Canadian group Wednesday's remake of the '60's classic "Last Kiss" (which only reached #34 in Billboard Magazine) was a HUGE hit here in Chicago. In fact, WE started playing it again in our rock band Kumsah right around this time because it had become such a popular radio track.
An eclectic mix to be sure ... a novelty hit by Dickie Goodman (ALWAYS extremely popular here in Chicago) ... the unusual ("The Lord's Prayer" by Sister Janet Mead?!?!) ... a foreign track ("Eres Tu" by Mocedades) ... and the God-Awful "Abra-Ca-Dabra" by The DeFranco Family ... quite possibly the worst record EVER recorded!!!
When's the last time you heard ANY of these tunes???
And, speaking of Canada, we reach back to 1959 for this batch ... Ritchie Valens tops this CKOY Canadian Chart with "La Bamba" ... and Buddy Holly's in The Top Ten, too, with "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", a song written for him by Paul Anka ... who was also immortalized in Annette's #14 Hit this week, "Tall Paul".
Last week we mentioned the absence of Elvis Presely on the chart ... but this week in Canada his latest two sided hit premiers at numbers 22 and 27 (with "I Need Your Love Tonight" earning the better showing first time on the chart ... "A Fool Such As I" would become the real hit, eventually hitting #1.)
Wrapping up this week's survey salute is this chart from WJET Radio. Marvin Gaye's asking "What's Going On" ... and maybe that's because we've got two solo Beatle hits in The Top Five this week in 1971 ... "Another Day" by Paul McCartney is at #2 ... and "What Is Life" by George Harrison is at #5.
You'll find some other real surprises here as well ...
"Lucky Man" by Emerson, Lake and Palmer (one of my very favorite songs of all time) is a Top Ten Hit ... and Magic Lantern is in The Top Ten, too, with "One Night Stand", a song that never climbed higher than #74 on the Billboard Chart.
Quicksilver, Dusk (Bell's answer to Dawn ... who are also at #21), Salvage, a Billboard "Bubbling Under" hit by The Cowsills, "Freedom" by Jimi Hendrix (!), "When You Dance" by Neil Young (this week's "Pick Hit" no less!), Poco, John Lennon's future short-term back-up band Elephant's Memory, one of our heroes, Emitt Rhodes at #42 with "Live Till You Die" and a Zager and Evans hit (in 1971 ... "Hydra 15,000") make you scratch your head and wonder ... just what the heck kind of radio station WAS this?!?!? (All the more bizarre when you see Andy Williams and Donny Osmond in The Top Ten!!!)
Looks like they came out of Erie, PA ... and they're still on the air!
