RITA COOLIDGE (32) - This was her second Top Ten hit - I like both songs about the same. I remember buying the 45 of "We're All Alone" in March, 1983 - and "Higher Than Higher" was on the flipside! 25: SHE DID IT - ERIC CARMEN (29) - I'm surprised that this wasn't at least a Top 20 hit, because I definitely remember hearing this regularly in 1977. It's pretty good, but I preferred his 1976 hits. 24: HELP IS ON THE WAY - LITTLE RIVER BAND (26) - As usual, this song was chopped down, cutting out the second verse. Truly, a four-hour show was called for a few years before it finally became a reality. Anyway, I liked this song, though I preferred a few others from them. 23: BEST OF MY LOVE - EMOTIONS (17) - Definitely one of the biggest hits of the year, and deservedly so, as it was a great one! 22: ON AND ON - STEPHEN BISHOP (12) - This one might not have made the Top Ten, but it was indeed a big hit nonetheless, spending fifteen weeks on the chart! Definitely my favorite song from him! 21: SURFIN' USA - LEIF GARRETT (21) - Like #36, a guilty pleasure (only for a different reason), as I rather like this song - but I can definitely see why many people hated this one. 20: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - BEE GEES (24) - Little did anyone know just how big a hit this would be! Who knew that it would still be on the chart at the beginning of spring? Definitely one of my favorites from them! 19: SIGNED SEALED DELIVERED - PETER FRAMPTON (20) - Casey said something about Peter Frampton's live album from the year before being on its way to becoming the biggest selling live album of all time (not sure, as I wasn't paying full attention). His current album, I'm In You, didn't quite live up to that success, but it did spawn two Top 20 hits. The title track, of course, was my favorite. 18: JUST REMEMBER I LOVE YOU - FIREFALL (22) - They only had one Top Ten, but two of their songs just barely missed. This was one of those songs, and it is one of my favorite songs by Firefall. 17: BABY WHAT A BIG SURPRISE - CHICAGO (35) - This song, the first song by the Windy City band in about a year, looked like it might repeat the success of that last hit, "If You Leave Me Now", which was their first #1 hit, but not quite (it did peak at #4, though, which is nothing to sneeze at). As for the song, it's pretty good, but I prefer many others from them. 16: IT WAS ALMOST LIKE A SONG - RONNIE MILSAP (16) - His very first pop hit and his only one to chart in the 70s. He would have more pop success in the 80s but, of course, the format he excelled at the most was Country. Anyway, this was a great song - one of my favorites from Milsap. 15: I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING - ANDY GIBB (10) - This song just came off of an incredible Top Ten run - sixteen weeks! More than half of the #1 hits during 1977 didn't even spend that long in the entire Top 40! Unsurprisingly, this song wound up as AT40's #1 song - and it was definitely worthy of that honor - it was my favorite song from Gibb! 14: HEAVEN ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR - PAUL NICHOLAS (19) - This was melodically a great song, but the lyrics were sort of questionable - the guy was stuck in an elevator with someone who wanted nothing to do with him - and he was happy nonetheless. I'd have felt very awkward and, like the girl in the elevator with me, I'd want them to have us out ASAP. But that's just me. As I said, the music itself was great. OPTIONAL EXTRA: IT'S SO EASY - LINDA RONSTADT - Well speak of the devil! I mentioned this song ever and, lo and behold, it's one of this week's Optional Extras. As I mentioned earlier, though I preferred "Blue Bayou", this is a great song as well! 13: THE KING IS GONE - RONNIE McDOWELL (15) - A very touching tribute to Elvis Presley, whom we had sadly lost two months before. 12: DON'T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE - CRYSTAL GAYLE (13) - Like Ronnie Milsap, this was Crystal Gayle's first Top 40 hit. The only difference is, this one hit the Top Ten - it even came close to the top, but I don't think I need to tell you the song that locked it out of #1. Anyway, I liked all of Crystal Gayle's Top 40 hits (and a few that hit only the AC chart). 11: IT'S ECSTASY WHEN YOU LAY DOWN NEXT TO ME - BARRY WHITE (14) - More often than not, AT40 only played about a minute of this song (I wasn't paying much attention, so I'm not sure if this was one of those weeks). I personally wasn't a big fan of this song, or much of anything from Barry White. 10: SWAYIN' TO THE MUSIC - JOHNNY RIVERS (11) - Casey jinxed Johnny Rivers here, as he said that he was closing in on Donny Osmond of the king of remakes. Not only did Rivers never have another remake hit, this was his last Top 40 appearance. So, as far as I know, Osmond still stands as the artist with the most Top 40 cover versions. Anyway, this song wasn't bad, but I preferred a few others by Rivers. 9: STAR WARS - MECO (5) - Interesting disco version of the Star Wars theme, though I preferred the one by the London Symphony Orchestra, which hit the Top Ten about a month before. 8: I FEEL LOVE - DONNA SUMMER (9) - Part 2 of "Love To Love You Baby". I wasn't a huge fan of this one - I preferred Summer's 1978-80 era. 7: BRICK HOUSE - COMMODORES (8) - I swear that I hear this song at every single dance party or wedding reception that I go to! Plus, this is overplayed on oldies stations - I definitely prefer their other 1977 hit "Easy" by far. 6: COLD AS ICE - FOREIGNER (7) - I forgot that this song was still climbing at this point (perhaps because it had peaked a month before on the R&R chart). I like this and their other 1977 hit "Feels Like The First Time" about the same. EXTRA: LUCY IN THE SKY WITH DIAMONDS - ELTON JOHN - At the time, this was the most successful Beatles remake to hit the charts (went all the way to #1 in early 1975). This was my favorite version of the song by a fairly large margin (the original was mediocre, especially compared to this one, which was quite elaborate). 5: BOOGIE NIGHTS - HEATWAVE (6) - aka Part 1 of this song (part 2 would chart the following summmer). Both songs bookended about the only Heatwave song that I like, "Always And Forever". 4: KEEP IT COMING LOVE - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND (2) - This one broke their streak of all of their Top Ten songs hitting #1. It looked like it had a chance the week before when the Star Wars theme dropped out of the top spot, but it was leapfrogged over by the song that is still #1 this week. More on that in a moment. 3: THAT'S ROCK AND ROLL - DAVID CASSIDY (4) - His second Top 40 hit - I like this one and "Da Doo Ron Ron" equally. OPTIONAL EXTRA: COME SAIL AWAY - STYX - The station on which I caught the show this week (KQEO) did not play the Optional Extras (though, according to the station list, they are listed as "Plays Optional Extras") Anyway, I imagine they played the single version of the song. I prefer the version of the song that I've heard that includes both verses but eliminates the bridge with the weird outer space noises. That one is apparently quite rare - the versions that radio plays are either the single version of the full album version. 2: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER - CARLY SIMON (3) - 1977 was definitely the year for movie songs! This one, from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me, was one of many songs held out of #1 by - well, this week's #1 song (it did sneak in a week at #1 on the R&R chart). It is one of my favorite songs by Carly Simon, as well as one of my faves on this week's chart. 1: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE (1) - THE ULTIMATE GUILTY PLEASURE HERE!! This song was in its second of ten weeks at the top, and was the fifth movie theme to top the chart in 1977! Indeed a great song!
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Post by davewollenberg on Oct 18, 2015 19:42:43 GMT -5
Hervard (Chris), that was SHAUN Cassidy, with 'That's rock 'n roll.'
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Post by 80sat40fan on Oct 19, 2015 4:38:56 GMT -5
Hervard (Chris), that was SHAUN Cassidy, with 'That's rock 'n roll.' Dave... Hervard gets his Top 40 lists from the Old Radio Shows website, and that site listed "David Cassidy" for the #3 song on the 10/20/77 chart. Link: www.oldradioshows.com/at40/102277.htmlHervard spends a lot of time writing his critiques so I am willing to forgive an occasional spelling error or wrong name... I wish you would as well!
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