Emitt Rhodes' early band The Merry-Go-Round has a KACY Kontender with their latest single, "You're A Very Lovely Woman" ... and it's neat to see artists like The Everly Brothers, Teddy Neeley, Don and the Good Times, The Fifth Estate (with "The Goofin' Song"), Lewis and Clarke and Bobby Goldsboro all charting with songs that never made much of a mark at all nationally. (Notice The Turtles bringing up the rear with one of our Forgotten Hits favorites, "You Know What I Mean"???)
I guess when it comes to this KACY Chart, Harpers Bizarre sang it best ... "Anything Goes"!!!
Lots of local talent on this WLS Super Summer Survey from 1967.
The Cryan' Shames top the list with "It Could Be We're In Love", a song that would sit in the #1 Spot for four consecutive weeks. (Why they always referred to it as "We're In Love" on WLS is beyond me!) This one SHOULD have been a Top Ten National Hit ... and a Summer of Love Classic.
Chicago's Buckinghams are at #7 with "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", Michael and the Messengers (from nearby Milwaukee) are at #12 with their version of "(Just Like) Romeo And Juliet" and The Flock have a Top 20 Hit this week as well, with my all-time favorite by them, "Take Me Back". (Bruce Mattey of The New Colony Six does a KILLER version of this track live in concert.)
And, speaking of The New Colony Six, you'll find them at #24 with "I'm Just Waiting, Anticipating", a song written by a young Tony Orlando. Bringing up the rear for Chicago talent are The Mauds ... they've the #38 Hit with their version of Sam and Dave's "Hold On".
Another record that did fairly well here in Chicago was "Lonely Drifter" by Pieces Of Eight. This week it climbs a couple of notches to #22. And I really liked Sandy Posey's latest hit this week, too ... "I Take It Back". (For YEARS, whenever I was confronted with the need to apologize, I used to say "I take it back ... I didn't mean it ... I must have been out of my head" ... and absolutely NOBODY had a CLUE what I was talking about!!!)
This 1970 Chart from WHBQ in Memphis shows The Rascals at #3 with "Glory Glory", a song that didn't even make The Top 50 in Billboard.
A couple of big movers this week ... "In The Summertime" is up ten places to #4 for Mungo Jerry ... Edwin Starr's "War" jumps from #28 to #7, "Yellow River" by Christie is up six places from #17 to #11, The Guess Who have another hit as "Hand Me Down World" climbs from #22 to #13. The re-release of Neil Diamond's first hit single "Solitary Man" jumps from #21 to #14 and Tony Joe White's latest, "Save Your Sugar For Me" is up eight spots from #30 to #22 ... this one never got any higher than #94 on the Billboard Singles Chart.
Here's a 1974 Chart from KEDD in Dodge City. Jim Stafford's back on the chart with "Wildwood Weed" ... as are some songs that don't jump to the tip of your tongue when you think back to the biggest hits of 1974 ... "River's Risin'" by The Edgar Winter Group, "Put Out The Light" by Joe Cocker, "Light Shines" by Jesse Colin Young, "Run Him Back To Mama" by Chase and "Love Is The Message" by MFSB ... but ALL of these are Top 20 Hits on this KEDD Chart!
And the obscurities don't stop there ... how about "It's Raining" by Rick Derringer, "Shinin' On" by Grand Funk, "Kalimba Story" by Earth, Wind and Fire, "Eyes Of Silver" by The Doobie Brothers, "Travelin' Prayer" by Billy Joel, "Get Out Of Denver" by Bob Seger and "Walk On" by Neil Young.
Big names? Yes. Big hits??? Not hardly. While some of these charted nationally, they're hardly the songs you think of by these big name artists ... but KEDD apparently played them all back in '74.
