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Post by mga707 on Oct 24, 2019 0:03:31 GMT -5
Extra: WISHIN’ YOU WERE HERE – Chicago: Larry Morgan noted it was the ill-fated Terry Kath who sang lead on this. I don’t think I knew that; all I knew was that, like “Beach Baby,” it gave me a Beach Boys vibe that I loved, and on this song it was earned, as several members of that group sang backup. I guess that was Kath singing, although he had a mellower tone here than usual (compared to the aggressive sound he had on, for instance, "Make Me Smile"). Of course, Cetera sings the bridge. Both my original 1974 "Chicago VII" LP and my remastered CD say that it is Cetera on vocals. LP says 'Vocals" while the CD says "lead and background vocals".
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Post by Hervard on Oct 24, 2019 16:46:07 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - October 26, 2019
This week's presentation - October 25, 1975
Droppers: WASTED DAYS AND WASTED NIGHTS - FREDDY FENDER (37) - No big loss; I'm generally not a fan of him. RUN JOEY RUN - DAVID GEDDES (32) This was DEFINITELY no big loss whatsoever! Does he have any cheese and crackers to go along with that whine? RHINESTONE COWBOY - GLEN CAMPBELL (27) - Definitely one of the top hits of 1975! Also one of my favorite songs from Campbell - a great song indeed!
40: ROCKY - AUSTIN ROBERTS (15) - Wow, this song practically fell off the chart this week! This was sort of cheesy, but it was pretty good nonetheless. 39: LETTING GO - WINGS (debut) - Well, their last hit may have gone to #1, but this one sure didn't; this was all the higher the song got. Such a shame, as it was a good song. 38: THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY - SMOKEY ROBINSON (40) - This was his lowest peaking hit of his solo career; it would climb two spots higher and then drop off the following week. It was pretty much your typical mid-70s slow jam. 37: JUST TOO MANY PEOPLE - MELISSA MANCHESTER (39) - You know, in the past, I always commented that this song sounded more like an early-80s song. Now that I listen to it closely, I realize that it actually has a 60s Motown feel to it - sounded a lot like something that the Supremes might do. This was a great song indeed - one of my favorite songs from her and possibly her most underrated song ever! 36: EIGHTEEN WITH A BULLET - PETE WINGFIELD (debut) - This song would eventually hit the #18 position on the Hot 100 - with a bullet! It also was #18 on the R&R chart, but had lost its bullet by then. Due to the irony of the title, I would have bulleted the song just for the heck of it, even if it hadn't earned one that week - after all, the song would climb a spot higher the following week instead of dropping. As for the song, I wasn't a big fan of it - his voice sounds like someone kicked him in the nards. 35: MR. JAWS - DICKIE GOODMAN (16) - Hard to believe this song was #4 two weeks before, but then again, novelty songs tend to burn out quickly like that. Anyway, this was a good one - contained drop pieces of recent popular songs, like many of Goodman's records. I liked it. 34: THERE GOES ANOTHER LOVE SONG - THE OUTLAWS (35) - Typical southern rock here - a decent song. 33: SWEET STICKY THING - THE OHIO PLAYERS (34) - This song was bookended by their two #1 hits. It was a good song - I actually preferred it over said #1's. 32: FLY, ROBIN, FLY - SILVER CONVENTION (debut) - This was one of two Top 40 hits from them - both were mainly instrumentals, though there were lyrics during the refrains. Not sure which of them I prefer; both are good songs. 31: BLUE EYES CRYIN' IN THE RAIN - WILLIE NELSON (33) - This was his first Top 40 hit. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his 80s hits. 30: NIGHTS ON BROADWAY - THE BEE GEES (38) - This one didn't have as much of a disco beat as "Jive Talkin'". Of those two songs, I preferred this one (as "Jive Talkin'" was way overplayed). Still, I prefer many other songs from them. 29: FAME - DAVID BOWIE (12) - His first of two #1 songs. I actually heard his other one today as an extra on the 1/31/87 show that was being run on the iHeartRadio channel. I preferred that one over this one, but I think we all know what my favorite songs of his are (for those who don't, they were his two 1987 hits). OLDIE: SOMETHING STUPID – FRANK AND NANCY SINATRA - A rare father/daughter duet here. It was pretty good. 28: ROCKIN' ALL OVER THE WORLD - JOHN FOGERTY (30) - Fogerty's third hit since the disbanding of Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was okies, but I preferred his two 1985 hits (as well as several by CCR). OPTIONAL EXTRA: LOVE MACHINE - I believe that at one time this song held the record for the longest climb to the top. It wasn't a bad song, but they weren't quite as good as they were after Smokey Robinson had left the group. 27: I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU - ART GARFUNKEL (29) - A classic golden oldie that has been covered many times over! This is one of the best renditions of it that I've ever heard. 26: BORN TO RUN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (28) - This was definitely one of his signature songs! Hard to believe that this song didn't get any higher than #23! 25: SKY HIGH - JIGSAW (31) - Often thought of as a one-hit wonder, they did actually have another minor Top 40 hit in 1976 called "Love Fire". I preferred this one, though - one of my favorite hits from 1975! 24: WHAT A DIFF'RENCE A DAY MAKES - ESTHER PHILLIPS (26) - Interesting that she'd been hitting the soul chart for a quarter of a century, since I'd never even heard of her. As for the song, it was OK, but the grating voice was sort of a fly in the ointment. 23: YOU - GEORGE HARRISON (25) - This was possibly my least favorite of his solo hits. You couldn't understand what he was saying half the time. 22: AIN'T NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY - HELEN REDDY (8) - IMO, most of her songs are cheesefests, this one included, but it wasn't too bad. 21: CAROLINA IN THE PINES - MICHAEL MURPHEY (22) - One of two Top 40 hits for Murphey in 1975. I slightly prefer "Wildfire", but this one is a great one as well! 20: SOS - ABBA (24) - The way this song was climbing (it had made a sixteen-point jump the following week), it looked like it would be their second Top Ten, but it ran out of gas at #15. It wasn't bad, but I preferred many others from them. 19: LOW RIDER - WAR (23) - Too bad this wasn't a low peaker! I found it quite annoying. 18: THE WAY I WANT TO TOUCH YOU - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (21) - I didn't know that this was released previously. While I do prefer it over the ad nauseum played "Love Will Keep Us Together" (not to mention the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love"), it's definitely not my favorite from them (that honor, of course, goes to "Do That To Me One More Time"). 17: LADY BLUE - LEON RUSSELL (19) - I remember Leon most from the Bangla Desh benefit album from earlier in the decade, on which he sang a few songs. As for this song, it was a great one - nice and mellow. 16: THIS WILL BE - NATALIE COLE (20) - It's impossible not to think of the eHarmony.com commercials when hearing the intro to this song. It's not bad, but I prefer many others from her. 15: SOMETHING BETTER TO DO - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (17) - By the baby steps this song was taking up the chart, one would never have guessed that it debuted in the Top 40 all the way up at #19 two weeks prior. It would only get as high as #13. As for my opinion of the song, it was a good one - reminded me a little of her #1 "Have You Never Been Mellow" from earlier in 1975. 14: DO IT ANY WAY YOU WANNA - THE PEOPLES CHOICE (18) - This one was quite repetitive. Not a fan of it at all. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT - KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - Classic disco song here, uh-huh, uh-huh! I did slightly prefer their other #1 from earlier in the year, "Get Down Tonight". 13: DANCE WITH ME - ORLEANS (6) - They may have had only three Top 40 hits, but all three were great! I don't even know which of them is my favorite. 12: LOVE IS A ROSE - LINDA RONSTADT (14) - This was originally an "A" side. By the time it hit the Top 40, the flipside "Heat Wave" was getting most of the airplay, so that's what AT40 generally played. But this week, they decided to give what was originally the intended hit a play. It was pretty good, but I preferred "Heat Wave". Fortunately, we'll be hearing that as the last Optional Extra. 11: BRAZIL - THE RICHIE FAMILY (13) - This was a pretty good Philly music here. 10: IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - TAVARES (11) - Hard to believe that this was their only Top Ten hit, since a few of their other songs still get recurrent airplay on oldies stations. As for this song, it wasn't bad, but nothing special. 9: BALLROOM BLITZ - SWEET (5) - Well, at least it was on its way down... 8: ISLAND GIRL - ELTON JOHN (36) - WOW!! What a huge chart leap! If I'm not mistaken, this was the biggest chart leap of the 70s so far ("Le Freak" would break the record three years later). Anyway, this song would continue to impress Elton John fans the following week, by jumping into the top spot. It was indeed a great song! 7: WHO LOVES YOU - THE FOUR SEASONS (10) - Their comeback hit, and the last with Frankie Valli singing lead. It was a great song - one of their best, IMO. 6: FEELINGS - MORRIS ALBERT (7) - This one used to get a "No. Just no", but, though it is indeed a very cheesy song, I've actually started liking it better over the past few years. 5: THEY JUST CAN'T STOP IT (THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY) - THE SPINNERS (9) - This was their lowest peaking song to hit the Top Ten. That's right; they either hit the Top Five or missed the Top Ten altogether. This was one of my favorite songs from them. 4: LYIN' EYES - THE EAGLES (4) - This is a great song, but I preferred the album version of the song - the single version seems way too chopped down. 3: MIRACLES - THE JEFFERSON STARSHIP (3) - Marty Balin had taken over as lead singer at this point. This wasn't bad, but I preferred the two 1978 songs with him singing lead. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HEAT WAVE - LINDA RONSTADT - They'd played the flipside of this as part of the countdown, so I'm glad they played this one as an extra - definitely one of Linda's best! 2: CALYPSO - JOHN DENVER (2) - They intermittently played this song and the flipside, "I'm Sorry" during its chart run. I preferred the latter, but this one was pretty good as well. 1: BAD BLOOD - NEIL SEDAKA (1) - Today, this song would be billed as being by Neil Sedaka featuring Elton John (and, ironically, the featured artist would unseat this song from the top spot the following week). It was a good song - one of my favorite songs from Sedaka. Interesting that this was the first song by a solo act since the summer of 1974 to spend three weeks on top.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 24, 2019 16:46:25 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 26, 2019
This week's presentation - October 30, 1982
DROPPERS: YOU DROPPED A BOMB ON ME – THE GAP BAND (31) - This song had just spent five weeks at #31, which had to be close to the record for a peak below #30! Anyway, this song was pretty good - sounded like a song that Robert Palmer could do a cover version of (like he did with their other 1982 hit "Early In The Morning"). BIG FUN - KOOL & THE GANG (21) - This was a typical R&B song of the era. I wasn't a big fan of this one, however. This song was quite repetitive - I mean, did they really have to repeat “HAVE some fun, HAVE some fun” over and over again? EYE OF THE TIGER - SURVIVOR (18) - This is another song that has held up quite well despite overplay. I still prefer a few others by them, such as "I Can't Hold Back", "The Search Is Over", and their low charter from late 1983 "Caught In The Game". HARD TO SAY I'M SORRY - CHICAGO (16) - It looked like this song was going to peak at #5, a position it held for the past four weeks, but it managed to rise above the competition and go all the way to #1, where it spent a pair of weeks. This was their comeback hit (as they hadn't hit the Top 40 since "No Tell Lover" in early 1979), and it turned out to be one of their biggest hits ever. As you probably know all too well, at one time, it was my favorite song in the world, but now, I'm pretty much burned out on the song (Az Yet's 1997 cover, which sounded much like the original, was instrumental in that), so much that I usually change the station when it comes on the radio. ABRACADABRA - STEVE MILLER BAND (10) - Wow, three songs dropping out of the AT40 chart from inside the Top 20? This really WAS 1982! The song was also one of three songs in 1982 that fell out of the 40 from in the Top Ten, following "Get Down On It" by Kool & The Gang and "Even The Nights Are Better" by Air Supply, the latter which, of course, set a record by falling out from #6. Anyway, this was a good song, and one you don’t hear much anymore (though they’ll occasionally play it on Sunny 101.5).
LW#3: EYE IN THE SKY – THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT LW#2: WHO CAN IT BE NOW – MEN AT WORK LW#1: JACK AND DIANE – JOHN COUGAR 40: I'M SO EXCITED - THE POINTER SISTERS (debut) - Wow, we got to hear this song twice this weekend, as it was on both 80s shows. Of course, it was more successful during its 1984 chart run, hitting #9 (in fact, this week's 1984 "B" show was from the very week it was peaking), while the first time around, it got as high as #30. I loved the song during its second chart run (and I still prefer it over all of their other post-1982 songs, but I prefer most of their earlier songs). 39: THE LOOK OF LOVE - ABC (debut) - This wasn't their biggest hit, but it is the song that I hear most often on 80s stations (though their two Top Ten hits from later in the 80s also receive a fair amount of recurrent airplay). This would probably be my favorite song by ABC, 38: YOUNG LOVE - AIR SUPPLY (38) - It was somewhat of a shock to see this one bomb, especially after eight consecutive Top Five hits, but this was, IMO, one of their weaker songs, so I guess I can see why it didn't do any better than it did, though you'd think that, since Air Supply was such an established act, that it would ride on the coattails of their previous hits and at least hit the Top 20, but in fact, it barely even touched the Top 40. 37: I NEED YOU - PAUL CARRACK (debut) - This song reminded me of Carrack's hit with Squeeze from the year before, "Tempted". It wasn't bad, but I preferred his later songs. My favorite solo hit from him would most likely be his AC hit from 1997, "For Once In Our Lives". 36: I.G.Y. (WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD) - DONALD FAIGEN (debut) - I know I misspelled his last name, but that was the only way to get around the censors on this board (it appears as f*gen otherwise). Anyway, this was a good song - he sounded just as good solo as he did with Steely Dan. 35: ROCK THIS TOWN - THE STRAY CATS (39) - The rockabilly music style made a comeback in the 80s and the Stray Cats were definitely instrumental in that. This was the first of four Top 40 hits from them. I preferred "Stray Cat Strut" and "I Won't Stand In Your Way". 34: GET CLOSER - LINDA RONSTADT (40) - I wasn't crazy about this song, mainly because of the way she shouted in the chorus. This song was used in a Close-Up toothpaste commercial not long after this song charted. 33: LOVE ME TOMORROW - CHICAGO (37) - This was the second of two Top 40 hits from the Chicago 16 album. Still, that was better than their 14th album, which yielded absolutely no Top 40 hits (the 15th album was a Greatest Hits album). This was my favorite song from Chicago 16 (since the first one is was overplayed). 32: I GET EXCITED - RICK SPRINGFIELD (35) - This one sounded so much like "Jessie's Girl" - especially the opening guitar notes - but the rest of the song itself was similar as well. That said, I'm surprised that this song didn't get any higher than #32, given how big a hit "Jessie's Girl" was. It was a good song, though I prefer a few others from Rick. OPTIONAL EXTRA: DIRTY LAUNDRY - DON HENLEY - Henley's first Top 40 solo hit, and his biggest ever. I always liked the song, which was about the tabloidization of the news. 31: IT'S RAINING AGAIN - SUPERTRAMP (debut) - Wow! With such a spectacular debut, one would think this was a surefire number one song! No such luck, as it didn't even reach the Top Ten. I guess it was the long-awaited first hit from them in two years and then people decided they didn't really like the song after all. Perhaps it was that, or more people bought the album ...Famous Last Words than the single (as the song did peak at #2 on the R&R chart). Whatever the case, it was a great song according to me. Whenever this song came on, I'd turn it way up and sing along with it at the top of my lungs, driving my older brother nuts, lol! 30: MICKEY - TONI BASIL (34) - This was a great cheerleading anthem! This is another song I'd jam to back in the day. 29: PRESSURE - BILLY JOEL (33) - This was a great song, but I must say, the single version of this was way too butchered. I preferred the full album version, but, unfortunately, every station that plays this song goes with the single version. Oh well... 28: ATHENA - THE WHO (30) - Mainly an album rock band, they did have a handful of Top 40 hits. This was one of their lower charting ones, however, and their final Top 40 entry. I thought the song was pretty good, but I preferred a few others from them, including "Squeeze Box" and "You Better You Bet" (it's still a lot better than "Who Are You" IMO 27: STEPPIN' OUT - JOE JACKSON (32) - I don't like this song quite as much as I did back in the day, but it's still good. Still, I preferred his other Top 40 hits. 26: SWEET TIME - REO SPEEDWAGON (26) - This was one of their more obscure power ballads, which I thought was a shame, as I thought it was one of their best! Reminded me of "Time For Me To Fly", from several years before. 25: SOUTHERN CROSS - CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH (28) - Most people I know preferred their earlier hits, but I'm the odd man out, as I preferred their most recent hits. This and "Wasted On The Way", as well as 1977's "Just A Song Before I Go" are among my favorite songs by them. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against their 60s/early 70s hits, but they just don't quite match up to the three above songs. 24: NOBODY - SYLVIA (25) - Classic case of a guy having an affair and playing it down when asked about it. This song reminded me of "Seven Year Ache" by Roseanne Cash, one of my favorite country crossover songs of the early 80s, as is this song. 23: AMERICAN HEARTBEAT - SURVIVOR (27) - Great song! I felt this one was underrated, especially after a big #1 like "Eye Of The Tiger" (though that song may have actually been this song's downfall, since it was still riding high on the charts when this song was released). 22: YOU DON'T WANT ME ANYMORE - STEEL BREEZE (24) - This is the song that kicked off the Top 100 of 1982. It sounds a little like something Rick Springfield would sing. I think it's a great song, as well as their other Top 40 hit, "Dreamin' Is Easy", which would chart in early 1983. LDD: THROUGH THE YEARS – KENNY ROGERS - This may not have been one of his biggest chart hits, but it sure became popular in the LDD department! Between the time it was on the charts and the last show of 1987, it was requested as a dedication 17 times! I can see why, as it is a great song! OPTIONAL EXTRA: SITUATION - YAZ - Not a fan of this one, as it tends to stick in my mind when I hear it. I generally turn the radio down or change the station 21: NEW WORLD MAN - RUSH (23) - Like the Who, they were chiefly an album rock band. Only they only had one Top 40 hit. Believe it or not, their songs "Spirit Of The Radio" and "Tom Sawyer", both of which get tons of classic rock airplay, never made the Top 40! As for this song, it's one of my favorite songs from them, along with their hit "Subdivisions", from the same album which, I believe, received sporadic airplay in early 1983, but I don't think was ever released as a single. 20: LOVE COME DOWN - EVELYN KING (22) - Most of her songs are so/so, but I actually really like this one. My favorite song from her by far! 19: WHAT'S FOREVER FOR - MICHAEL MURPHY (19) - Chiefly a country artist, Murphey had several pop crossovers. His biggest was "Wild Fire", a #3 hit in 1975, but this was second biggest hit, peaking at #19 for five weeks. It is also my favorite of his crossover hits - a great song indeed! 18: MUSCLES - DIANA ROSS (29) - Meh, not one of my favorites from her by any means. 17: DON'T FIGHT IT - KENNY LOGGINS WITH STEVE PERRY (17) - Sort of a random pairing here, but it indeed worked, as the song hit the Top 20 on AT40 (and got as high as #4 on the R&R chart, so apparently it wasn't a huge seller - but got plenty of airplay). It was a great song indeed! 16: THE ONE YOU LOVE - GLENN FREY (20) - I liked this song a lot when it was on the charts, but then my interest in it dulled kind of fast. I prefer several others from him. 15: HOLD ON - SANTANA (15) - Carlos Santana definitely had his best chart success during his comeback around the turn of the century - especially at Hot AC radio. I liked a lot of those songs, as overplayed as they were, but they didn't hold a candle to this song - possibly my favorite Santana song of all time! 14: TRULY - LIONEL RICHIE (36) - Wow! Lionel's solo career was off to an excellent start, as his first hit on his own took a monster leap this week, and would go on to hit #1 several weeks later. Many people ask me why this is one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs ever, yet "Still", which sounds much like this, always gets (or used to get) a "No. Just no". The reason being is, while both songs are about undying love, the Commodores song is about a love affair coming to an end, while this song seems to be about a relationship that is going great and only getting better. Plus, this song was charting during a pretty good time in my life. 13: GLORIA - LAURA BRANIGAN (14) - Here's a song that got quite a lot of mileage on the chart! Spent 22 weeks in the Top 40, and 36 weeks on the Hot 100. It was a great song - one that has aged quite well. 12: GYPSY - FLEETWOOD MAC (12) - It was quite a surprise that this song did not at least hit the Top Ten on the Hot 100, given the fact that it was a #1 on R&R (this week, in fact). It didn't even spend very long in the Top 40. Anyway, this song reminded me a little of their hit "Sara", which also featured Stevie Nicks on lead. I liked both songs (but preferred "Sara"). 11: BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY - JUICE NEWTON (11) - Of course, we all know that my favorite songs from her are from 1982, and this one is my absolute favorite from her. I preferred this one over the original by Brenda Lee. OPTIONAL EXTRA: AFRICA - TOTO - They didn't quite hit the top with "Rosanna" (which spent a month at #1 on R&R), but the tables were turned for this song - it hit #1 two weeks prior on the Hot 100 but peaked at #2 on R&R. Anyway, due to overplay back during its chart run, I detested this song back then, but now that I don't hear it ten times a day, I rather like it. 10: HEARTLIGHT - NEIL DIAMOND (13) - This song, of course, was inspired by the summer blockbuster E.T. I loved that movie (though I don't know why the remastered version features Elliott riding across the sun instead of the moon) - as for the song, it's good, but far from being Diamond's best song. 9: I RAN - A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS (9) - The first (and biggest) of three hits by this English new wave and synthpop band. I liked all three songs, but I'm not sure which one I liked best. Many radio stations that I listened to back in the day played the album version of the song (minus the intro with the weird spacey sound effects), but I believe that AT40 always went with the single version, which repeats the chorus to the fade. I preferred the album version, which has a synth solo at the end. 8: YOU CAN DO MAGIC – AMERICA (8) - A comeback hit for them in two different ways - their first Top Ten hit since 1975, when "Sister Golden Hair" hit #1, and their first Top 40 since 1976, when they peaked at #23 with "Today's The Day". This one was in the midst of a five-week peak at #8. It was one of their best hits, IMO, and one I remember quite well from back in the day! LDD: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE – DEBBY BOONE - I was surprised they allowed this song to be played, due to the cheese factor. I remember laughing hysterically when listening to this show for the first time (back in 2001) and hearing this song. But I do like it a lot - possibly THE ultimate guilty pleasure! 7: SOMEBODY'S BABY - JACKSON BROWNE (7) - This one always reminded me of a girl I had a crush on back in fifth grade for some reason. It remains one of my favorites from Jackson Browne. 6: HEART ATTACK - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (6) - This song had set the record for the biggest jump within the Top 40 (during the 1980s) a few weeks earlier, moving 39-13. The song didn't quite make it to #1, though; instead, it spent the entire month of November at #3. It was a great song, though not quite as good as "Make A Move On Me", which hit the Top Five the previous spring. 5: UP WHERE WE BELONG - JOE C0CKER AND JENNIFER WARNES (5) - This week's Top Ten was extremely tight, which accounts for all the songs that are at a standstill this week. This song, however, would make up for lost time the following week by leaping to #1. As for the song, it's a good one - not sure if I prefer this or Warnes' other movie song, from five years later. 4: I KEEP FORGETTIN' (EVERY TIME YOU'RE NEAR) - MICHAEL McDONALD (4) - REGULATORS!!! Mount up! Well, at least that would be the song that, twelve years later, sampled this song, which was just coming off a three-week run at #1 on the R&R chart. It was a great song and showed that Michael McDonald was good as a solo artist as well as lead singer of the Doobie Brothers, whom had disbanded earlier in the year. 3: EYE IN THE SKY - THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (3) - Having the late Eric Woolfson singing lead on their songs was definitely a good move, as they did not start hitting the Top Ten until then. This was their biggest hit ever, peaking at #3. I was starting to become burned out on this song about this time in 1982, and remained so for several years, but now that it doesn't get much recurrent airplay anymore, I like it again. Back in the day, many radio stations played this song along "Sirius", which segues into it. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT - PAT BENATAR - Here's one I remember hearing all the time back in the late fall of 1982! It was one of my favorite songs, and still remains one of my favorite songs by Benatar! 2: JACK AND DIANE - JOHN COUGAR (1) - Tell you what, had this song had the strength to remain on top, that would have made for a Top 40 chart without a single song moving downward (if you're wondering how this is possible, every song that was dropping the week before fell out of the Top 40). This was another song that I used to like back in the day before overplay pretty much did it in. I definitely preferred his other big hit from 1982! 1: WHO CAN IT BE NOW - MEN AT WORK (2) - Here's another such song. This one, along with their other Business As Usual #1, "Down Under" are both way overplayed. Yet radio stations pretty much ignore any of the Cargo singles, which is sick and wrong, since IMO, they are superior to the two #1s.
Coming up next week: We have the last regular twofer offering of 2019, as after that, each show will have a holiday show as the "B" offering until after Christmas. Next week's offerings are both from the same date - November 7, with 1987 being the "A" show and 1981 as the "B" option.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 24, 2019 16:46:43 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - October 26, 2019 This week's presentation - October 27, 1984 Falling off: GO INSANE - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (39) - 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". IF THIS IS IT - HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (35) - 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. THERE GOES MY BABY - DONNA SUMMER (33) - 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). FLESH FOR FANTASY - BILLY IDOL (32) - 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", which charted in the summer of 1987 as the third and final single from Whiplash Smile. WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT - TINA TURNER (29) - 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! CRUEL SUMMER - BANANARAMA (27) - 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" LW#1: I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU - STEVIE WONDER - Kind of strange - they cut from the intro of the song, as Casey was intro-ing it, to the beginning of the last two choruses. Betcha it wasn't like that in the original broadcast. 40: STRUNG OUT – STEVE PERRY (debut) - Now here's a song that I haven't heard but once since its (very brief) chart run back in late 1984 (during the 2016 broadcast of this show, no less). Though it lasted four weeks on the R&R chart, this was its only week on AT40. The song was pretty good, but I preferred the other three Street Talk singles. 39: WALKING ON A THIN LINE – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (debut) - As "If This Is It" drops off the chart, Huey's fifth single from Sports replaces it. People may have been wondering if this song would peak at #6, which is where his last three songs peaked, but this one wouldn't get any higher than #18. The Sports album had been out for a year and by this time, most Huey Lewis fans had the album and, hence, did not buy the single or request the song on the radio. I liked this song - one of few Top 40 songs by him/them that was not included on their second Greatest Hits album. 38: THE WARRIOR – SCANDAL FEATURING PATTY SMYTH (25) - Hard to believe that this was their only Top 40 hit (on Billboard). I like it, but prefer a few of their near-misses. 37: I CAN’T DRIVE 55 – SAMMY HAGAR (debut) - This song had gone totally forgotten by me until I heard it in Back To The Future II, in early 1990, in the scene where Marty McFly was trying to make sense of the altered 1985, brought on by his buying the Grey's Sports Almanac in 2015. Anyway, this is a pretty good song, though this is my least favorite of his four Top 40 hits 36: TEACHER TEACHER - .38 SPECIAL (debut) - This song, the theme song from the movie Teachers, wasn't bad, but was one of my least favorite songs by 38 Special. I think we all know what my three favorite songs by the band are, right? 35: A GIRL IN TROUBLE (IS A TEMPORARY THING) – ROMEO VOID (40) - 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 - in fact, despite a decent-sized move this week, the song dropped out of the Top 40 the following week. 34: COOL IT NOW – NEW EDITION (debut) - This song could be heard every single day in the small gym at the middle school I went to, as the girls did aerobics to the song. So glad I didn't have to do that, as I never liked this song - hearing it several times every day would have driven me nuts (actually, we didn't have gym class every day, but that's beside the point). Anyway, I much preferred their next two hits, which hit the AT40 chart in 1985. 33: SEA OF LOVE – HONEYDRIPPERS (debut) - Del Shannon did a great cover of this song back in early 1982. This version wasn't bad, but it certainly was overplayed back in the day! 32: I CAN’T HOLD BACK - SURVIVOR (36) - 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! 31: IT AIN’T ENOUGH – COREY HART (37) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: THRILLER - MICHAEL JACKSON - They went with Halloween-themed extras this week. This definitely fit that criteria, especially with the video of Jackson turning into a werewolf and terrorizing his girlfriend. They featured the full album version of the song (and mixed in Vincent Price's evil laugh at the beginning of each verse). 30: NO MORE LONELY NIGHTS – PAUL MCCARTNEY (38) - 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. 29: THE WAR SONG – CULTURE CLUB (34) - They definitely were on their way out, as this, the first hit from their new album, Waking Up With The House On Fire, only got as high as #17, and it was downhill from there. LDD: SISTER CHRISTIAN – NIGHT RANGER - Not sure what this song had to do with the LDD (unless it was a favorite song of the author and the friend she's talking about), but nevertheless, this is a great song, although, as I've mentioned many times, I was the butt of many jokes connected with this song. This song was edited somewhat, but at least they left the guitar solo in - that's the best part of the song. 28: SHE BOP – CYNDI LAUPER (17) - 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... 27: ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT – CYNDI LAUPER (31) - ...this one! This was the fourth release from She's So Unusual. The first and third songs were upbeat songs, while #2 and #4 were ballads. And, of couse, the fifth was an upbeat song, but it didn't do anywhere near as well as the others. 26: PENNY LOVER – LIONEL RICHIE (30) - 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. 25: BOP ‘TIL YOU DROP – RICK SPRINGFIELD (20) - 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. 24: WHAT ABOUT ME? – KENNY ROGERS WITH KIM CARNES AND JAMES INGRAM (28) - 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! 23: MISSING YOU – JOHN WAITE (12) - 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. 22: ARE WE OURSELVES – THE FIXX (15) - 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" OPTIONAL EXTRA: GHOSTBUSTERS - RAY PARKER, JR. - Definitely a song perfect for Halloween - in fact, I remember playing this song out my window on Trick Or Treat night that year. This song had dropped off the chart three weeks before (on the last 1984 show earlier this month). 21: THE GLAMOROUS LIFE – SHEILA E. (11) - 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". 20: OUT OF TOUCH – HALL & OATES (26) - This song seemed to be moving up six spots at a time. The song eventually hit #1, putting Hall & Oates in first place for most #1 songs in the 80s so far. 19: SWEPT AWAY – DIANA ROSS (21) - This song was OK, but the back-up singers sounded a little robotic. 18: STRUT – SHEENA EASTON (22) - This was the second of two hits during 1984 for Ms. Easton. I preferred the more obscure other hit, "Almost Over You". For some reason, I was never a huge fan of this one. 17: WHO WEARS THESE SHOES – ELTON JOHN (17) - The second single from Breaking Hearts, and with such a good-sized jump the week before, it's hard to believe that the song only got two spots higher - the song would peak at #16 the following week. Too bad, as it was a great song! 16: BETTER BE GOOD TO ME – TINA TURNER (23) - Her third hit after her comeback earlier in the year. This was a good song, but I slightly preferred her song that dropped off the chart this week. 15: I FEEL FOR YOU – CHAKA KHAN (24) - I was never crazy about this song. I preferred her follow-up, "Through The Fire", which was a Top 20 AC hit (and I seem to remember it being an Optional Extra a few years back, since it spent 19 weeks on the Hot 100 despite never having even cracked the Top 40)? 14: DESERT MOON – DENNIS DEYOUNG (19) - 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 the following week with "Girls With Guns". 13: BLUE JEAN – DAVID BOWIE (16) - Even though I'm generally not a huge fan of his (and we all know my favorite songs from him were his two 1987 Top 40 hits), this one was actually pretty good. 12: DRIVE – THE CARS (6) - 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. 11: COVER ME – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (7) - 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. OPTIONAL EXTRA: SOMEBODY'S WATCHING ME - ROCKWELL - Wow, 1984 had several songs with a Halloween-type theme. This is the second one that involves Michael Jackson (as he's heard singing back-up in this song - he'd definitely have gotten label credit if featuring had been prevalent back then. Anyway, this was a good song. 10: SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK – ROD STEWART (14) - The story of my life! The song itself is a good one. 9: I’M SO EXCITED – THE POINTER SISTERS (10) - I liked this song back in the day, since it was sort of a teenybopper song. It's still a pretty good song - better than their other 1984 hits (though the fact that this song was recorded back in the early-80s might have something to do with that). 8: LET’S GO CRAZY – PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION (5) - 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". LDD: YOUR LOVE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY – SAMMY HAGAR - Earlier in the show, we heard his new song, which I mentioned was my least favorite of his chart hits. This song, on the other hand, is my absolute favorite! 7: ON THE DARK SIDE – JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND (8) - 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. 6: WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO - WHAM (13) - Another song that, like the Pointer Sisters song, has a teenybopper air to it. I liked it back during its chart run, but now, it's just OK. I still like it better than "Careless Whisper" for reasons I have explained here before. 5: LUCKY STAR - MADONNA (4) - Interesting that this song was #1 on the dance chart the year before. At that point, of course, Madonna was very little known to the general pop audience. This became her third Pop hit. The song was OK, but definitely not one of her best, IMO. 4: PURPLE RAIN - PRINCE (9) - 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) 3: HARD HABIT TO BREAK - CHICAGO (3) - Casey mentioned that the lead vocals on this song were by Peter Cetera. He forgot to mention Bill Champlin, who actually shared lead vocals with Cetera on the song. They both sounded great on the song - easily my favorite of the four singles from the Chicago 17 album. OPTIONAL EXTRA: HALLOWEEN HORROR MOVIE MONTAGE - Hmm, I guess they wanted the Halloween songs to be strictly from 1984, since they ran out of songs. The montage did kick off with a song from a 1984 movie - Nightmare On Elm Street. Also included were songs from The Amityville Horror, The Shining, Friday the 13th Part 2, Jaws, Psycho, Halloween, The Exorcist, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: CARIBBEAN QUEEN (NO MORE LOVE ON THE RUN) – BILLY OCEAN (2) 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 broke Frank Sinatra's record of the biggest span of time between his first #1 song and his last #1 song. I believe the record was about 20 and a half years, but when this song hit #1, it was 21 years and two months since "Fingertips Part II" became Wonder's first #1 hit. This song also put him in second place for solo artist with the most #1s, behind Elvis Presley, but he never came even close to that record.
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Post by mrjukebox on Oct 24, 2019 18:55:02 GMT -5
The backup singers on Chicago's "Wishing You Were Here" were three members of The Beach Boys:Carl Wilson,Dennis Wilson,& Al Jardine-In the summer of 1975,both Chicago & The Beach Boys toured together.
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Post by Hervard on Oct 25, 2019 9:07:24 GMT -5
I guess that was Kath singing, although he had a mellower tone here than usual (compared to the aggressive sound he had on, for instance, "Make Me Smile"). Of course, Cetera sings the bridge. Both my original 1974 "Chicago VII" LP and my remastered CD say that it is Cetera on vocals. LP says 'Vocals" while the CD says "lead and background vocals". I read somewhere that the song was originally meant for Cetera, but the low notes in the verses were too far out of his vocal range.
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Post by pb on Oct 25, 2019 14:36:55 GMT -5
I guess that was Kath singing, although he had a mellower tone here than usual (compared to the aggressive sound he had on, for instance, "Make Me Smile"). Of course, Cetera sings the bridge. Both my original 1974 "Chicago VII" LP and my remastered CD say that it is Cetera on vocals. LP says 'Vocals" while the CD says "lead and background vocals". My LP says that too but I wonder if it was a mistake. The singer on the verses sounds to me like Kath or maybe Lamm, not Cetera.
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Post by mga707 on Oct 25, 2019 14:56:58 GMT -5
Both my original 1974 "Chicago VII" LP and my remastered CD say that it is Cetera on vocals. LP says 'Vocals" while the CD says "lead and background vocals". My LP says that too but I wonder if it was a mistake. The singer on the verses sounds to me like Kath or maybe Lamm, not Cetera. I could see a mistake on the original LP's credits, but the remastered CD is from 2002 and has extensive liner notes by Phil Gallo that make no mention of Kath, Lamm, or anyone except Cetera and the three Beach Boys as vocalists on the track.
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Post by doofus67 on Oct 25, 2019 15:05:10 GMT -5
My LP says that too but I wonder if it was a mistake. The singer on the verses sounds to me like Kath or maybe Lamm, not Cetera. I could see a mistake on the original LP's credits, but the remastered CD is from 2002 and has extensive liner notes by Phil Gallo that make no mention of Kath, Lamm, or anyone except Cetera and the three Beach Boys as vocalists on the track. Songfacts.com says that Kath sang most of the lead vocals.
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Post by pb on Oct 25, 2019 15:55:58 GMT -5
I should have thought to try to find this earlier, but here's a video of Chicago performing "WYWH" in the 70's, with the Beach Boys on backing vocals and I think James William Guercio sitting in on second guitar. Kath on vocals in the verse, Cetera in the bridge. (As well, Cetera is playing acoustic guitar and Kath bass, which I think they also did on "If You Leave Me Now.") www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWY12pRuOc4
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Post by mga707 on Oct 25, 2019 20:51:36 GMT -5
I should have thought to try to find this earlier, but here's a video of Chicago performing "WYWH" in the 70's, with the Beach Boys on backing vocals and I think James William Guercio sitting in on second guitar. Kath on vocals in the verse, Cetera in the bridge. (As well, Cetera is playing acoustic guitar and Kath bass, which I think they also did on "If You Leave Me Now.") www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWY12pRuOc4Now I believe it. Strange that the CD remaster didn't credit Kath with vocals as well as Cetera.
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Post by pb on Oct 26, 2019 14:29:42 GMT -5
39: LETTING GO - WINGS (debut) - Well, their last hit may have gone to #1, but this one sure didn't; this was all the higher the song got. Such a shame, as it was a good song. I remember in the next episode Casey had an intro along the lines of "it looks like this song is going to break their streak of [x] consecutive top 10 singles, since it stays at #39 this week." Good song, maybe a bit too dark and sexual for their radio audience at the time.
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Post by MrGeno502 on Oct 26, 2019 21:12:10 GMT -5
39: LETTING GO - WINGS (debut) - Well, their last hit may have gone to #1, but this one sure didn't; this was all the higher the song got. Such a shame, as it was a good song. I remember in the next episode Casey had an intro along the lines of "it looks like this song is going to break their streak of [x] consecutive top 10 singles, since it stays at #39 this week." Good song, maybe a bit too dark and sexual for their radio audience at the time. I believe that this weeks 1975 show used the Venus And Mars album version instead of the 45's remix version.The remix is really good IMO.
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Post by Hervard on Nov 1, 2019 13:05:45 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 70s - November 2, 2019
This week's presentation - November 11, 1978
40: LIKE A SUNDAY IN SALEM - GENE COTTON (debut) - This was originally the B-side of his #23 song from earlier in the year, "Before My Heart Finds Out", my favorite song from him. This song was not bad, either. 39: MY LIFE - BILLY JOEL (debut) - Definitely my favorite single from 52nd Street - by a fairly wide margin, as well as one of my favorites from him of all-time. I was pleasantly surprised that they played the full album version (as, more often than not, they went with the single version, which was way too abrupt, IMO). I believe that it was like that in the original broadcast, too. 38: FLYING HIGH - COMMODORES (38) - I wonder if it had caught on yet with them that they were more successful with ballads than with upbeat songs? Their last hit, "Three Times A Lady" was a perfect example, as it was their first #1. This song wasn't bad, but definitely not their best. EXTRA: I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE - MARVIN GAYE - This was the biggest selling Motown single, with a total of five million copies sold worldwide (up to late 1978, that is). The song was pretty good, considering I'm not a huge Marvin Gaye fan. 37: HOLD THE LINE - TOTO (debut) - This was the song that started off a very successful chart career for this band from Los Angeles. It was pretty good, but definitely not their best. 36: TALKING IN YOUR SLEEP - CRYSTAL GAYLE (18) - Her second of four Top 40 crossovers (as, of course, she was mainly a country artist). This was my favorite of her pop hits. 35: HOW YOU GONNA SEE ME NOW - ALICE COOPER (debut) - One of his slower numbers that I generally prefer over his heavy metal songs. However, this possibly my least favorite of his ballads, though it was still pretty good. 34: EVERYBODY NEEDS LOVE - STEVEN BISHOP (36) - This one sounded a little like "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Diana Ross, didn't it? It was a good song, but I preferred "On And On". 33: IT'S A LAUGH - DARRYL HALL & JOHN OATES (20) - The verses to this had an interesting melody. I wasn't too crazy about the choruses, however (since it sounds like music that would stick in my head all day). 32: THE POWER OF GOLD - DAN FOGELBERG w/TIM WEISBERG (debut) - You would never guess that he was a balladeer, as his first two hits were upbeat songs (though this was more MOR, but still not his style that would become a trademark in the 1980s). Anyway, I think he did just as well with any style of music that he did - I liked this one. 31: Y.M.C.A. - VILLAGE PEOPLE (debut) - As I've said before, I used to like this song, but it, along with the popular dance to it, got run into the ground big time. Now I generally reach for the station tuner when it comes on - except for on countdown shows, of course. ARCHIVES: AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH - DIANA ROSS - Well speak of the devil! I mentioned that Stephen Bishop's song on the countdown reminded me of this song, and here it is three songs later! Anyway, this was a good song, but I preferred the other arrangement of this song (the one popularized by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell in 1968 and remade by Michael McDonald in 2004). OPTIONAL EXTRA: NEW YORK GROOVE - ACE FREHLEY - I heard somewhere that he has a brother who's an author, whose all time best-seller is "The Yellow River". As for this song, it was so/so, but nothing special. 30: ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE - FUNKADELIC (34) - Meh, typical roof-raising R&B - you know my opinion on this kind of music... 29: CHANGE OF HEART - ERIC CARMEN (33) - This was his final hit of the 70s. It wasn't bad, but I preferred his first two singles, as well as "Make Me Lose Control", from nearly ten years later. 28: DON'T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT IT - PABLO CRUISE (32) - The follow-up to their big hit "Love Will Find A Way" (which has to be the song of theirs that receives the most recurrent airplay). It was a pretty good song, but I preferred that other song, along with a few others by them, such as "Whatcha Gonna Do" and "Cool Love". LDD: THE RIGHT THING TO DO - CARLY SIMON - This was her fourth Top 40 hit. I seem to remember hearing this as a recurrent from time to time, usually on the AC/Lite Rock stations that I listened to back in the early 1990s. It was a great song and it fit the LDD. 27: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A TASTE OF HONEY (17) - Their first hit, and the biggest, having recently spent three weeks on top. It was also my favorite of their two big hits. 26: SWEET LIFE - PAUL DAVIS (28) - A beautiful song about a couple who just had a baby and it reminds them of what a great life they have, regardless of the fact that their fantasies of being rich and living in a castle. One of my favorite Paul Davis songs. 25: STRAIGHT ON - HEART (29) - One of two Top 40 hits from their album Dog And Butterfly. It was a good one, but I preferred the title track, which I felt was way underrated. 24: LOVE IS IN THE AIR - JOHN PAUL YOUNG (11) - As we all know, I'm not a disco fan, but this song was actually a pretty good song - one I remember from back in the day. 23: BLUE COLLAR MAN (LONG NIGHTS) - STYX (25) - The first of two Top 40 singles from their album Pieces Of Eight, and my favorite of the two, both with Tommy Shaw on lead vocals (the other one was "Renegade", from the following spring). 22: DANCE, DISCO HEAT - SYLVESTER (24) - This song spent six weeks at #1 on Billboard's Disco chart, and didn't do too bad on the Hot 100 either, peaking at #19. It was OK, but not quite my cup of tea. 21: SHARING THE NIGHT TOGETHER - DR HOOK (23) - They seemed to have a thing about peaking at #6, as this was the third of four consecutive Top Ten hits by them to peak there. The streak was broken in 1980, when "Sexy Eyes" climbed to #5, just like their first hit. As for this song, it was pretty good, but it didn't hold a candle to "Better Love Next Time", my favorite song from them of all time. ARCHIVES: CRACKLIN' ROSIE - NEIL DIAMOND - His first of three number one songs (yes, I thought he had more than that as well). I wasn't a huge fan of this song, but I do prefer it over his third #1 song, which is coming up later in this show. OPTIONAL EXTRA: OOH BABY BABY - LINDA RONSTADT - One of many covers that Linda charted with, in this case, the classic by the Miracles. It was pretty good - I liked both versions about the same. 20: STRANGE WAY - FIREFALL (22) - After making a healthy jump of thirteen spots the previous week, this song makes a more modest move this week. The song, as well as their hit from the year before, both narrowly missed the Top Ten, peaking at #11. This wasn't bad, but I preferred most of their other singles. 19: ALIVE AGAIN - CHICAGO (21) - Another song that made a huge move the week before, but slows its climb this week. This was from the Chicago 12 (Hot Streets) era, which was their last album to generate any Top 40 hits for several more years; they'd have to wait for Chicago 16 to put them back on the charts (at least they got a #1 hit out of that deal). This, along with the next hit, "No Tell Lover" both peaked at #14. I liked both songs, but preferred this one. 18: OUR LOVE (DON'T THROW IT ALL AWAY) - ANDY GIBB (26) - While the Bee Gees were gearing up for another round of #1 hits, their younger brother had a great solo career going as well. He had yet to miss the Top Ten with any of his hits and this one would keep the streak alive. I liked this song, but preferred several other songs by Gibb. EXTRA: SLOOP JOHN B - BEACH BOYS - This song was played as the third Optional Extra. The story to tie in with it was how the Beach Boys was the band that has hit the Top 40 with the most lead vocalists - five in all. Brian Wilson and Mike Love shared the lead on this song, which was a good song, but I preferred many other songs by the Boys. 17: TIME PASSAGES - AL STEWART (19) - I liked most of his songs, but this one was my favorite. They played the short version, but I remember a few times, they went with the album version, which was over six minutes long. Sort of off-topic - About 20-some years ago, I had a very strange dream with that song playing (on the radio, which I often fell asleep to back then) that I was in a house and the doors all led to rooms that, in real life, couldn't be connected the way they were. 16: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND (31) - I never understood how this song became as big a hit as it was. Really - who wants to hear these two geezers whining and sniveling about not receiving a few flowers. So the neighbors got tired of them prowling around in their garden - who could blame them? 15: REMINISCING - LITTLE RIVER BAND (3) - The first of six consecutive Top Ten songs from them (and after that, they would never again hit the Top Ten). It was a good one, but I preferred a few of the other Top Tens, especially their next Top Ten, "Lady", from the same album as this one. 14: WHO ARE YOU - THE WHO (14) - What I really want to know is who is the person whose idea it was to include the falsetto for the chorus of this song? It is supremely annoying and negates any redeeming qualities the song might have. But that's just me; the song did hit the Top 20 and still gets a lot of recurrent airplay on classic rock stations today, so it's all good. I just don't care for the song, that's all. 13: I LOVE THE NIGHT LIFE - ALICIA BRIDGES (15) - Interesting that for nearly two months, this song and "Talking In Your Sleep" were back-to-back on the chart. Last week, the song, which had always been a step above Crystal Gayle ever since it debuted, pulled further ahead (and it would stay that way, as TIYS took a nosedive this week). Now, since this song is disco, you might think I don't care much for it, but, as a matter of fact, it is one of my favorite disco songs of all time! 12: READY TO TAKE A CHANCE AGAIN - BARRY MANILOW (13) - Well, he indeed took a chance earlier in the year with an upbeat song, which proved to be worthwhile, as it hit the Top Ten. This time around, he returned to his usual ballad style with a song that came close to hitting the Top Ten, but only got as high as #11. Such a shame, as it's a great song - one of his best 70s hits. 11: YOU NEVER DONE IT LIKE THAT - THE CAPTAIN & TENNILLE (12) - Of course, love didn't keep them together and they got divorced several years back. As for this song, it definitely wasn't their best, but it's still better than the barf-inducing "Muskrat Love" (which I imagine we'll hear on a fall, 1976 show in the next month or so). ARCHIVES: I'LL BE THERE - JACKSON FIVE - They were definitely the most popular act of 1970, with four number one songs, including this one that brought up the rear. It was a great song, which might sound weird coming from me, seeing that I'm not a big fan of early-70s music, but, in fact, I prefer their early-70s songs over their later songs. 10: I JUST WANNA STOP - GINO VANELLI (16) - Hard to believe that he only had two Top Ten hits here in the states (but I believe he was more successful in his native Canada). I liked this song, but preferred "Livin' Inside Myself". 9: GET OFF - FOXY (10) - Not a huge fan of this one, since it's the roof-raising R&B that isn't quite my cup of tea (but you already know that, right?) 8: BEAST OF BURDEN - ROLLING STONES (9) - Well you better never leave my pizza burning, especially if I'm paying for it! But seriously, this song wasn't bad - I definitely prefer it over their recent #1 hit. 7: WHENEVER I CALL YOU "FRIEND" - KENNY LOGGINS W/ STEVIE NICKS (5) - YES!! This is possibly my favorite song on this week's chart - definitely one of my favorites from both artists involved! 6: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE (7) - Looks like a case of vacuum effect here, as this song, which recently spent four weeks on top, actually moves back up this week. This was the first of two Top 40 hits from Exile - one that always reminds me of a funny scene from Happy Gilmore when he somehow ends up sleeping with an older woman. LDD: EASY - COMMODORES - As stated earlier, I preferred their ballads over their upbeat material, although their first few slow songs that charted were mediocre at best, but this song, which was a Top Five hit in 1977, was when their musical quality began to improve. This remains one of my favorite Commodores songs of all time! 5: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY - NICK GILDER (6) - Another former #1 song moving back up. Oddly enough, both songs were produced by Mike Chapman. This song, of course, set the record for the longest climb to #1 - a record it held by itself until a little less than a year later. It was a good song - had that summertime feel to it. Had Gilder known how long it was going to take to reach the top, I wonder if he would have released it several months earlier. 4: HOW MUCH I FEEL - AMBROSIA (8) - The first of two Top Ten hits from them. Both are my two favorite songs from them - and, as you may have guessed, I'm not sure which of the two I prefer. 3: DOUBLE VISION - FOREIGNER (4) - My second favorite from the album of the same name, behind "Blue Morning, Blue Day", which would be their next single after this one. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TOO MUCH HEAVEN - THE BEE GEES - I liked most of their slow songs (from 1975 on, that is), but this is possibly my least favorite of them. Not sure why, but I just have never gotten into this song. 2: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY (1) - Her first hit in over four years, but it was worth the wait, as this song made it all the way to the top. This was one of her all-time best, ranking right up there with her three 1979 Top 40 hits, as well as her two from 1980. Indeed, 1978- 1980 was her heyday, especially on my Personal Top 30 chart. 1: MAC ARTHUR PARK - DONNA SUMMER (2) - Here's a song that formerly got "No. Just no" status, and not because of the fact that it was disco - that was actually the saving grace of the song (though I certainly don't know why Summer screams like a witch at the end of each chorus). Hard to believe that this was only the third time that a female solo artist replaced another female artist at #1. I imagine it happened more often later on down the line, as female solo singers became more and more common.
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Post by Hervard on Nov 1, 2019 13:06:16 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - November 2, 2019
This week's presentation - November 7, 1981
Droppers: YOU SAVED MY SOUL - BURTON CUMMINGS (37) - Another song that spent two weeks at its debut position and that was it for its Top 40 run - only this one debuted the week before. This was the second of two Top 40 hits from the former lead singer of the Guess Who. I liked this song - sort of reminds me a little of “Thank You For Being A Friend” by Andrew Gold (and it has sort of the same message). IN THE DARK - BILLY SQUIER (35) - His second of four Top 40 hits. Too bad this one only got as high as #35, while his annoying first hit "The Stroke" sailed right into the Top 20. This would be my favorite of his hits. HE'S A LIAR - THE BEE GEES (34) - They had definitely lost their touch by this point - their last six hits had gone to #1 while this song barely touched the Top 30. The song was OK, though I found the way they basically growled "He's A Li-yar" kind of annoying - I can see why it broke their streak of consecutive #1s. HOLD ON TIGHT - ELO (33) - Casey mentioned how this song sounded a little like Elvis and the Beatles, with a touch of Jerry Lee Lewis thrown in. Either way, it's definitely one of my least favorite songs from them. Like Queen, their musical quality dropped notably in the 80s, IMO. URGENT - FOREIGNER (32) - Their first of four Top 40 hits from the album 4 (and, to boot, this song had just recently spent four weeks at #4 - how about that?). It was a pretty good song, but, to tell the truth, as big an album as it was, I was never too crazy about any of the singles from 4, for some reason. ALIEN - THE ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION (29) - I could tell by the beginning of this song that it was an Atlanta Rhythm Section tune, based on the synthesized piano that's heard in several of their big hits. ARS had a handful of hits in the 1970s, but had pretty much burned out by the '80s, as this was their final Top 40 hit. I liked this song; had the typical MOR sound of the early-80s. WHO'S CRYING NOW - JOURNEY (25) - Even though Journey had been charting for three years, with many songs that still get regular airplay, this was their very first Top Ten hit (yes, I was just as surprised as you were). They would have many others, though. I liked this song, especially Neil Schon's guitar solo at the end.
40: DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' - JOURNEY (debut) - This song could be the song from them that receives the most recurrent airplay on oldies stations (though many AC-based ones still play "Faithfully" on a regular basis). Anyway, this song has held up quite well despite overplay and remains one of my favorite songs by the band! 39: THE SWEETEST THING - JUICE NEWTON (debut) - 1981-1982 was definitely her heyday, with four Top Ten hits (and another that just barely missed). This is my second favorite of those hits, behind "Break It To Me Gently", which was said near-miss (peaked at #11 - what a shame). 38: PROMISES IN THE DARK - PAT BENATAR (38) - Her last five Top 40 hits made the Top 40, but this is all the higher this song got. It was a good song, but I preferred several others from her. 37: TAKE MY HEART - KOOL & THE GANG (debut) - Gwen Stefani's big #1 from 2007 "The Sweet Escape" sounds somewhat reminiscent of this one. A great song indeed! 36: NO REPLY AT ALL- GENESIS (debut) - They were definitely not a big singles act at first, as many of their earlier songs peaked much lower on the Hot 100 than on the airplay charts. On the latter, this song climbed all the way to #13, yet barely hit the Top 30 on the former. This was one of several songs by them that used Earth, Wind & Fire's horn section. I liked it, but it definitely wasn't their best by any means, IMO. 35: OUR LIPS ARE SEALED - THE GO-GO'S (39) - Their debut Top 40 hit. This song only got as high as #20, but what a chart run it had - 15 weeks in the Top 40, an unusually long run for a song that came nowhere near the Top Ten - and it even managed to place on the Top 100 of 1982. This was my favorite song from them. 34: MY GIRL - CHILLIWACK (40) - A CanCon band named after the city in British Columbia where they were formed. They had a handful of chart singles here in the states, and this one was definitely my favorite of them. An all-around great song with a very catchy chorus! 33: HARDEN MY HEART - QUARTERFLASH (debut) - A song with an instantly recognizable saxophone solo. I liked it, but preferred "Take Me To Heart", which charted the following summer. LDD: THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE - AIR SUPPLY - 32: STOP DRAGGIN' MY HEART AROUND - STEVIE NICKS W/ TOM PETTY (24) - Interesting that this song was never in the teens during its chart run. Two months earlier, it moved 21-6, and last week, they took a similar big drop out of the Top Ten. This song was pretty good, but I preferred Nicks' two other Top 20 hits from Bella Donna. ARCHIVES: LOVE THEME FROM "ROMEO & JULIET" - HENRY MANCINI - 31: LEATHER AND LACE - STEVIE NICKS W/ DON HENLEY (debut) - As the first hit from Bella Donna was spending a final week on the chart, the second was on its way up. Of the two, this was my favorite by a sizeable margin. 30: TROUBLE - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (debut) - It was amazing how this song, along with a hit by another Fleetwood Mac member would more or less climb the chart together, as during their ascent, they were never more than three spots away from one another. Not sure which of the two songs that I prefer, but this would definitely be my favorite solo hit from Lindsey by far. 29: LET'S GROOVE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE (36) - This is one of songs that recently grew on me after several years of not really liking it. Still, I prefer others from them. 28: SAUSALITO SUMMERNIGHT - DIESEL (31) - The only Top 40 hit for this Dutch act. I've heard this song plenty of times, as it's the song that kicks off the Barry Scott's Lost 45's CD that I've listened to so often that I'm surprised I haven't worn it out yet. 27: ATLANTA LADY - MARTY BALIN (27) - His first hit, "Hearts", was a big Top Ten hit, but he didn't quite live up to his success with the Jefferson Starship. This was his second and final Top 40 hit, and it barely touched the Top 30. I liked it, but preferred "Hearts". 26: SHE'S A BAD MAMA JAMA - CARL CARLTON (22) - I'm assuming that he was no relation to Larry, who is coming up later in the countdown as the featured guitarist in Mike Posts "Hill Street Blues" theme. Carl had a Top Ten hit back in 1974, his rendition of the oft-covered "Everlasting Love", and this was his second offering, which peaked at #22 over the past two weeks. Of his two hits, this one would be my favorite. The Spice Girls' "Say You'll Be There" greatly resembles this song, especially the chords. 25: YOUNG TURKS - ROD STEWART (30) - The first of two Top 40 hits from Stewart's then-current album Tonight I'm Yours. This was one of my favorite Rod Stewart hits of the 1980s. I did prefer it over the album's title track, although that song is pretty much Part 2 of this song. 24: SUPER FREAK - RICK JAMES (16) - Of course, the bass for this song was used in "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer. That's probably the only reason that I somewhat like it, though it's nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 23: SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME - KENNY ROGERS (14) - This song featured Gladys Knight & The Pips singing backup. Though not his best song, it was still a great one. 22: STEP BY STEP - EDDIE RABBITT (10) - Of course, this song definitely lived up to its name when it was scaling the Top Ten, as it moved one spot at a time, all the way up to its #5 peak position. I never used to like this song at all, but now I think it's a great one. I still slightly preferred his other big 1981 hit, though. 21: WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE - DIANA ROSS (28) - This is a cover of a song that charted three times in the fifties, so I'm not sure who originally did it. Anyway, it's pretty good, but far from being her best. Much better than her hokey nursery rhyme hit that charted after this one. ARCHIVES: IN THE YEAR 2525 - ZAGER & EVANS - Meh, never cared for this one - too depressing. OPTIONAL EXTRA: CENTERFOLD - J. GEILS BAND - Ah, the song about finding your high school sweetie in a girlie magazine! This song spent a total of six weeks at #1, and ranked #3 for all of 1982. I preferred this song over their other Top Ten song in 1982, "Freeze Frame" - by a wide margin, might I add. 20: THE OLD SONGS - BARRY MANILOW (26) - The beginning of this song reminds me a little of "Going Home", Kenny G's AC hit from early 1990. As you may have guessed, I liked this song, like many Barry Manilow songs. 19: EVERY LITTLE THINK SHE DOES IS MAGIC - THE POLICE (21) - This band had a ton of chart success in the 1980s, including one of the biggest hits of that decade. This song was their very first Top Five hit. I liked it, but my favorite of their 1981 hits was "Don't Stand So Close To Me". 18: JUST ONCE - QUINCY JONES W/ JAMES INGRAM (19) - This was Ingram's first placement on the chart, and he was usually either the featured artist or part of a duet (or trio, in the case of "What About Me"). It was also the first of two Top 40 hits by Quincy Jones on which Ingram provided the vocals. Of course, I preferred the other one ("One Hundred Ways", which charted the following spring). 17: SAY GOODBYE TO HOLLYWOOD - BILLY JOEL (18) - One of his more obscure hits, and, IMO, one of his weaker songs. Don't get me wrong; it is pretty good, but I preferred many others over this 16: OH NO - THE COMMODORES (20) - Little did anyone know that this song was their final Top 40 hit with Lionel Richie on lead, as the following year, he would begin a very successful solo career, with four #1 songs, in addition to the one he had on the countdown this week. 15: WE'RE IN THIS LOVE TOGETHER - AL JARREAU (15) - He was mainly a smooth jazz singer, but he did have a few Top 40 crossover hits, this one being his most successful. I liked it, but preferred a few others from him, including a few that did not chart on AT40. 14: PHYSICAL - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (23) - This is when this song's chart run started to pick up (as she had taken a few average chart jumps over the past few weeks). Little did anyone know, however, that this song would be #1 just two short weeks later (not to mention how long it spent on top). Anyway, this is a pretty good song, but I prefer many others by her. 13: ENDLESS LOVE - DIANA ROSS & LIONEL RICHIE (5) - Speaking of songs that spent a long time at #1, here's a song that had just recently logged nine weeks up there. At this point, people were wondering whether the top song of the year would be this one or "Bette Davis Eyes", as it was indeed a horse race between the two. I used to despise this song, but now I think it's pretty good, despite the cheese factor LDD: EVERY TIME I THINK OF YOU - THE BABYS - One of two Top 20 songs from them, both of which peaked at #13. For the most part, I like them both the same. This one definitely fit the LDD. 12: THEME FROM "HILL STREET BLUES" - MIKE POST (13) - TV show themes were most popular in 1976, but they seemed to have a resurgence in 1981 and 1982, though the former year contained at least two of them that hit the Top Ten. I have a 45 on the Elektra Spun Gold label with this as the "B" side of the other Top Ten TV show theme from 1981, "Greatest American Hero". I really liked this song - especially Larry Carlton's killer guitar solo in the bridge! ARCHIVES: HONKY TONK WOMAN - THE ROLLING STONES - Their fifth of eight number one hits. It was a pretty good song, but I preferred many others from them, including a few said #1's. OPTIONAL EXTRA: UNDER PRESSURE - QUEEN f/DAVID BOWIE - Not sure why, but I never really got into this song. It just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess. 11: WHEN SHE WAS MY GIRL - THE FOUR TOPS (12) - They were indeed most famous for their hits from the '60s, but this comeback hit was among their best, IMO. 10: WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU - FOREIGNER (15) - Ah, good ol' Wf*gLY. As we all know, this song was stuck at #2 for ten weeks, behind "Physical" by ONJ. Due to the lyrical content of the latter, the Foreigner song won out on the R&R chart, spending a total of six weeks on top. This song was good, but quite overplayed. 9: HERE I AM (JUST WHEN I THOUGHT I WAS OVER YOU) - AIR SUPPLY (11) - This one could be called a guilty pleasure of mine, as many people I know don't like this song at all (some consider it their least favorite Air Supply song). According to me, however, it is one of their best. 8: I'VE DONE EVERYTHING FOR YOU - RICK SPRINGFIELD (8) - Earlier, I mentioned how much "Young Turks" by Rod Stewart sounds a lot like his follow-up. Here is another example of that - this song sounds a lot like his next song, "Love Is Alright Tonite". Although I prefer the latter, this one is pretty good too. 7: HARD TO SAY - DAN FOGELBERG (7) - This was technically the first release from Fogelberg's Innocent Age album, which had come out about a month before. "Same Old Lang Syne", which had never been on any album, was tacked onto it after it had had its chart run earlier in the year. Anyway, like most of Fogelberg's hits, this was a great one, IMO. 6: THE NIGHT OWLS - LITTLE RIVER BAND (8) - Aussie acts abound in the countdown this week, and, in a four-song stretch of the chart, three acts are from down under. What's more amazing is that the following week, the songs were consectively ranked on the chart - possibly a chart first, and definitely an oddity. This was a good song - one I remember quite well from its chart run, but I preferred a few others from them (is it me, or did they play a slightly longer version of this song than usual?) 5: TRYIN' TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU - BOB SEGER (6) - The first of two releases from Seger's album live album Nine Tonight (the second, a live version of "Feel Like A Number", originally on his Stranger In Town album, peaked at #48). I really liked this song - very energetic sounding, like many live recordings. They played what sounded like the album version of the song this week (with a longer intro). 4: FOR YOUR EYES ONLY - SHEENA EASTON (4) - Sheena's second Top Ten hit, following "Morning Train" from earlier in the year. I much preferred this one. 3: ARTHUR'S THEME - CHRISTOPHER CROSS (1) - Movie themes, as always, were quite popular chart hits, like this song, which was just coming off a three-week run at #1. This was definitely my favorite movie song of 1981, as well as one of my favorite songs of the entire decade! 2: START ME UP - ROLLING STONES (2) - They started out 17 years before and were still on a roll, as this song climbed as high as #2. I'm sort of burned out on this one, due to overplay, but it's still not bad. 1: PRIVATE EYES - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES (3) - Fans of the Rolling Stones song might have gotten a little excited when they found out there was a new #1 song, but this song leapfrogged over it. This song was one of two #1 songs from the duo in 1981. Though they both sounded somewhat alike, I preferred "Kiss On My List" by a fairly wide margin.
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