The Saturday Survey

 

Three weeks and counting for The Association as "Cherish" once again tops the chart as we head into October.  (It does lose its bullet this week, however ... and "Reach Out, I'll Be There," "96 Tears" and "Last Train To Clarksville" are all viable candidates to take its place seven days from now.)

The Four Seasons enter The Top Ten for their 11th time as "I've Got You Under My Skin" moves from #12 to #9.  (We saw them perform it live on "The Ed Sullivan Show" last night ... scroll back to yesterday's post and you can see it again, too!) 

And "Psychotic Reaction" makes another big leap this week, climbing from #18 to #10.

"Walk Away Renee" by The Left Banke is up 14 spots to #17 ... and "Poor Side Of Town" by Johnny Rivers climbs 19 places to #22.  (Two very pretty songs for an autumn day, circa 1966.)

Our buddy Tommy Roe's got another hit on his hands ... "Hooray For Hazel" is up 16 notches to #29 ... 

And Bobby Darin is up 22 spots to #36 with his reading of "If I Were A Carpenter."

The Rolling Stones have the top debut this week ... "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows" premiers at #44.  (In hindsight, it really is quite amazing how much these guys got away with musically at the time.  Censorship seemed to be at an all-time high ... and yet The Stones could blatantly sing about drug use and nobody seemed to pay them any mind.  Just don't ask to spend the NIGHT together!!!)

October 2nd, 1966

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:  

10/2/66 - On the last game of the regular season, The Los Angeles Dodgers clinch their third National League pennant in four years.  Pitching Ace Sandy Koufax collects his 27^th win of the season.

This will mark Sandy's THIRD 300+ strikeout season.  Koufax wins 27 games with 317 strike outs.  His ERA was an incredible 1.73.  

Despite this pitching power (remember Don Drysdale was also on the roster), The Dodgers would go on to lose The World Series to The Baltimore Orioles in four straight game, three of which were by shut out.  (Guess they didn't have the hitting power to back up all that great pitching.)  After scoring two runs in Game One, The Dodgers were then shut out for 33 consecutive innings.  Their total Series tally of just two runs was the lowest in Major League Baseball history.

After he World Series, Koufax announced his retirement at the age of 31.

Also on10/2, The Four Seasons and Connie Francis appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show”

 

RADIO REMINDER: 

Don't miss Part Two of the Fred Winston radio salute, airing by way of The Illinois Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame TOMORROW (10/3) beginning at 12 Noon Central Time.

From Ted Gorden Smucker ...

If you are a fan of Rock and Roll Radio, October 8th is the day our friend Fred Winston will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame - an honor achieved by only a very small number of air personalities in American radio.

As a special salute to this historic moment, The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum will stream Part 2 of The Fred Winston Radio Special this Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 12:00 noon to 3:00 PM Central Time.  This special was originally heard on Rewound Radio in March of 2025, and is being rebroadcast in honor of this tremendous D.J. from Chicago.

This week, we’ll laugh together as we hear Fred on the air at WMAQ, WFYR, and WCFL radio. We’ll also enjoy Fred’s unforgettable run on the WLS Morning Show with Catherine Johns and Jim Johnson, along with his stints at WPNT (The Point) and WJMK Oldies 104.3.

Fred is truly a Chicago treasure, and his iconic wit remains legendary. Click the link at noon this Saturday to listen to The Fred Winston Radio Special:

https://live365.com/station/Road-To-Rock-Radio-a44007#

Ted and Fred!

 

October 1st, 1966

60 YEARS AGO TODAY: 

10/1/66 - Jimi Hendrix made his first live appearance in the UK when he came up on stage and jammed with Cream at their gig at London Polytechnic. (Eric Clapton was immediately awestruck by the talented young, Black guitarist.)  Hendrix would make his OFFICIAL UK live debut (as a headliner with The Jimi Hendrix Experience) about eight weeks later later on Friday, November 25^th, 1966, at the Bag O'Nails Club, London.

Wrapping Up Another Month

9/29/66 was indeed the day the '67 Camaro was introduced - but the red photo on FH is a '68. 

Here's my '67 I bought in '71. (It's in my garage now) 

David Lewis

If that sucker's still running, I call "shotgun" when we get to Nashville!!!

I bought a brand new 1976 White Camaro, a rather steep undertaking for a 23 year old.  I found out a year later that, unbeknownst to me at the time, my Dad had taken out an insurance policy on my car stating that should he die before the car was paid off, it would be paid in full.  He died a year later, completely unexpectedly ... and I felt guilty for the next twenty years.  (My Dad and I were never very close ... and this was about as uncharacteristic thing he could ever have done ... totally took me by surprise and blew me away.)  I felt so bad I had to get rid of it ... sold it to my youngest brother Dave a couple of years later, who then proceeded to paint it (himself) sky blue ... you could see every brush stroke!!!  Completely ruined what was once a beautiful automobile.  (kk) 

And now it's 24 and counting ...

Ella Langley's "Choosin' Texas" just notched another week on top of Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart.  How is it that so many new people continue to embrace this song every week???  

Billboard recounts her amazing chart run, dating all the way back to last December when the song went barely unnoticed after its chart debut.  Pretty fascinating stuff!  (kk)

https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/ella-langley-choosin-texas-hot-100-record-backlash-1236349866/?bt_ee=iUhylXZ4wvWPH81mghSD5K5bVRhkdZi3XVDEsEwIBEMGSxuXngvehp%2BIJDHHjMEM&bt_ts=1790713084376 

It was quite a surprise (and a treat!) to hear Rick Nelson singing “I Will Follow You” in a commercial prior to The Bears’ Monday Night Football Game.  The ad is for the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra … and how they came upon this selection is anyone’s guess … but I always did like Rick’s take on this tune, a #1 Hit for Little Peggy March in 1963 as “I Will Follow Him.”  (The song took on religious overtones when it was used in the Whoopi Goldberg film “Sister Act.”)  Geoff Lambert tells us that 64 years ago this week, Rick Nelson performed “I Will Follow You” in a 1962 bridal episode of “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” … so there seems to be a certain symmetry to the timing of all of this!  (Petula Clark had a minor European hit with this song, sung in French, that same year, released under its original title “Chariot.”  Her English version, recorded later that year, was the first time that the title “I Will Follow Him” was used.)  Nelson’s version appeared on his “For Your Sweet Love” album.  The song was originally conceived as an instrumental, written by Franck Pourcel, under the pseudonym J.W. Stole, and Paul Mauriat, the “Love Is Blue” guy, under the pseudonym Del Roma.  It has since taken on a life of its own!  (kk)

And how about Bears third-string quarterback Case Keenum, making his first start since Christmas Eve, 2023 ... scoring his first rushing touchdown since 2019  ... the 38-year old veteran led the Bears to an unexpected 27-7 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.  (Sure, he's now Chad Powers ... but he looked pretty damn good to me!!!)  This is a game Bears fans will be talking about for a while!

I have to admit that between The Bears' surprise victory ... and The Cubs and Sox BOTH playing in the playoffs this year ... it's a pretty exciting time here in Chicago right now!  (kk)

Thanks so much, Kent, for your comprehensive column on the music of 1971. Truly an amazing and memorable year in my own musical history and youth. I was 20. 

Ron

>>I still love the music from 1969 … but I came to realize this past year that I’m more vested in the songs from ’71 … they’ve remained a very strong part of my life … so 1969 drops to third place now on my personal list of yearly favorites.  (kk)

No need to agonize over the best year in music.  The definitive answer is in your Top 3333 Classic Rock list. 

I just filtered each year and counted the entries.  The results are below.  All three of your choices made the Top 3, but your #1 choice 1967 only came in at #3.  Some songs have more than one year, so the total is greater than 3333.

Ed Erxleben

1971	202
1969	182
1967	178
1970	169
1973	164
1972	147
1977	144
1968	143
1975	141
1982	134
1980	129
1979	128
1978	124
1983	118
1976	113
1966	111
1974	109
1981	109
1984	97
1965	95
1985	79
1986	74
1964	62
1987	61
1989	50
1988	37
1991	32
1994	25
1990	24
1992	21
1993	18
1995	17
1996	14
1963	13
1956	10
1998	10
1999	10
1957	8
1997	8
1962	7
1958	6
1961	6
2000	6
2002	6
1955	5
1959	4
2004	4
1960	3
2003	3
2005	3
2006	3
2010	3
1954	2
2008	2
2009	2
2013	2
2001	1
2007	1
2016	1
2017	1

Interesting statistics … even more so since my 4^th Favorite Year in Music is 1970, which also just happens to come in in 4^th Place here!!!

Keep in mind that The Top 3333 are not indicative of MY choices … but rather the consensus of just over a million votes, airplay records and iTunes popularity based on number of downloads … so these choices represent the feelings of a very wide-spread range of Classic Rock aficionados.  (This list is currently in the process of being revised ... which likely won't occur until sometime next year.  What I really want to do THIS time is find somebody who'll air the entire countdown, maybe in a circulating rotation so you can tune in whenever you want and still catch part of the countdown.  Time will tell.)  kk

Kent,

I may have sent this before, but altho I would not choose 1971 over late 60s years, I was my most prolific making my personal charts in 1971.  MOST weekly charts had top 200 current records + top 50 LPs.  Top 200 included LP cuts, but mostly singles.  Here's what my top cuts of the year 1971 looked like:

Clark Besch

Ted Gorden Smucker is putting together another WLS Rewound Reunion that’ll air on Sunday, October 11^th on WLS.  Scott Childers will handle the hosting duties and WLS superstar alumni will include Fred Winston, Jeff Davis and newsman Lyle Dean.  More details as they become available.  (kk)

If you happened to miss Micky Dolenz's live commentary on The Monkees' official 60th Anniversary last week, you can catch it here:  https://www.youtube.com/live/MbtxWNC7hHY 

From Tom Cuddy …

Jimmy Webb Searches For A Love “Farther Than Eyes Can See” With New Single Featuring Michael McDonald

https://shorefire.com/releases/entry/jimmy-webb-farther-than-eyes-can-see-new-single-featuring-michael-mcdonald

View the video here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fw52lwwwp4s

Congratulations to Glen Fisher who, after fifteen years of publishing the Doo-Wop Ramblings newsletter, is calling it quits to spend more time with his wife in order to take care of her health issues.

You had a good. long run, Glen, but as we all learn at various times along the way, sometimes “real life” gets in the way of doing the “fun” things we enjoy doing the most. 

I wish the best for both of you … and understand that the radio show will continue … so you’ll never be far from listening range.  (kk)

Rod Stewart is evidently a glutton for punishment.

He has now announced 2027 as his LAST year of touring.  (After all the health issues he’s battled this year, one can only wonder why!)

He’s saying that he’s NOT retiring … just giving up touring. (Stewart will turn 82 in January of next year.)

Here’s his official statement:

“Ladies and gentlemen, after much deliberation and sadness, I have to announce next year will be my last tour ever, ever. I’m not retiring, but this will be the last rock and roll tour.  I wanna thank you for everything you’ve given me, and hopefully I’ve given you something in return.” He then sang, “Please come out and see me on the tour. It’s gonna be great!”

A list of planned dates (thus far) can be found here:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/736200?irgwc=1&afsrc=1&clickid=13G3Q7TcGxyZWvnSQKXFe3aTUkrwytSxRSCJ1w0&camefrom=CFC_BUYAT_166800&impradid=166800&REFERRAL_ID=tmfeedbuyat166800&wt.mc_id=aff_BUYAT_166800&utm_source=166800-Best%20Classic%20Bands&impradname=Best%20Classic%20Bands&utm_medium=affiliate&ircid=4272

But be forewarned that Stewart cancelled a number of shows this past year, including some that were already rescheduled due to previous cancellations.  So buy your tickets knowing in advance that this tour may not go off exactly as planned.  (kk)

Speaking of hitting the road, with Stevie Wonder set to go out and perform “Songs In The Key Of Life” in its entirety as part of the multi-Grammy winning album’s 50^th Anniversary, he released four tracks from the vault this past week that didn’t make the final cut on the released album.  (If you recall, the double LP even came with a bonus 4-track EP … these newly released track are in addition to everything else that had been released thus far.)

The “new” tracks are:  “It’s Easier,” “My Life Story of Love,” “I Can See the Sun In Late December,” and “I’m Into Livin’.”  The new bonus tracks (roughly 20 minutes of music) are now available for purchase thru the usual downloading sources … and they’re really not bad!  (kk)

This past weekend marked the 43^rd anniversary of the release of the film “The Big Chill.”  Purely by coincidence, Frannie and I watched it the week before, totally at random, unaware that such an anniversary was looming.

The film itself doesn’t hold up all that well … although there are certainly some key moments that take you back … but the soundtrack is simply incredible.  Heavy on material from their catalog, Motown Records won the rights to the soundtrack release … but there are SO many other great songs that were featured that a second volume had to be issued a year later.  The film is worth watching again if only for the music.  (kk)

September 29th, 1966

60 YEARS AGO TODAY:

9/29/66 - The Chevrolet Camaro is introduced

 

 

The very first Camaro commercial ... 

 

Also on 9/29, for the third time in his career, Los Angeles Dodgers pitching ace Sandy Koufax records his 300th strike-out of the season.

Although currently in first place, The Dodgers have yet to clinch the National League title.  With three games to go, they are currently two games ahead of The Pittsburgh Pirates and three and a half games ahead of The San Francisco Giants.  They won't OFFICIALLY head to The World Series until Koufax pitches again on October 2nd to clinch the National League Pennant.  He'll finish the season with 317 strike-outs.  This will be The Dodgers' third trip to The World Series in the past five years.  (Be sure to check out our October 2nd 60 YEARS AGO TODAY posting.)

1971

This email gave me pause for thought last week ...

So I'm sharing some of those thoughts with you today.

 

Hello Kent –

I read today that you consider 1971 your runner up to 1967 as the greatest year for music.  I do not recall reading this announcement.  Would love to know why you changed your number 2 from 1969 to 1971.  

By the way, 1966 is looking damn good so far on your Super Chart.  

R Lovelock

I’ve always been partial to the music of 1971 … maybe because that’s the year I graduated high school and was very aware of the musical soundtrack of that time.

This past year, I’ve heard a lot of music from ’71 in a sort of “55 Years Ago Today” sort of way.  (Our FH Buddy Sammy Tallerico has played a TON of great music from 1971 this past year on his "Lost And Found Oldies Show" [or LAFOS for short.]  Album cuts, deep tracks, B-Sides and the full genre of pop, R&B, country and easy listening ... and I swear he has a way of picking out two or three of my absolute favorites each week that I haven't heard for years!!!  Check him out [if you're not already a regular listener] here:  https://www.mixcloud.com/LAFOS/)  I also just recently read “Never A Dull Moment,” a VERY good book by David Hepworth, subtitled “1971: The Year That Rock Exploded.”

Classic Rock was VERY strong that year … “Led Zeppelin IV,” “Abraxas,” “Chicago II” (and their CTA album still holding strong), “Sticky Fingers” … plus classic albums like “Tapestry” and “Mud Slide Slim” … “Ram” and “Imagine” plus George’s “All Things Must Pass” and “Concert For Bangla Desh” soundtrack.  Songs that came back stronger later like “Lucky Man” and “Layla.”

A short while back Phil Nee (WRCO) and I counted down our Top 71 Favorites from 1971 … personal choices irregardless of how these song actually charted.  When compared to the ACTUAL Top 71 Songs of 1971, we certainly chose some favorites and “guilty pleasures” when compiling our personal lists … but still, you can’t argue with tracks like “Joy To The World,” “It’s Too Late,” Just My Imagination,” “Brown Sugar,” “Stairway To Heaven,” “You’ve Got A Friend,” “Ain’t No Sunshine” and many others.  Then we've got our local hits to consider ... "L.A. Goodbye" by The Ides Of March and "Roll On" by The New Colony Six ... "Riders On The Storm," "Stay With Me" by The Faces, "I'd Love To Change The World," "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Bell Bottom Blues" ... the list goes on and on.  (I think I could program an entire 3-day week of nothing but 1971 music that would just blow you away ... 'cause you couldn't go three songs in a row without being completely knocked out by "this one" or "the next one!"

I still love the music from 1969 … but I came to realize this past year that I’m more vested in the songs from ’71 … they’ve remained a very strong part of my life … so 1969 drops to third place now on my personal list of yearly favorites.  

As for 1966, a LOT of people have selected this as their favorite year in music ... and attribute the changes to the overall sound kicking in this year.  (I'll always argue that it was '67, 'tho, that REALLY pushed the envelope.)  The Super Charts show the story as it was at the time ... there's no room for argument there because the charts don't lie.  But '66 falls considerably lower on my own personal list of favorite years.  (kk)

 

 

Based on a compilation of year end chart information gathered from all three major music trade publications (Billboard, Cash Box and Record World) along with Joel Whitburn's Record Research 1971 Pop Annual rankings and the book "Ranking The '70's" by Dann Isbell and Bill Carroll (as well as our own research of the weekly 1971 Super Charts), here is OUR final Year-End Chart annotating ....

 

THE TOP 71 RECORDS OF 1971 

 1 - Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
 2 - It's Too Late - Carole King
 3 - Maggie May - Rod Stewart 
 4 - Knock Three Times - Dawn
 5 - Indian Reservation - Paul Revere and the Raiders
 6 - How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - The Bee Gees
 7 - One Bad Apple - The Osmonds
 8 - Go Away Little Girl - Donny Osmond
 9 - Just My Imagination - The Temptations
10 - Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver
11 - Want Ads - Honey Cone
12 - She's A Lady - Tom Jones
13 - Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
14 - You've Got A Friend - James Taylor
15 - Me And Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin
16 - Brown Sugar - The Rolling Stones
17 - What's Going On - Marvin Gaye
18 - Never Can Say Goodbye - The Jackson Five
19 - Treat Her Like A Lady - Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
20 - Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth
21 - Superstar - The Carpenters
22 - Rose Garden - Lynn Anderson
23 - Put Your Hand In The Hand - Ocean
24 - The Night They Drove Ole Dixie Down - Joan Baez
25 - Gypsys, Tramps and Thieves - Cher
26 - Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey - Paul McCartney
27 - Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
28 - Theme from "Shaft" - Isaac Hayes
29 - Don't Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds
30 - Family Affair - Sly and the Family Stone
31 - Signs - The Five Man Electrical Band
32 - It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr
33 - Rainy Days And Mondays - The Carpenters
34 - My Sweet Lord - George Harrison
35 - Draggin' The Line - Tommy James
36 - Yo Yo - The Osmonds
37 - Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted - The Partridge Family
38 - Mama's Pearl - The Jackson Five
39 - Tired Of Being Alone - Al Green
40 - A Brand New Key - Melanie
41 - Have You Seen Her - The Chi-Lites
42 - Do You Know What I Mean - Lee Michaels
43 - For All We Know - The Carpenter
44 - Spanish Harlem - Aretha Franklin
45 - Temptation Eyes - The Grass Roots
46 - Imagine - John Lennon
47 - Lonely Days - The Bee Gees
48 - One Less Bell To Answer - The Fifth Dimension
49 - Mercy Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye
50 - Chick-A-Boom - Daddy Dewdrop
51 - Bridge Over Troubled Water - Aretha Franklin
52 - Sweet And Innocent - Donny Osmond
53 - Amos Moses - Jerry Reed
54 - I've Found Someone Of My Own - Free Movement
55 - I Hear You Knocking - Dave Edmunds
56 - If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
57 - Superstar - Murray Head
58 - Help Me Make It Through The Night - Sammi Smith
59 - Baby I'm-A Want You - Bread
60 - Mr. Bojangles - The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 
61 - Black Magic Woman -Santana
62 - Groove Me - King Floyd
63 - If I Were Your Woman - Gladys Knight and the Pips
64 - An Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night
65 - Got To Be There - Jackson Five
66 - Whatcha See Is What You Get - The Dramatics
67 - Have You Ever Seen The Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
68 - If You Really Love Me - Stevie Wonder
69 - That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be - Carly Simon
70 - Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
71 - Proud Mary - Ike and Tina Turner

And here are The Top Twenty Albums of 1971:

 1 - TAPESTRY - Carole King (how could it NOT be?!?!)
 2 - JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR - Original Cast
 3 - PEARL - Janis Joplin
 4 - ABRAXAS - Santana
 5 - CLOSE TO YOU - The Carpenters
 6 - THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY ALBUM - The Partridge Family
 7 - SWEET BABY JAMES - James Taylor
 8 - CHICAGO III - Chicago
 9 - ALL THINGS MUST PASS - George Harrison
10 - TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN - Cat Stevens
11 - GREATEST HITS - Sly and the Family Stone
12 - STICKY FINGERS - The Rolling Stones
13 - SANTANA 3 - Santana
14 - EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY - Rod Stewart
15 - LOVE STORY - Soundtrack
16 - IMAGINE - John Lennon
17 - CHAPTER TWO - Roberta Flack
18 - RAM - Paul McCartney
19 - SHAFT - Isaac Hayes / Soundtrack
20 - NATURALLY - Three Dog Night

And THESE were The Top 40 Fan Favorites as voted on by Forgotten Hits Readers and the listeners of Phil Nee's WRCO "Those Were The Days" radio program (where we counted these down earlier this year):

 1 - BROWN SUGAR - The Rolling Stones

 2 - IT'S TOO LATE - Carole King

 3 - L.A. GOODBYE - The Ides Of March

 4 - MIGHTY CLOUDS OF JOY - B.J. Thomas

 5 - JOY TO THE WORLD - Three Dog Night

 6 - WHAT IS LIFE - George Harrison

 7 - IF I WERE YOUR WOMAN - Gladys Knight and the Pips

 8 - IT DON'T COME EASY - Ringo Starr

 9 - LUCKY MAN - Emerson, Lake and Palmer

10 - BELL BOTTOM BLUES - Derek and the Dominoes

11 - I'D LOVE TO CHANGE THE WORLD - Ten Years After

12 - LONELY DAYS - The Bee Gees

13 - ME AND YOU AND A DOG NAMED BOO - Lobo

14 - RIDERS ON THE STORM - The Doors

15 - DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN - Lee Michaels

16 - BLACK MAGIC WOMAN - Santana

17 - MAGGIE MAY - Rod Stewart

18 - BABY, I'M-A WANT YOU - Bread

19 - TEMPTATION EYES - The Grass Roots

20 - WOODSTOCK - Matthews' Southern Comfort

21 - JUST MY IMAGINATION - The Temptations

22 - WE GOTTA GET YOU A WOMAN - Runt

23 - ROLL ON - The New Colony Six

24 - GET IT ON - Chase

25 - SOONER OR LATER - The Grass Roots

26 - FRESH AS A DAISY - Emitt Rhondes

27 - RINGS - Cymarron

28 - WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN - The Who

29 - EIGHTEEN - Alice Cooper

30 - HAVE YOU SEEN HER - The Chi-Lites

31 - DRAGGIN' THE LINE - Tommy James

32 - LET YOUR LOVE GO - Bread

33 - I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE - Rare Earth

34 - AIN'T NO SUNSHINE - Bill Withers

35 - WILD WORLD - Cat Stevens

36 - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN - Led Zeppelin

37 - INDIAN RESERVATION - Paul Revere and the Raiders

38 - WALK AWAY - The James Gang

39 - IT' A CRYIN' SHAME - Gayle McCormick

40 - TREAT HER LIKE A LADY - Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose