|
Post by mrjukebox on Mar 19, 2013 22:55:37 GMT -5
Here's my critique of the countdown from 3/24/73 which Premiere is airing this weekend: #40-"Daisy A Day"-Jud Strunk-The only top forty hit for this native of Jamestown,NY who was a cast member on "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In"-A very touching & poignant song. #39-"A Letter To Myself"-Chi-Lites-Their final top forty hit-Great song. #38-"One Less Set Of Footsteps"-Jim Croce-Great song that should've been a bigger hit. #37-"Good Morning Heartache"-Diana Ross-Great rendition of a song that was first recorded by Billie Holiday-It appeared on the soundtrack of the movie "Lady Sings The Blues" which earned Ross an Oscar nomination for Best Actress-FYI:She lost out to Liza Minnelli. #36-"Cook With Honey"-Judy Collins-Decent song. #35-"Hello Hurray"-Alice Cooper-From his album "Billion Dollar Babies"-Great song. #34-"Master Of Eyes"-Aretha Franklin-One of her lesser known hits-Great song that was produced by Quincy Jones. #33-"Give Me Your Love"-Barbara Mason-Great cover of a song that appeared in the movie "Superfly". #32-"Little Willy"-The Sweet-The first top forty hit for this British pop group that featured Brian Connolly on lead vocals-An undisputed classic. #31-"Kissing My Love"-Bill Withers-One of his lesser known hits-Great song. #30-"Peaceful"-Helen Reddy-Great song that was written & first recorded by an artist named Kenny Rankin. #29-"The Twelfth Of Never"-Donny Osmond-Decent rendition of a song that was originally a hit for Johnny Mathis in 1957. #28-"Rocky Mountain High"-John Denver-One of his best songs. #27-"Crocodile Rock"-Elton John-The initial release from his album "Don't Shoot Me,I'm Only The Piano Player"-Great homage to the music of the 1950's. #26-"Cisco Kid"-War-This turned out to be their biggest hit overall-Great tribute to the TV western of the same name that starred Duncan Renaldo & Leo Carillo. #25-"Do You Want To Dance"-Bette Midler-Great rendition of a song that was also a top forty hit for Bobby Freeman (1958) & The Beach Boys (1965). #24-"Stir It Up"-Johnny Nash-Great song that was written by Bob Marley. #23-"Big City Miss Ruth Ann"-Gallery-Their final top forty hit-Decent song. #22-"Masterpiece"-Temptations-Great follow up to "Papa Was A Rolling Stone". #21-"Hummingbird"-Seals & Crofts-Great song. #20-"Space Oddity"-David Bowie-The first top forty hit for this British singer who was born David Jones-To avoid being confused with the late Monkee,he changed his surname to Bowie-"Space Oddity" had been a hit on the British pop chart four years earlier-It was produced by a gentleman named Gus Dudgeon-If that name sounds familiar,he oversaw most of Elton John's earliest releases-"Space Oddity" is an undisputed classic. #19-"Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree"-Tony Orlando & Dawn-Here's a song that was supposedly based on a true story about a man who was about to be released from prison after serving a three year sentence for writing bad checks-In a letter to his girlfriend,he requested that she tie a yellow ribbon on the oak tree in their small town as a way to let him know she still cared about him-The song was pitched to Tony Orlando & Dawn & the rest as they say is history-It went on to spend four weeks at #1 & became the top song of 1973-Another undisputed classic. #17-"Dead Skunk"-Loudon Wainwright III-The only top forty hit for this folk singer from Chapel Hill,NC-A classic novelty record. #16-"The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia"-Vicki Lawrence-Here's a song that was originally offered to Cher,but Sonny turned it down-Instead,it was recorded by this native of Inglewood,CA who at the time was a cast member of TV's "The Carol Burnett Show"-A bonafide guilty pleasure. #15-"Aubrey"-Bread-Great song that radio has chosen to ignore. #14-"Could It Be I'm Falling In Love"-Spinners-This one has undisputed classic written all over it. #13-"Call Me (Come Back Home)"-Al Green-Great song. #12-"I'm Just A Singer In A Rock & Roll Band"-Moody Blues-The second release from their album "Seventh Sojourn"-Great song. #11-"Sing"-Carpenters-Here's a song that was first heard on TV's "Sesame Street"-Another undisputed classic. #10-"Ain't No Woman Like The One I've Got"-Four Tops-Fantastic song. #9-"Break Up To Make Up"-Stylistics-Great example of old school R&B. #8-"Danny's Song"-An undisputed classic that was written by Kenny Loggins. #7-"Dueling Banjos"-Eric Weissberg & Steve Mandell-The only chart entry for these bluegrass musicians-Classic instrumental that was featured on the soundtrack of the Burt Reynolds-Jon Voight movie "Deliverance". #6-"The Cover Of Rolling Stone"-Dr.Hook & The Medicine Show-Classic novelty song written by Shel Silverstein. #5-"Last Song"-Edward Bear-The first of two top forty hits for this Canadian group that featured Larry Evoy on lead vocals-Another undisputed classic. #4-"Neither One Of Us"-Gladys Knight & The Pips-Fantastic song. #3-"Also Sprach Zarathustra"-Deodato-The only top forty hit for this Brazilian performer who did a great version of this particular song that was written by Richard Strauss-It's best known to film buffs as the main theme from the 1968 movie "2001 A Space Odyssey". #2-"Killing Me Softly With His Song"-Roberta Flack-Forget that dreadful version by The Fugees-This is the real deal. #1-"Love Train"-O'Jays-Their biggest hit overall & another undisputed classic.
|
|
|
Post by bestmusicexpert on Mar 20, 2013 5:07:54 GMT -5
Josh joel, the dixie chicks had several pop chart hits, not one. And this wasn't a hit due to their comments. if anything, when they made those comments it killed the chances of being played on the radio anymore. First off I would like to say that your radio shows are just phenomenal and should be given a chance with your knowledge at any radio gig. At the same time, AT40 in 2003 used the airplay charts, so this is their only pop *radio* smash. I understand that a lot of folks used Billboard for their source, the Hot 100 in particular, but I don't. But yes, I meant to say that radio airplay slowed up for these ladies after that comment was made. Yours, Josh Joel thank you for the kind words about my shows. I am actually working on upwards of 30 new countdown specials, in many various ranges of music styles. All of them are in 1 part or another of the planning stages.I will put messages here when the new ones are done.
|
|
|
Post by dukelightning on Mar 20, 2013 7:57:32 GMT -5
^A comment apiece about the above 2 posts. Monday was 6 months since you went off the air so to speak bestmusicexpert. But it looks like the long delayed return will be worth the wait.
The person who pitched "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" to Cher was Bobby "Saturday Morning Confusion" Russell. It is his wife that ended up doing the song.
|
|
|
Post by seminolefan on Mar 20, 2013 9:40:52 GMT -5
I love the Fugees version of this, as well as the original.
|
|
|
Post by bestmusicexpert on Mar 22, 2013 6:57:57 GMT -5
Fugees are awful! They totally BUTCHERED the song. At the least since Lauryn Hill cannot sing.
|
|
|
Post by Josh Joel's Top 40 on Mar 23, 2013 12:15:36 GMT -5
Fugees are awful! They totally BUTCHERED the song. At the least since Lauryn Hill cannot sing. Uh uh, wait a minute now. That woman can sing, now. No question about that! Maybe it's *not* the best version of a cover song, but ya just can't deny natural talent.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Mar 23, 2013 16:32:03 GMT -5
I know I'm a week late, but here is my commentary on last week's 1980s show:
American Top 40: The 80s - March 16, 2013
This week's presentation - March 16, 1985
LW#1: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON Of course, I'll comment on this one later.
40: RADIOACTIVE - THE FIRM (debut) - This was OK, but nothing special. 39: SOLID - ASHFORD & SIMPSON (26) - Good song, although I never liked it during its chart run. 38: ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE - DON HENLEY (debut) - It's okies, but my least favorite release from the Building The Perfect Beast album. 37: METHOD OF MODERN LOVE - DARLY HALL & JOHN OATES (20) - Good song, though not one of their best. 36: ALONG COMES A WOMAN - CHICAGO (40) - Good song - the last one with Peter Cetera as lead vocalist. 35: WHY CAN'T I HAVE YOU - THE CARS (36) - Good song, though I can kind of see why this didn't do as well as the other hits from Heartbeat City. 34: THIS IS NOT AMERICA - DAVID BOWIE/PAT METHENY (35) - This was OK, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. LDD: HELP IS ON IT'S WAY - LITTLE RIVER BAND - Great song. Thr author of this dedication requested it as "Hang On", but since he mentioned the Little River Band, Casey apparently knew what song he was talking about. 33: RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT - DEBARGE (37) - Good song. Pretty much the only song of theirs that gets any kind of recurrent airplay. 32: CRAZY FOR YOU - MADONNA (debut) - Great song! This one ended up as R&R's top song of 1985. 31: MR. TELEPHONE MAN - NEW EDITION (19) - I fell asleep at this point in the show, so I missed this song. Too bad, as it's my all-time favorite by them (though their next hit, "Lost In Love" would be an extremely close second. I wonder if we're going to hear that song this year - while it's true it only spent four weeks on the chart, I heard that 1985 is going to be overplayed during the first half of the year. Well, anyway... 30: TAKE ME WITH U - PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION WITH APOLLONIA (33) - Great song! Possibly my favorite song from Purple Rain. Didn't do quite as well as the other songs from the album since, by now, all Prince fans had the Purple Rain soundtrack, hence, no need to buy the single or call the radio stations to request it. 29: TURN UP THE RADIO - AUTOGRAPH (31) - Great song! They reminded me a little of Ratt. 28: OBSESSION - ANIMOTION (32) - This was OK, but I much preferred their other Top Ten hit "Room To Move", from four years later. 27: NAUGHTY NAUGHTY - JOHN PARR (23) - Good song, but I wasn't generally a huge fan of his. 26: MISSING YOU - DIANA ROSS (34) - Good song - one of two tribute songs to the late Marvin Gaye on the countdown. 25: I'M ON FIRE - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (29) - Great song! One of the better songs on the Born In The USA album. 24: NIGHTSHIFT - COMMODORES (28) - Wow, the two Marvin Gaye tribute songs were nearly back-to-back. Of course, this song also gives a salute to Jackie Wilson, who had also passed away the year before. It was a good one, but the Commodores just weren't the same after Lionel Richie left. 23: SOMEBODY - BRYAN ADAMS (27) - Good song. This one has pretty much fallen into obscurity, however. 22: EASY LOVER - PHILIP BAILEY WITH PHIL COLLINS (16) - Great song! Too bad this was their only duet together. 21: KEEPING THE FAITH - BILLY JOEL (24) - Great song! Sort of an unexpected release from An Innocent Man, since many people thought he was done releasing songs from that album. 20: LOVERBOY - BILLY OCEAN (11) - Good song - one of his best upbeat songs. 19: THE OLD MAN DOWN THE ROAD - JOHN FOGERTY (13) - Great song. Sounded no different than when he was singing with CCR. 18: JUST ANOTHER NIGHT - MICK JAGGER (25) - Pretty good song, but I generally preferred his hits with the Rolling Stones. 17: SUGAR WALLS - SHEENA EASTON (9) - Meh, not one of my favorite songs from her. I preferred her earlier material. 16: SAVE A PRAYER - DURAN DURAN (21) - Great song! I felt this one was just a tad underrated. 15: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS - FOREIGNER (8) - Great song! I did, however, prefer their next hit, "That Was Yesterday". Was kind of hopng that would be one of this week's Optional Extras, but that wasn't to be. 14: HIGH ON YOU - SURVIVOR (22) - Good song. Not quite as good as their previous hit, "I Can't Hold Back", however. 13: MISLED - KOOL & THE GANG (10) - Good song - this and Cherish are sort of in a deadlock for my second favorite song from Emergency (my favorite is "Fresh"). LDD: COLOUR MY WORLD – CHICAGO - Great song and, as I recall, fitting for the dedication. 12: NEUTRON DANCE - POINTER SISTERS (7) - Meh, I wasn't a big fan of this one. That was one of the reasons that I initially hated "Black Horse & The Cherry Tree" by KT Tunstall when that song first came out. 11: ONLY THE YOUNG - JOURNEY (18) - Good song, but I prefer many others by them. 10: RELAX - FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (17) - Not a fan of this one at all. It looked like this was heading straight to the top but, in fact, this was all the higher the song got. This was a fairly soft spot in the chart - as many songs in the Top Ten were clearing out, that allowed songs to take large jumps via vacuum effect. 9: PRIVATE DANCER - TINA TURNER (15) - This is another example - although this song would climb a little higher. This was a good one. I'm surprised it missed the Top Ten on R&R. 8: LOVERGIRL - TEENA MARIE (12) - This was OK, but I preferred her first hit, "I Need Your Lovin", from 1981. 7: CARELESS WHISPER - WHAM (2) - No. Just no. 6: TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES - JULIAN LENNON (6) - This wasn't bad, but my least favorite of his hit singles. 5: ONE MORE NIGHT - PHIL COLLINS (14) - Great song! This was one of three times in March, 1985 that the biggest mover of the week was at #5 (unusually high up). It had happened with "Material Girl" by Madonna the week before and, two weeks later, "We Are The World" would also make a spectacular jump to #5 (the biggest of them all, in fact). 4: CALIFORNIA GIRLS - DAVID LEE ROTH (4) - Great song! I actually prefer this over the original by the Beach Boys (since radio played this one a lot and I heard it more often). 3: MATERIAL GIRL - MADONNA (5) - Good song - this one looked like it would hit #1, but it didn't have quite enough steam. 2: THE HEAT IS ON - GLENN FREY (3) - This wasn't bad, but not one of my favorites, either. 1: CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING - REO SPEEDWAGON (1) - Great song! This was my favorite song in the world at the time and I was glad that it went all the way to the top - their first #1 on R&R, which I was keeping tabs on at the time ("Keep On Loving You" didn't quite make it to #1 on there as it had on AT40).
Predictions for next week: I have a feeling that we're finally going to hear 1987 next week, so my main prediction is March 21, 1987. My back-up prediction is March 21, 1981.
NOTE: The above prediction was made before I knew what the show was going to be and I did not see next week's show on the list that had been leaked on the board a few weeks back.
|
|
|
Post by woolebull on Mar 23, 2013 17:47:18 GMT -5
"That Was Yesterday" is a song that I didn't care for then, but now absolutely love. I guess as I get older, the lyrics hit harder than when I was 12.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Mar 23, 2013 19:24:08 GMT -5
American Top 40: The 80s - March 23, 2012
This week's presentation - March 21, 1987
Well, it took awhile, but they finally got on a weekly 1987 show. And this one had seven debuts, just like the one from the week before. Debut fever, indeed! Here is my commentary:
Droppers:
OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (40) - Great song! Shame that it fell off! SKIN TRADE - DURAN DURAN (39) - Great song! Definitely their most underrated hit up to this point. This song only got as high as #39. I guess they were starting to lose their touch. WE CONNECT - STACY Q (36) - Great song - much better than her first hit, which I found very annoying (and naturally, that one had to be her biggest. AT THIS MOMENT - BILLY VERA & THE BEATERS (34) - No big loss at all! The song itself wasn't too bad, but the ending was too long and drawn out. LOVE YOU DOWN - Ready For The World (31) - Great song! I preferred this over their two previous hits, which were upbeat dance hits. TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) - SAMANTHA FOX (29) - Great song! As usual, Casey did not mention the subtitle when reading off the droppers. BALLERINA GIRL - LIONEL RICHIE (28) - Great song!
LW#1: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS 40: I WILL BE THERE – GLASS TIGER (debut) - Great song! I felt this one was underrated, especially since their previous two songs hit the Top Ten. 39: WHAT’S GOING ON – CYNDI LAUPER (debut) - Great song! I slightly prefer this over the old Marvin Gaye version - which is also a great one. 38: LIGHT OF DAY – THE BARBUSTERS (JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS w/MICHAEL J FOX) (debut) - Great song! This and "I Love Rock And Roll" are probably my two favorite songs by Joan Jett. 37: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS – CUTTING CREW (debut) - Meh, not a big fan of this one - way too overplayed. 36: SMOKING GUN – THE ROBERT CRAY BAND (debut) - Great song! This is my favorite song by them by default, as it's the only song of theirs that I've heard. 35: LOOKING FOR A NEW LOVE – JODY WATLEY (debut) - It's okies, but nothing exceptional. 34: COME AS YOU ARE – PETER WOLF (debut) - Great song, though I generally preferred him with the J. Geils Band. 33: DOMINOES – ROBBIE NEVIL (38) - Great song! My favorite of his three 1987 hits. 32: STONE LOVE – KOOL & THE GANG (37) - Great song! My second favorite of the Forever singles, behind "Special Way" (too bad that one didn't do much at Pop). LDD: THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER – HOWARD JONES - Good song, and it fit the dedication like a glove. 31: THE HONEYTHIEF - HIPSWAY (33) - Great song! Has a very catchy chorus! OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE LADY IN RED - CHRIS DeBURGH - This was a good song, but it got quite overplayed during its chart run. 30: I’LL BE ALRIGHT WITHOUT YOU - JOURNEY (18) - Great song! SHame that this missed the Top Ten. 29: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME – CHICAGO (19) - Great song! Jason Scheff, their replacement for Peter Cetera, sang lead on this one and he didn't sound much different than Cetera. 28: KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF – GEORGIA SATELLITES (16) - Pretty good song, but I was never a huge fan of them. 27: WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET – THE BANGLES (32) - Great song! Easily my favorite of their two songs about walking. 26: THE FINER THINGS – STEVE WINWOOD (30) - Fairly good song, but I prefer several others by him. EXTRA: RAPTURE - BLONDIE - Great song! I honestly don't remember hearing this when the show was originally run, however. 25: AS WE LAY – SHIRLEY MURDOCK (27) - Great song, though it sounded a little out of place (sounded more like something from the fifties or sixties). 24: SIGN ‘O’ THE TIMES - PRINCE (35) - It's okies, but I prefer many others by him. 23: THAT AIN’T LOVE – REO SPEEDWAGON (26) - Great song! I liked most of their Top 40 songs. 22: WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE – TINA TURNER (25) - Great song! This one was somewhat underrated, IMO. OPTIONAL EXTRA: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU - U2 - This was OK, but quite overplayed - and I wasn't a huge fan of it in the first place. 21: CANDY - CAMEO (22) - Meh, not a huge fan of this song, or them in general. 20: I WANNA GO BACK – EDDIE MONEY (14) - Great song! One of his best! 19: MIDNIGHT BLUE – LOU GRAMM (24) - Good song, but I generally preferred him with Foreigner. 18: BRAND NEW LOVER – DEAD OR ALIVE (15) - Not bad, but nothing I'd go out of my way to listen to. 17: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) – ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL (23) - Great song! One of my favorite songs from both artists! 16: LET’S GO! – WANG CHUNG (21) - Good song. 15: (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (TO PARTY) – BEASTIE BOYS (11) - Not a big fan of this one. 14: DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER – CROWDED HOUSE (20) - Great song! I do slightly prefer "Something So Strong", though. 13: YOU GOT IT ALL – THE JETS (9) - Great song! Definitely one of their best. 12/LDD: LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI (4) - This was mediocre at best. One of my least favorites from them. Good choice for the dedication, however. 11: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - EUROPE (17) - Good song, though I prefer their next two releases. OPTIONAL EXTRA: LA ISLA BONITA - MADONNA - Good song, but certainly not her best. 10: BIG TIME – PETER GABRIEL (8) - Great song! My favorite of the So singles. 9: COME GO WITH ME - EXPOSE (13) - Meh, not a big fan of this one. Definitely one of my least favorites by them. 8: RESPECT YOURSELF – BRUCE WILLIS (7) - This was OK, but Willis was definitely a better actor than he was a singer. 7: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (1) - Well, he may be climbing Jacob's ladder, but he's falling down the AT40 ladder, big time. I believe this was the biggest fall from #1 in the year 1987. I could be wrong, though. Anyway, this is a good song and it's definitely one of the #1 songs in the 80s that gets the lesat recurrent airplay anymore. 6: TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT – GENESIS (12) - This song's not bad, but I prefer many others by them. 5/LDD: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE (FROM “AN AMERICAN TAIL”) – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM (2) - Aww, what a sad LDD! I sure hope the author got in touch with her mother. Anyway, this was a great song, and a popular LDD request for many years. 4: MANDOLIN RAIN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (6) - Great song! One of his best, and I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't cut out the second verse, as they usually seemed to do with this song. OPTIONAL EXTRA: TALK DIRTY TO ME - POISON - Great song! 3: NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW - STARSHIP (10) - Great song! And, with a move like that, it was no surprise that this made it all the way to the top. 2: LET’S WAIT AWHILE – JANET JACKSON (3) - Great song! This is another song that seemed to be butchered more often than not and this was one of those weeks. 1: LEAN ON ME – CLUB NOUVEAU (5) - Not my favorite song in the world, but definitely much better than the original Bill Withers version - a true "No. Just no" song IMO.
Predictions for next week: Well, it's been longest since we've heard a show from 1981, but March 28 was done just last year, so I kinda doubt that they'll go with that one. My primary prediction for next week is March 31, 1984, with March 29, 1986 being my back-up prediction.
|
|
|
Post by mellongraig on Mar 23, 2013 22:39:53 GMT -5
37: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS – CUTTING CREW (debut) - Meh, not a big fan of this one - way too overplayed. It may be overplayed, but I don't hear this song here in my region. Maybe your radio stations where you live are still playing this song.
|
|
|
Post by bestmusicexpert on Mar 24, 2013 5:23:22 GMT -5
WNYR plays this mostly, occasionally my preference: I've Been In Love Before.
|
|
|
Post by blackbowl68 on Mar 24, 2013 10:38:34 GMT -5
I know Hervard did this week, but I got something to say about it.
CHART CRITIQUE FOR CASEY KASEM'S AMERICAN TOP 40: THE 80'S : MARCH 23, 2013 This week's presentation is for the chart week ending March 21, 1987
PERSONAL: I was completing my first year at Stony Brook University on Long Island, NY but still kept an eye on the pop charts. I also was about to have an important life changing experience that would shape the rest of my life.
DROPPERS: (mentioned after #40) OPEN YOUR HEART - MADONNA (40) SKIN TRADE - DURAN DURAN (39) WE CONNECT - STACEY Q (36) AT THIS MOMENT - BILLY VERA & BEATERS (34) LOVE YOU DOWN - READY FOR THE WORLD (30) TOUCH ME (I WANT YOUR BODY) - SAMANTHA FOX (29) BALLERINA GIRL - LIONEL RICHIE (28)
Note: This was 2nd week in a row in which there were seven new entries. LW#1: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS 40: I WILL BE THERE – GLASS TIGER (DEBUT) Mediocre follow-up for Canadian band that sounds borderline country. 39: WHAT’S GOING ON – CYNDI LAUPER (DEBUT) Fair rendition of Marvin Gaye masterpiece from Brooklyn native in nuclear crisis period. 38: LIGHT OF DAY – THE BARBUSTERS (JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS with MICHAEL J. FOX) (DEBUT) First chart appearance in four years for hard rocking chick with a Bruce Springsteen chugger for her movie debut. One of her better numbers. 37: (I JUST) DIED IN YOUR ARMS – CUTTING CREW (DEBUT) This debut hit from Brit-pop band went from being a lost hit to overplayed in less than five years. Listener question: How many hit singles had their peak positions in the title? 36: SMOKING GUN – THE ROBERT CRAY BAND (DEBUT) Blues-rock song sounding too much like Candi Staton's "As Long As He Takes Care Of Home." Answer: 12 records (a #9, a #7, a #4, a pair of #2 records, and seven #1 hits.) 35: LOOKING FOR A NEW LOVE – JODY WATLEY (DEBUT) Former Soul Train from Chicago goes out on her own & hits paydirt. Unfortunately, AT40 played the dry pop edit. 34: COME AS YOU ARE – PETER WOLF (DEBUT) Decent head nodder from former J. Geils lead singer. 33: DOMINOES – ROBBIE NEVIL (38) Typical 80's pop sounding follow-up to "C'est La Vie." 32: STONE LOVE – KOOL & THE GANG (37) Ultra lame pop track from what was once a killer funk band. LDD: THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER – HOWARD JONES - Very uplifting new wave song good for the situation addressed in the dedication. PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: THE LADY IN RED - CHRIS DeBURGH - Great post wedding song. 31: THE HONEYTHIEF - HIPSWAY (33) I only hear this song on AT40, so it must've bombed in New York. 30: I’LL BE ALRIGHT WITHOUT YOU - JOURNEY (18) OK record for San Francisco trio & their last one for the decade. 29: WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME – CHICAGO (19) See #32. 28: KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF – GEORGIA SATELLITES (16) Loud Southern band with song about getting with a very Agnostic woman. 27: WALKING DOWN YOUR STREET – THE BANGLES (32) Groovin' bouncer from Cali ladies that makes for a good workout jam. 26: THE FINER THINGS – STEVE WINWOOD (30) Brit rocker releases a better song that his previous chart entry scores another winner. EXTRA: RAPTURE - BLONDIE - AT40 played the correctly shortened single version of this jam, unlike the cheesy wack edit heard on Dick Bartley's Classic Countdown. 25: AS WE LAY – SHIRLEY MURDOCK (27) Great performance of a terrible song about getting down with your best friend's man. 24: SIGN ‘O’ THE TIMES - PRINCE (35) A rare social conscious number from his Royal Badness with sparse production. One of his better records. BTW, that was Cat Glover on the single sleeve. Listener question: What artists have waited the longest to have a #1 record from their 1st chart entry? 23: THAT AIN’T LOVE – REO SPEEDWAGON (26) I'm not giving any love to this rather weak song either. Answer: Four have waited at least 20 years: Steve Winwood, Robert John, Johnny Mathis, and the one who waited the longest... 22: WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT YOU SEE – TINA TURNER (25) Energetic number from this bold soul sister that hasn't held up over the years. PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: WITH OR WITHOUT YOU - U2 - The signature song from the Irish band that helped make them rock icons. 21: CANDY - CAMEO (22) Unlike Kool & the Gang, this Atlanta based group was still giving us the funk on their pop breakthrough follow-up. No rigor-mortis here. 20: I WANNA GO BACK – EDDIE MONEY (14) Follow-up single to his new signature song that sounds only somewhat. 19: MIDNIGHT BLUE – LOU GRAMM (24) New Yorker takes a break from Foreigner and hits with average sounding rocker. 18: BRAND NEW LOVER – DEAD OR ALIVE (15) Brit dance group lead by gender-breaking Pete Burns with a darker floor-stomper than other big hit. 17: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) – ARETHA FRANKLIN & GEORGE MICHAEL (23) Great pop sounding duet that seemed destined for #1. 16: LET’S GO! – WANG CHUNG (21) Great follow-up for Brit-pop their signature song. 15: (YOU GOTTA) FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHT (TO PARTY) – BEASTIE BOYS (11) Rocking rap trio with rather silly novelty sounding track. 14: DON’T DREAM IT’S OVER – CROWDED HOUSE (20) From the ashes of Split Enz comes this Aussie trio with rather slow jazzy ballad. 13: YOU GOT IT ALL – THE JETS (9) I didn't really like this slow number from Minneapolis based family group written by Rupert Holmes. 12/LDD: LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER – BON JOVI (4) A hard rocking track that has since become an East Coast anthem as evident by the story behind its dedication. 11: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN - EUROPE (17) Hard rocking song from band from said continent that has the makings as an international theme for the World Cup. (Don't remember if it actually was.) PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: LA ISLA BONITA - MADONNA - I wasn't expecting something like this as a follow-up to "Open Your Heart," but it was a pleasant surprise. 10: BIG TIME – PETER GABRIEL (8) Former Genesis frontman gets down with this ditty using a popular 80s catchphrase for a title. 9: COME GO WITH ME - EXPOSÉ (13) First pop hit for regrouped Miami dance trio. I prefer a slightly different mix of this record. LISTEN TO THIS: Snippet of "Sonny Boy" - Al Jolson (1928), the 1st movie song to sell over 1 million copies. 8: RESPECT YOURSELF – BRUCE WILLIS (7) With the Pointer Sisters on co-lead, the Moonlighting actor gives the Staple Singers' chestnut a pop-rock treatment with decent results. 7: JACOB’S LADDER – HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS (1) Big drop from the top for San Francisco rock band with biblically influenced number cowritten by Bruce Hornsby. 6: TONIGHT, TONIGHT, TONIGHT – GENESIS (12) Phil, Mike & Tony take a swig of Coors to get their 4th consecutive top ten hit. 5/LDD: SOMEWHERE OUT THERE – LINDA RONSTADT & JAMES INGRAM (2) One of the rare hits by an unlikely pairing from an animated movie whose theme of searching was appropriate as a dedication. 4: MANDOLIN RAIN – BRUCE HORNSBY & THE RANGE (6) Group led by popular session player with sound-alike follow-up with said instrument. PREMIERE OPTIONAL EXTRA: TALK DIRTY TO ME - POISON - First hit from glam metal band that become a popular groupie anthem. 3: NOTHING’S GONNA STOP US NOW - STARSHIP (10) 80's incarnation of veteran band continues the arena rock sound with this future charttopper from Mannequin. 2: LET’S WAIT AWHILE – JANET JACKSON (3) She took the title's advice for single release from Control and the success was worth the wait. 1: LEAN ON ME – CLUB NOUVEAU (5) California funk group comes up with big winner after giving this classic Bill Withers gem a West Coast dance & Carribean flare.
SYNOPSIS: On this particular week, the chart movement suggests there was a lot of "playlist spring cleaning" going on. The popularity of the compact disc has caused a rift in what people bought in stores. Album sales would continue to take off while single sales were dwindling as most singles were still on vinyl at this time, except many dance records.
|
|
|
Post by Hervard on Mar 24, 2013 18:32:35 GMT -5
Anyone notice the bad edits in "Come As You Are" and "The Finer Things"? In the former, they cut out the second "whoa oh" in the bridge right before the final chorus. Why that is, I don't know - it took out only, what, three seconds out of the song? What's the point?
I don't remember where the one in the Steve Winwood song was, but it was indeed there - I think even someone who hadn't heard the song before would probably have noticed.
|
|
|
Post by mrjukebox on Mar 26, 2013 22:37:41 GMT -5
Here is my critique of the countdown from 3/31/84 which Premiere is airing this weekend: #40-"One In A Million"-The Romantics-Great follow up to "Talking In Your Sleep"-Rather surprised this song didn't fare as well as its predecessor. #39-"To All The Girls I've Loved Before"-Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson-This was one of the last country crossovers & it's an undisputed classic-When Iglesias appeared on "The Tonight Show",Johnny Carson was made up to look like Willie Nelson-That was priceless. #38-"A Fine Fine Day"-Tony Carey-The first of two top forty hits for this native of Turlock,CA who is best known for his keyboard work with the band Rainbow-Great song. #37-"The Kid's American"-Matthew Wilder-Great follow up to "Break My Stride". #36-"Head Over Heels"-Go-Go's-Not to be confused with the Tears For Fears song of the same name-Great tune. #35-"The Authority Song"-John Cougar Mellencamp-One of my favorite songs from him. #34-"Red Red Wine"-UB40-In 1968,Neil Diamond took this intoxicating song (Couldn't resist saying that) to #62 on the Billboard "Hot 100"-Sixteen years later,it became the first top forty hit for this reggae/pop band from Birmingham,England-Four years later,"Red Red Wine" was re-released & this time it went all the way to #1-An undisputed classic to be sure. #33-"Nobody Told Me"-John Lennon-The final top forty solo hit for this former Beatle (1940-1980)-Great song. #32-"Leave It"-Yes-Decent follow up to "Owner Of A Lonely Heart". #31-"Let's Stay Together"-Tina Turner-Decent rendition of an Al Green classic. #30-"Tonight"-Kool & The Gang-One of their lesser known hits-Great song. #29-"Don't Answer Me"-Alan Parsons Project-Great song that radio has chosen to ignore. #28-"You Might Think"-The Cars-The initial release from their album "Heartbeat City"-Great song. #27-"New Song"-Howard Jones-The debut release for this English singer-songwriter-Great tune. #26-"Love Somebody"-Rick Springfield-Great song that was featured in the movie "Hard To Hold" which starred Springfield. #25-"They Don't Know"-Tracey Ullman-The only top forty hit for this British actress & singer-Great song that sounds like it could've been a hit in the '60's-FYI:Ullman hosted her own variety series on the Fox network from 1987-1990 which introduced audiences to "The Simpsons". #24-"Come Back & Stay"-Paul Young-The debut release for this British singer-Great song. #23-"Runner"-Manfred Mann's Earth Band-Their third & final top forty hit-Great song. #22-"Give It Up"-KC-His final top forty hit sans The Sunshine Band-Great dancing record. #21-"Girls"-Dwight Twilley-In 1975,this native of Tulsa,OK made the top forty for the first time with "I'm On Fire"-Nine years later,he returned with this great song that featured Tom Petty on background vocals. #20-"Back Where You Belong"-.38 Special-One of their lesser known hits-Great song. #19-"Radio Gaga"-Queen-Their final top forty hit-Decent song-FYI:A female singer named Stefani Germanotta aka:Lady Gaga chose her performing moniker as a result of this particular song. #18-"New Moon On Monday"-Duran Duran-The second release from the album "Seven & The Ragged Tiger"-Great song. #17-"The Language Of Love"-Dan Fogelberg-His final top forty hit-Great song. #16-"Got A Hold On Me"-Christine Mc Vie-The first top forty solo hit for this founding member of Fleetwood Mac-Great song. #15-"Thriller"-Michael Jackson-The seventh & final release from that blockbuster album-Another undisputed classic. #14-"Eat It"-"Weird" Al Yankovic-This parody of Michael Jackson's 1983 hit "Beat It" became the first top forty hit for this native of Lynwood,CA who got his big break on Dr.Demento's syndicated radio show-"Eat It" is truly a certifiable comedy classic. #13-"Hello"-Lionel Richie-An undisputed classic that was headed for #1. #12-"Hold Me Now"-Thompson Twins-Fantastic song. #11-"99 Luftballons"-Nena-The only top forty hit for this German singer whose real name is Gabriele Susanne Kerner-A bonafide classic. #10-"Miss Me Blind"-Culture Club-Great song. #9-"Adult Education"-Daryl Hall & John Oates-One of their best hits. #8-"Automatic"-Pointer Sisters-One of their best hits. #7-"Against All Odds"-Phil Collins-The title song from the Jeff Bridges-Rachel Ward movie of the same name-Another undisputed classic. #6-"I Want a New Drug"-Huey Lewis & The News-The second release from the album "Sports"-Great song. #5-"Girls Just Want To Have Fun"-Cyndi Lauper-Her breakthrough smash & another undisputed classic. #4-"Here Comes The Rain Again"-Eurythmics-One of their best songs. #3-"Jump"-Van Halen-The initial release from their album "1984"-This turned out to be their biggest hit overall-Another undisputed classic. #2-"Somebody's Watching Me"-Rockwell-The first of two top forty hits for Kennedy Gordy who was the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr-Great song that featured Michael Jackson on background vocals. #1-"Footloose"-Kenny Loggins-Another undisputed classic that was featured in the Kevin Bacon-Lori Singer movie of the same name.
|
|
|
Post by bestmusicexpert on Mar 27, 2013 5:11:07 GMT -5
Christine McVie was not a founding member of Fleetwood Mac. She joined well after they had formed.
In addition, Jermaine Jackson was also on somebody's watching me.
|
|