American Top 40: The 70s - December 29, 2012
This week's presentation - December 23, 1978 (Part 1 of the Top 100 of 1978)
Well, I finally managed to find a station (with the help of pamelajaye) running the 1978 show, so I can finally start my commentary of that show. As I type this, they're five songs into the show and I'm already frustrated with the edits of the show. However, I realize that a lot of editing is needed to fit 50 songs into three hours - and I also understand why they couldn't offer stations a three or four-hour option - stations choosing the three-hour show would skip songs 100-88 on Part 1 and 50-38 on Part 2 - leaving listeners wondering, like wtf? Anyway, if anyone has this show and is willing to trade, please PM me and see what kind of a trade we could work out. Anyway, here is my commentary on this week's show:
100: DEACON BLUES - STEELY DAN - Great song! I like most of their songs from the Aja album, which I remember hearing in the car during our trip to Florida back in 1982.
99: HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - Good song, but I preferred "Still The Same" - which is also coming up on the countdown.
98: WE'RE ALL ALONE - RITA COOLIDGE - Great song! Does anyone know the time frame used for this show? Because this song's entire chart run clearly was not counted.
97: NAME OF THE GAME - ABBA - This song was OK, but far from being their best.
96: EBONY EYES - BOB WELCH - Great song! I slightly prefer his other song in the countdown. LOL @ the edit of this song - Casey faded it out halfway through the first chorus. It was more like a drop piece.
95: I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN - ERUPTION - This song wasn't bad, but nothing special.
94: TURN TO STONE - E.L.O. - Great song! One of their best. I remember hearing this song many times when it was popular, but had no idea what it was. I finally found out about 13 years later.
93: DON'T LOOK BACK - BOSTON - Good song, but I preferred the other song that used the same guitar riff (that would be "Peace Of Mind"). That very well might have been Boston's most underrated hit yet!
92: FLASHLIGHT - PARLIAMENT - Meh, I didn't care too much for this one. As we all know, I'm not a big disco fan.
91: NATIVE NEW YORKER - ODYSSEY - This song, however, was actually a good one - had kind of a jazz flavor to it.
90: IT'S SO EASY - LINDA RONSTADT - Great song! One of my favorite of her upbeat songs.
89: YOU CAN'T TURN ME OFF - HIGH ENERGY - This was OK, your typical late-70s slow jam.
88: I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE - ALICIA BRIDGES - Great song! One of my favorite disco songs of all-time!
87: LIFE'S BEEN GOOD - JOE WALSH - Meh, not a big fan of this one, or Walsh, in general.
86: SWET TALKIN' WOMAN - E.L.O. - Great song! Possibly my favorite of their two songs on the countdown.
85: GET OFF - FOXY - Meh, more roof-raising disco. Needless to say, I'm not a fan of this one.
84: FOOL IF YOU THINK IT'S OVER - CHRIS REA - Good song - this was much better than his bland 1988 re-recording.
83: WHENEVER I CALL YOU FRIEND - KENNY LOGGINS w/STEVIE NICKS - Great song! Definitely one of my favorite songs from both artists involved!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: MACARTHUR PARK - DONNA SUMMER - Uh-oh, they're playing late 1978 number ones. I sure hope that doesn't mean they're going to play the song that dethroned this one - a true "No. Just no." (I don't look at the Optional Extras ahead of time, to preserve the element of surprise). As for this song, it was actually pretty good - it was actually better than the Richard Harris original.
82: RUNNIN' ON EMPTY - JACKSON BROWNE - Great song! Definitely one of his best songs ever!
81: BLUER THEN BLUE - MICHAEL JOHNSON - Great song! My favorite song by him, of course, was "This Night Won't Last Forever".
80: DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD - SANTA ESMERALDA - Great song! I slightly prefer this over the original.
79: FALLING - LeBLANC & CARR - Great song! Shame that it was their only Top 40 hit.
78: SENTIMENTAL LADY - BOB WELCH - Great song! As stated before, this is my favorite of his two hits on the countdown.
77: SERPENTINE FIRE - EARTH, WIND & FIRE - This was OK, but I prefer many others by them.
76: YOU & I - RICK JAMES - Meh, this was typical roof raising R&B music.
75: ALWAYS & FOREVER - HEAT WAVE - Great song! One of the most popular love songs of all time.
74: COPACABANA - BARRY MANILOW - Great song! One of my favorite of his few upbeat songs.
73: EVERY KIND OF PEOPLE - ROBERT PALMER - Good song, though I'm not generally a big fan of Palmer.
72: BECAUSE THE NIGHT - PATTI SMITH GROUP - It's okies, but nothing exceptional.
71: DON'T IT MAKE MY BROWN EYES BLUE - CRYSTAL GAYLE - Great song! One of her best!
70: WHAT'S YOUR NAME - LYNYRD SKYNYRD - I'm not a big fan of them in general, but this was pretty good.
69: SUMMER NIGHTS - JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Great song! Not sure which of their two duets on the countdown I prefer.
68: HEY DEANIE - SHAUN CASSIDY - Great song! I like his three hits about the same.
67: BABY HOLD ON - EDDIE MONEY - Great song! One of my favorites from him!
OPTIONAL EXTRA: YOU DON'T BRING ME FLOWERS - BARBRA STREISAND & NEIL DIAMOND - No. Just no.
(Let me guess - "Le Freak" is the last Optional Extra for Part 1, right?)
66: COUNT ON ME - JEFFERSON STARSHIP - Great song! Very likely my favorite song by them with Marty Balin on lead vocals.
65: REMINISCING - LITTLE RIVER BAND - Great song, though I preferred the next release from Sleeper Catcher, "Lady", which hit the Top Ten the following spring.
64: SHAME - EVELYN "CHAMPAGNE" KING - This was OK, but I preferred "Love Come Down".
63: YOU NEEDED ME - ANNE MURRAY - Great song! 1978-80 was easily her best era.
62: PEG - STEELY DAN - Great song! Not sure which of their two singles on the list I prefer.
61: BLUE BAYOU - LINDA RONSTADT - Great song! My favorite of her two songs on the big list.
60: HERE YOU COME AGAIN - DOLLY PARTON - Great song! Possibly my favorite song by her of all time (of course, I've only heard a handful of songs by her - including "Me And My Llama", from Sesame Street - yes, that was actually her singing that goofy song; I kid you not!
59: YOU BELONG TO ME - CARLY SIMON - Great song! One of her best songs ever - the Doobie Brothers had a minor hit with this song in the early 1980s that sounded very much like Carly's.
58: THIS TIME I'M IN IT FOR LOVE - PLAYER - Good song, though I slightly prefer "Baby Come Back".
57: BACK IN LOVE AGAIN - LTD - This song was OK, but I generally prefer Jeffrey's solo hits.
56: COME SAIL AWAY - STYX - Great song! One of their best - and guess what? They played a version of this that didn't cut the second verse. It was like the album version minus the bridge with the outer space sound effects, plus the chorus was seriously butchered.
55: ON BROADWAY - GEORGE BENSON - Good song, but I preferred the original.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: LE FREAK - CHIC - I was right! They went with all late 1978 #1 songs that didn't gain enough points to rank on the Top 100. Anyway, I think we all know that I'm not too much for this song.
54: DISCO INFERNO - TRAMMPS - Nothing great, but passable.
53: MY ANGEL BABY - TOBY BEAU - Good song - their only Top 40 hit. This one was seriously chopped down.
52: STILL THE SAME - BOB SEGER & THE SILVER BULLET BAND - Great song! One of my favorite songs by him/them.
51: IMAGINARY LOVER - ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION - Great song! Possibly my favorite song by them!
50: THUNDER ISLAND - JAY FERGUSON - Great song! I remember back in the early 1990s U93 used to play this occasionally. I always found that weird, since they very rarely played songs from the 1970s.
49: THE GROOVE LINE - HEAT WAVE - Meh, this is basically "Boogie Nights Pt. 2".
48: SLIP SLIDIN' AWAY - PAUL SIMON - Great song! One of my favorite of his solo hits of the 70s.
47: GOODBYE GIRL - DAVID GATES - Great song! I prefer this over many of his songs with Bread. Either there was a really bad edit or the station's player (KOKZ) messed up, because it skipped a few words in the last line.
46: LOVE IS IN THE AIR - JOHN PAUL YOUNG - Good song.
45: EVERLASTING LOVE - ANDY GIBB - Great song! I found it funny that Casey called this a dud, since it didn't hit #1 like his other solo hits, as well as the Bee Gees Saturday Night Fever hits. Anyway, this is possibly my favorite Andy Gibb hit (although "I Just Want To Be Your Everything" might give it a run for its money). Anyway, like "Ebony Eyes", I don't think they even played a minute of this song.
44: LOVE WILL FIND A WAY - PABLO CRUISE - Great song! One I remember quite well.
43: OUR LOVE - NATALIE COLE - Great song! One of her best!
42: USED TO BE MY GIRL - O'JAYS - I'm not generally a huge fan of them, but this is an exception, as it's a great song!
41: SHORT PEOPLE - RANDY NEWMAN - Another song that was seriously butchered, as they played only the first verse (well, and the chorus, if that's what you consider his repeating "don't want no short people").
40: MAGNET & STEEL - WALTER EGAN - Good song, but not as good as his other song that made it to the upper half of the Hot 100, "Fool Moon Fire", from 1983.
39: DUST IN THE WIND - KANSAS - Great song! Definitely one of their best!
38: THE CLOSER I GET TO YOU - ROBERTA FLACK & DONNY HATHAWAY - Great song! Easily their best duet! And they actually played the entire song!
37: YOU'RE IN MY HEART - ROD STEWART - Great song! Another one I remember from back in the day.
36: HOT BLOODED - FOREIGNER - Good song, although I preferred their next two singles.
35: HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO YOU - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - Good song. Slowly but surely, I'm beginning to once again enjoy the natural beauty of this song, rather than have it tied to an old flame, who dedicated this song to me when we were together.
34: LAST DANCE - DONNA SUMMER - This song is good, but for some odd reason, I find it a tad depressing.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: WONDERFUL TONIGHT - ERIC CLAPTON - Good song - I wonder how close this came to making the Top 100 list.
33: SOMETIMES WHEN WE TOUCH - DAN HILL - Good song, but I preferred his hits from the late-80s and early-90s (most of them AC-only hits).
32: TAKE A CHANCE ON ME - ABBA - It's okies, but doesn't hold a candle to "Dancing Queen".
31: JACK & JILL - RAYDIO - Great song! The PG-13 version of the classic nursery rhyme. One of their best!
30: TWO OUT OF THREE AIN'T BAD - MEATLOAF - Great song! Definitely better than his overrated 90s hits.
29: DANCE WITH ME - PETER BROWN - This was mediocre at best.
28: TOO MUCH TOO LITTLE TOO LATE - JOHNNY MATHIS & DENIECE WILLIAMS - Great song! Wow, lots of duets in the Top Five around June, 1978!
27: CAN'T SMILE WITHOUT YOU - BARRY MANILOW - Great song, like most of his ballads.
26: BAKER STREET - GERRY RAFFERTY - Meh, I used to like this, but it's so overplayed!
25: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS - QUEEN - Great song! One of my favorite songs by them!
24: IT'S A HEARTACHE - BONNIE TYLER - Great song! Like Dan Hill, she remained a one-hit wonder for over five years until she finally snagged herself another Top Ten hit (in her case, however, it became her biggest hit ever).
23: LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN - SWEET - This song was OK, but nothing exceptional - sounded like second rate ELO.
22: HOT CHILD IN THE CITY - NICK GILDER - Good song. Interesting story about its slow climb to #1. What's even more interesting - the very week this hit #1, his follow-up, "Here Comes The Night" was debuting on the Hot 100.
21: FEELS SO GOOD - CHUCK MANGIONE - Great song! I remember this song being featured on several TV commercials - I'm pretty sure one of them was an advertisement about Curtis Mathes TV sets.
20: DANCE DANCE DANCE - CHIC - Meh, not a big fan of this one.
19: IF I CAN'T HAVE YOU - YVONNE ELLIMAN - Great song! One of my favorite songs from the Saturday Night Fever album.
OPTIONAL EXTRA: BACK IN THE USA - LINDA RONSTADT -
18: WITH A LITTLE LUCK - PAUL McCARTNEY & WINGS - Great song! They were definitely best in the late-70s ("Getting Closer" notwithstanding).
17: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - BILLY JOEL - Great song! This was his first really big hit (although his first Top 40 hit remains his signature song).
16: MISS YOU - ROLLING STONES - No. Just no.
15: LAY DOWN SALLY - ERIC CLAPTON - Good song. Yet another song I remember quite well from back in the day.
14: EMOTION - SAMANTHA SANG - Good song. The Bee Gees did great back-up singing on this one.
13: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & JOHN TRAVOLTA - Good song, though I preferred their other duet on the list.
12: I GO CRAZY - PAUL DAVIS - Great song, and interesting story about its chart longevity (the record, of course, has been beat many times over.
11: GREASE - FRANKIE VALLI - Not a big fan of this one.
10: THREE TIMES A LADY - COMMODORES - Great song! I, of course, prefer the album version, which I heard was played in the original show. In this one, however, they only played the first verse and the last chorus.
9: BOOGIE OOGIE OOGIE - A TASTE OF HONEY - I'm not a huge disco fan, but this was definitely an exception. Casey said that disco was going to be even bigger in 1979. Well, he was correct about the first half of the year. However, he did not know about Steve Dahl's Disco Demolition Night which would occur in mid-July. I'm sure that wasn't what killed disco, but it was indeed somewhat instrumental in it.
8: LOVE IS THICKER THEN WATER - ANDY GIBB - Good song, though I've already mentioned what my two favorites by him are.
7: BABY COME BACK - PLAYER - Great song! We already know that this is my favorite of their two hits on the big list.
6: HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE - BEE GEES - Great song! Possibly my favorite of their Saturday Night Fever hits.
5: KISS YOU ALL OVER - EXILE - Good song. This song always remindeds me of that funny scene in Happy Gilmore.
4: STAYIN' ALIVE - BEE GEES - Good song! My second favorite of their Saturday Night fever songs.
3: YOU LIGHT UP MY LIFE - DEBBY BOONE - Great song! A true bona fide guilty pleasure of mine!
2: NIGHT FEVER - BEE GEES - Wow, the Gibb family accounts for almost all five even positions in the Top Ten! (If only "Emotion" had a little more chart action...) Anyway, this song's OK, but, of course, I preferred their other two Saturday Night Fever singles.
EXTRA: MONTAGE OF 1978 #1 SONGS - Guilty pleasure, great, great, good, good, OK, great, great, great, good, OK, no, great, meh, great, good, great, and great. Too bad KOKZ nixed the montage
1: SHADOW DANCIN' - ANDY GIBB - This was OK, but one of my least favorite songs by him.
Predictions for next week: It's been awhile since they last did a 1972 show, so I'll predict January 15, 1972 (though I kinda hope they wait two weeks and do the show from the day I was born). My back-up prediction is January 10, 1976.