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1974
Dec 8, 2012 0:36:50 GMT -5
Post by woolebull on Dec 8, 2012 0:36:50 GMT -5
I'm sure it was written about ad nauseum, but I wasn't around for the conversation. So I will ask: what was going on in 1974? I knew about Billy Preston, DW and The Spinners, BTO and John Lennon plummeting from the top, but BTO going 1 to 12 to 34 to back up to 8? Huh?
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1974
Dec 8, 2012 1:09:27 GMT -5
Post by wickster82 on Dec 8, 2012 1:09:27 GMT -5
I was wondering the same thing. In addition to those listed, Andy Kim, Barry White and even Stevie Wonder went from 1 - 12 in one week. The funny thing being when Barry White's Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Babe plunged, Casey mentioned referred to The Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel had been the only number 1 song to plummet that far until Barry White's hit did that. And then several more followed...
As far as BTO goes, and this has been mentioned in previous threads, the B-side Free Wheelin' was getting massive airplay which caused the single to jump from 34 to 8 in a single week. However, Casey would never play the B-Side.
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1974
Dec 8, 2012 8:04:57 GMT -5
Post by dukelightning on Dec 8, 2012 8:04:57 GMT -5
This issue has been discussed but no one has been able to get an official explanation for what happened. It was thought that in this whole period, there was some kind of flaw in the chart calculation. BTW, it was not only #1s falling rapidly but a lot of top 10 hits. "Stepping Out Gonna Boogie Tonight" by Dawn set a then record for highest position from which it fell out of the top 40, from #7. What possibly happened is that Billboard changed their methodology somewhat in about Sept. of 1974 and then after seeing how it effected the chart, modified it a couple months later. It should be noted that #1 songs continued to drop quite a bit, to 6, 7 or 8 with regularity into 1976 before it finally settled down to what it had been up to the fall of 1974. Bottom line, I would put an asterisk on all records for dropping from #1 and also falling off the chart that were set in 1974. FYI, yes "The Sounds of Silence" which dropped from 1 to 12 was the original record holder in that category. And "Groovin" by the Rascals was the record holder for fastest fall off the Hot 100 for a #1 song with 3 weeks. (Both "Rock Me Gently" and "Nothing from Nothing" tied that record, but with an asterisk in my book)
SXM played the show in which BTO rebounded from 34 to 8 last week. Casey said that "We checked with the Billboard statistician and he says there has been some action on the flip side." That's all he said. Didn't ever play it or even mention the flip side.
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1974
Dec 8, 2012 8:21:17 GMT -5
Post by erik on Dec 8, 2012 8:21:17 GMT -5
There was a 9 week period in 1974 where 7 different songs fell out of the top 10 from the #1 position. It was unusual for so many songs to drop in such a short time frame since it only happened once before with the Simon & Garfunkel song. I don't know if it has ever been confirmed one way or another, but I suspect Billboard may have been experimenting with some new kind of chart methodology but ditched it after a short period of time. I sure can't explain it.
As for BTO, I think stations were already playing "Free Wheelin'" at the time, but Billboard did not identify it as a B-side right away. So that week it moved from 34-8 may have been a "correction" in Billboard's tabulations.
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1974
Dec 8, 2012 9:21:35 GMT -5
Post by at40petebattistini on Dec 8, 2012 9:21:35 GMT -5
I'm not convinced this situation was caused by Billboard's change in chart tabulations. If that was the case, then, coincidentally, Cashbox changed their tabulation about the same time, as evidenced by this chart. cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19741026.htmlWhile not as drastic, the chart falls on Cashbox are still comparable.
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1974
Dec 8, 2012 11:07:59 GMT -5
Post by woolebull on Dec 8, 2012 11:07:59 GMT -5
That's really great Pete. You are right. While not the same there are some striking similarities for sure.
What was the reasoning for not playing the B Side of the BTO record if that was the driving reason for the record moving back up the chart? To be honest, I don't completeley understand how a "B" side has ever worked. Is it that a flip side of a song got hot and so it was played? Wouldn't that skew how popular the "A" side actually was?
Was there any "B" side Top 40 hit in the 80's? "Coming Up" seems to come to mind, but again, I really don't know.
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1974
Dec 16, 2012 13:51:16 GMT -5
Post by mstgator on Dec 16, 2012 13:51:16 GMT -5
Was there any "B" side Top 40 hit in the 80's? "Coming Up" seems to come to mind, but again, I really don't know. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" by New Kids On The Block was the B-side to "Hangin' Tough", and rode the chart at the same time as the official follow-up single "Cover Girl". (At that point Billboard charted B-sides separately instead of combined.)
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1974
Dec 18, 2012 17:12:44 GMT -5
Post by jmack19 on Dec 18, 2012 17:12:44 GMT -5
Here is the R&R Top 20 for the corresponding week: www.popradiotop20.com/POP/1974/1974-11-22.htmThe top 11 songs on Billboard are in the top 12 of the R&R chart. I would guess Billboard was getting inconsistent airplay data from their corresponding stations.
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