And now this from Forgotten Hits Musical Director, Chuck
Buell …
It was on this day sometime in the Middle Ages, the Recorder
was invented.
(OK, maybe not on this exact day but sometime in
the 1500s!)
And, obviously, not the Tape Recorder so many
of us know so very well, but instead a rather famous Musical Instrument for most all of us Forgotten Hitters who grew up going to
Elementary school Six Hundred Years after the “Middle Ages” were subjected to
this medieval torture of being forced to learn to play the shrill-sounding "Recorder!
Personal Spoiler Alert: I detested creating that ear-piercing,
teeth clenching, eye-squinting squealing sound as I made my futile attempt of
“making music” when but a defenseless young Boy!
Oh, and why was this Brain-splitting Instrument called
the “Recorder?” It doesn’t “record” anything in the sense of the word as we
know it today.
Well, the instrument’s name is derived from the Latin word,
“recordārī,” which means “to call to mind, remember, recollect,” which later in
history was defined as “to remember, to learn by heart, to repeat.”
In Latin, “re” means “again” and “cord” means
to call from memory. I guess that’s the definition of “recording.” Simplifying all that,
if one could sing a simple melody like, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” “Mary
Had a Little Lamb,” or “Bah, Bah Black Sheep,” one theoretically then could
easily play a Recorder because they already knew the “tune.”
All this made me wonder if Manfred Mann who “recorded” his
1968 Hit, “The Mighty Quinn”
played the Recorder when he was in Grade School.
Or, if Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, who co-wrote
their 1966 Hit, “California Dreaming,” was an Elementary School Recorder
Player.
Or, if Crispian St. Peter with his 1966 Hit “Pied Piper” was influenced
by his early exposure to the Recorder!
Or if James Darren, with his 1961 Hit, “Goodbye Cruel World,”
lobbied for a recorder sound.
So, here then is my “Chuck Buell
Recorder Minute Medley Mashup Montage” focusing on these Artists' brief “recorder-sounding”
elements in their songs, and a Minute and a Half Video revealing how
the Recorder came about!
(Best to watch "How the Recorder Came About," then my "Recorder Minute Medley!")
CB ( which stands for “Corrupted Boy!” )
When played properly, the recorder (and its much more sophisticated cousin, the flute) can add a lot ... even to a rock song. (Where would Chicago's "Colour My World" be without it?!?!)
And it grew from there ...
Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull even went so far as to plug his in, creating a brand new and totally unique "electric flute" sound in their innovative music. (How on earth are THESE guys not in The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ... whose whole purpose was supposed to be recognizing and honoring artists that took rock music as an art form to a brand new level??? I'm not even particularly a fan of their stuff ... but what's right is right!!!)
A properly played flute can enhance any recording ... there may be no sound more beautiful.
I have to admit that I was shocked and surprised when I got this video Christmas Card last year from an old friend who I never would have suspected of having a soft spot in his heart for the beauty of a well-played flute ...
(Let's just say that he's not particularly known for his sensitivity level!)
Yet even he was still moved enough by the sound of this instrument to learn how to play it himself.
Another '60's survivor that most, if speaking honestly, wouldn't have expected to last this long (he was 81), Crosby first reached fame as a member of The Byrds ... and then broke away to join forces with Stephen Stills (of Buffalo Springfield), Graham Nash (of The Hollies) ... and sometimes Neil Young (also an ex-Springfield member) to create one of the first (and most prominent) Super Groups.
Together CSN(&Y) placed nine songs in Billboard's Top 40 (none of which were written by or actually featured David Crosby on lead vocals.) Yet it is said he had an impeccable ear for harmony and their voices just fell in together in a perfect blend the very first time they all sat down to give it a shot.
Crosby's prominence in both bands made him a two-time Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee.
His wife's statement said he was suffering from a long illness (although no exact details were released at the time) ... but we also read that he was still sending messages thru his Twitter account as recently as Wednesday. (One comment addressed heaven ... Crosby called it "overrated" ... and "cloudy.") New recordings ... and even a new tour ... had also been discussed recently ... so he must have been feeling well enough to undertake these taxing upcoming ventures.
When singer Melissa Etheridge decided she wanted to have kids, it was David Crosby who provided the seed to do so. (They ultimately had two children together.)
One of my favorite recordings of David's was the duet he did with Phil Collins in 1993. "Hero" spent a total of 20 weeks on the chart, peaking at #44.
Congratulations to Jeff Lynne, Gloria Estefan, Glen
Ballard, Snoop Dogg, Sade, Liz Rose, and Teddy Riley, all members of The Class
of 2023 just elected to The Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
I think I’m a bit more appalled by the
list of nominees who did NOT make it in this year …Bryan Adams; Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson
of Heart; Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, and Patrick Simmons of the Doobie
Brothers; Steve Winwood; Vince Gill; Patti Smith; and the songwriting teams of
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart; Clem Burke, Debbie Harry, and Chris Stein of
Blondie; and Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Michael Stipe of R.E.M.(That’s some pretty steep competition!)
It sounds like Graceland will go to Lisa Marie’s daughters
Riley, Harper and Finley.
While Lisa sold off the majority of her rights to Elvis
Presley Enterprises several years ago, she did still hold a 15% interest … and
the physical property of Graceland, which will now move to her three surviving
daughters, much as Elvis included Lisa as one of his heirs at the time of his
passing.(kk)
Man, January's been a tough month ... and we're only 2/3 thru it. Meanwhile, we’re still getting emails singing the praises of the late Jeff Beck …
Here is a link to Part 1 of an excellent 2-Part interview
with Jeff Beck pertaining to his other life, cars, and his music.
Ever wonder
where Todd Rundgren's early band, The Nazz, got its unusual name? Look no
further than "The Nazz Are Blue," a 1966 Yardbirds' B-side featuring
a rare Jeff Beck lead vocal. Rundgren once called Beck the greatest electric
guitarist of all time.
Beck would go
on to have a couple of UK chart hits in 1967 as a solo artist, "Hi-Ho
Silver Lining" and "Tallyman."The former would become an enduring UK sing-along party favorite. The
latter was written by Graham Gouldman, a freelance tunesmith responsible for
three of the Yardbirds' biggest hits.
Mike Gentry
And a couple from Todd …
>>>MOST of the songs on the list
of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits, 1970 - 1989 don’t receive anywhere NEAR the
airplay that the “heavy repeats” get on a daily basis!In fact, it’s hardly representative of what
we’re actually hearing …
Truth be told, I’d put nearly every
single one of these songs on Ross’ Lost Factor List!(kk)
I must listen to the wrong radio stations. I have not heard any of
these songs, on the radio in decades. (Not that I’d want to anytime soon.)
Jack
Kenny Loggins has announced his final, farewell tour.
Appropriately titled “This Is It,” Loggins is kicking things
off in March … and (so far anyway) has only announced eleven stops.(Dates are being spread out throughout the
year, running from March 10th thru October 27th.)
Announced dates include:
March 10th – Van Wezel Performing Arts
Hall @ Sarasota, FL
March 12th – Florida Theatre @ Jacksonville, FL
March 26th – Good Life Festival @ Queen Creek, AZ
April 28th – Dickies Arena @ Fort Worth, TX
April 30th – New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival @ New Orleans, LA
June 15th – Wolf Trap @ Vienna, VA
June 17th – Virginia Arts Festival @ Williamsburg, VA
August 17th – Family Arena @ St. Charles, MO
August 19th – Ravinia Festival @ Highland Park, IL
October 14th - The Mountain Winery @ Saratoga, CA
October 27th – YouTube Theater @ Inglewood, CA
Madonna has also announced her “Four
Decades” tour, kicking off this summer with stops all over North America before
departing for a European leg
Saturday, July 15th – Vancouver, BC –
Rogers Arena
Tuesday, July 18th – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Saturday, July 22nd – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Tuesday, Juyl 25th – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
Thursday, July 27th – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
Sunday, July 30th – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Wednesday, August 2nd – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Saturday, August 5th – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
Monday, August 7th – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
Wednesday, August 9th – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sunday, August 13th – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
Saturday, August 19th – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
Wednesday, August 23rd – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Thursday, August 24th – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Wednesday, August 30th – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Saturday, September 2nd – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
Tuesday, September 5th – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
Thursday, September 7th – Tampa, FL –
Amalie Arena
Saturday, September 9th – Miami, FL – Miami-Dade Arena
Wednesday, September 13th – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Monday, September 18th – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
Thursday, September 21st – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX
Wednesday, September 27th – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
Wednesday, October 4th – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center
Saturday, October 7th – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
THE
CELEBRATION TOUR EUROPE DATES:
Saturday, October
14th – London, UK – The O2
Saturday, October 21st – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis
Wednesday, October 25th – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
Saturday, October 28th – Stockholm, SE – Tele2
Wednesday, November 1st – Barcelona, ES – Palau Sant Jordi
Monday, November 6th – Lisbon, PT – Altice Arena
Sunday, November 12th – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
Monday, November 13th – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
Wednesday, November 15th – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena
Thursday, November 23rd – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum
Tuesday, November 28th – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena
Friday, December 1s – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
Another
possible Spice Girls reunion?With
Victoria Beckham onboard?
That’s the
rumor.Although nothing definite is in
the works, it sounds like all of the girls (who recently gathered to celebrate
Gerri Halliwell’s 50th birthday) might be intune with the idea.(An appearance Glastonbury as their “Legends
Act” has been bandied about … but according to Mel C, their schedules don’t
align to make such a thing happen.)
Still, it
sounds like all five Spice Girls seem to be open to the idea, the shocker being
Posh Spice.(Sporty says it’s more a
FOMO situation … Fear Of Missing Out on a great time!Lol) We’ll keep you posted.(kk)
All,
You can listen to the podcast of the New Colony
Six tribute from last week here via the link below. It focuses on the
Sentaur / Centaur / Sentar years. The NC6 part starts about 23 minutes into it
so you can drop the cursor up there.
And, if interested in hearing MY show from two
Saturdays ago, it has a mostly Chicago spotlight about 20 minutes.(No NC6 music, tho, except a backing track
and an appearance in WCFL Top 10 countdown.)
I just thought of two records
that would pertain to the subject matter of today's FH. One is one I
believe I mentioned some months ago in FH and that was a novelty record
called CUSTER'S LAST MAN by a group that called themselves Pop Corn
& the Mohawks. This was on Motown, and produced by Berry Gordy Jr.
Smokey Robinson co-wrote it. Also, THE POPCORN SONG by Cliffie Stone in
1955. There may be more but I can't think of any offhand.
Larry
Funnily enough as I was driving home from work (still listening to clips from the WLS / WCFL Rewound Radio Labor Day Weekend Special) I heard a broadcast of a Kris Erik Stevens program from 1972, by which time he had moved over to WCFL.
What's the first song I hear Kris play??? "Popcorn" by Hot Butter!!!
Kris and regular FH contributor Chuck Buell followed each other on the air on WLS in the late '60's and early '70's. They were part of the station's "youth movement" to try and draw younger listeners to their Top 40 playlist. (The marketing campaign was "It's More Fun When You're Young!")
I let Chuck know about it since his feature was running on Thursday (National Popcorn Day) and Chuck told me:
I had a friend tell me this morning (after bringing up the song) that "It's now stuck in my mind as an earworm! Much like a popcorn husk gets stuck in your teeth!"
I loved that comparison in this instance! CB
Reelin’ In The Years Productions has announced that it has
signed an exclusive contract with the legendary Friars Club Of New York to
represent its archive of filmed and recorded private events spanning 70-plus
years. The Friars Archive contains nearly 1000 hours of never-before-seen
or-heard video and audio recordings of comedians, actors, sports figures, and
iconic musicians.
Since its founding in 1904, the
famed club has been honoring comedians, politicians, actors, musicians and
other luminaires at its fundraising celebrity luncheons (aka roasts),
testimonial dinners and at private events.
The Friars Archive dates back to
1950 and the list of comedians whose performances were preserved on both video
and audio tape is truly staggering. Some of the legendary comics that appeared
at these landmark affairs include Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, George Burns,
Jack Benny, Don Rickles, Bob Saget, Buddy Hackett, Milton Berle, Lucille Ball,
Norm Crosby, Dick Gregory, Jerry Seinfeld, Johnny Carson, Alan King, Amy Schumer,
Flip Wilson, George Carlin, Jeff Ross, Will Ferrell, Carol Burnett, Sid Caesar,
Gilbert Gottfried, Bill Maher, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Henny Youngman, Steven
Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Hope, Lily Tomlin, Jerry Lewis, Sacha Baron
Cohen, Rich Little, David Letterman, Howard Stern, Joan Rivers, Billy Crystal,
Steve Allen, Martin Short, John Oliver, Lewis Black, Sarah Silverman, Phyllis
Diller, Redd Foxx, Ricky Gervais, Bob Newhart, Carl Reiner and a host of
others. This collection clearly establishes the Friars Archive as the Holy
Grail Of Comedy.
Many of Hollywood’s greatest
actors, actresses and directors are also part of this one-of-a-kind archive.
Such icons as Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, Lauren
Bacall, Samuel Jackson, Jack Black, Elizabeth Taylor, Burt Reynolds, Gregory
Peck, Betty White, Harvey Keitel, John Travolta, Audrey Hepburn, Kirk Douglas,
Meryl Streep, Cary Grant, Bruce Willis, Sharon Stone, Burt Lancaster, and
Sylvester Stallone appeared at annual dinners to honor and celebrate their
peers’ achievements in the world of film and television.
Along with famed comedy legends
and Hollywood royalty that were filmed and recorded by the Friars Club, many of
music’s greatest artists spoke or performed at these private events. Some who
appeared were Stevie Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Barbra
Streisand, The Bee Gees, Barry Manilow, Whitney Houston, Dean Martin, Sammy
Davis Jr, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Liza Minelli, Tony Bennett, Diana Ross
and Frank Sinatra who was also the Abbot at the Friars Club Of New York from
1975 to 1996.
Reelin’ In The Years Productions
has spent the last five months meticulously digitizing and fully cataloging the
archive, which exists on a variety of obsolete media formats. With hundreds of
tapes left to transfer, this will take many more months to complete.
David Peck, founder and
president of Reelin’ In The Years Productions said, “I’ve been representing
archives from around the globe for over 25 years; it’s quite a thrill to find
an archive where a treasure trove of content has been virtually untouched for
decades. It brings out the ‘Indiana Jones’ in me. and I am so honored that the
Friars Club has trusted us with such an important legacy.”
“For many years we’ve been
looking for the right home for our recorded legacy of laughter and
entertainment,” said Friars Club Creative Director Anthony Trombetta, “and we
feel that Reelin’ In The Years Productions is the perfect company to work with
us on this historic archive.”
For more information about the
Friars Club Archive and other footage in their vast holdings, please reach out
to Reelin’ In The Years Productions at www.reelinintheyears.com
Reelin’ In The Years Productions(winner of FOCAL’s
2020 “Footage Library of The Year Award”)is the premier
source for footage of musical artists, entertainers and history makers. Its
unique archive houses over 30,000 hours of music footage spanning 100 years. In
addition to its music footage archive, RITY has available for licensing over
10,000 hours of in-depth interviews with the 20th century’s icons of film and
television, politics, comedy, literature, art, science, fashion and sports,
filmed between 1962 and 2012.
David Peck (founder and
president of Reelin’ In The Years) has also directed and produced more than 70
historical music documentaries and programs focused primarily on the giants of
jazz, blues and rock & roll, garnering many awards in the process as well
as a a Grammy nomination. In 2020, David Peck was one of the Executive
Producers on the critically acclaimed documentary on the Bee Gees, “How Can You
Mend A Broken Heart” and is currently serving as one of the Co-Executive
Producers on a multi-part documentary series on the famed record Memphis record
label STAX that will air on HBO.
A
question for the house …
In
light of the many recent passings, so many of late that it seems even FH can't
keep up with them all, two unrelated items sorta got related, as I was doing
research for an upcoming project.
In
the research, I noticed that Ray Anthony (Peter Gunn Theme) will be turning 101
next Friday. (He's still with us.)
This
has probably been addressed before, but who, beyond Keith Richards & Willie
Nelson, is the oldest performer with a charted record still with us. There's a
few in their 90s, but I can't come up with anyone older than Ray.
Jack
Levin
Wow, good question …
I’m wondering if someone like Gary Theroux or Paul Haney
might know …
They’ve made it their life’s work to research these things.
(We were shocked to learn a few months back that Bill Hayes,
who hit the top of the charts with his version of “The Ballad Of Davy Crockett”
in 1955, was still with us ... AND still acting on "Days Of Our Lives!!!"Bill is 97
years old right now … still shy of Ray Anthony’s 101.I was also quite stunned to read the other
day that actor Robert Wagner is now in his 90’s.And, of course, we just lost Gina
Lollobrigida at the age of 95 a couple of days ago.)
Anybody got some theories about recording artists, still
living and members of the 100+ club???Let us know.Thanks!(kk)
Hi Kent,
Funny you should bring this up. We were just having a similar conversation at
the Record Research offices.
Here's a list of all the recording artists that I could think of that are 90 or
older:
Mervin Shiner - 101 (will turn 102 on 2/20/23) - He had a few Country hits from
1949-69.
Ray Anthony - 101 (turns 101 on 1/20/23)
Johnny Pate - 99
Jane Morgan - 98
Billy "The Kid" Emerson - 97
Dick Van Dyke - 97
Mel Brooks - 96
Tony Bennett - 96
Harry Belafonte - 95
Doc Severinsen - 95
Ed Ames - 95
Cleo Laine - 95
Burt Bacharach - 94
April Stevens - 93 (we listed her birth year as 1936, it's really 1929)
Leroy Van Dyke - 93
Bob Newhart - 93
Berry Gordy - 93
Rolf Harris - 92
Caterina Valente - 92
Clint Eastwood - 92 (yes, he actually hit the Country charts!)
Sonny Rollins - 92
Kenny Burrell - 91
Petula Clark - 90
Joel Grey - 90
Clive Davis - 90
Johnny Thunder - 90 (we listed his birth year as 1941, it's actually 1932)
If any of your readers can add to this list, I'd love to know!
Paul Haney
Record Research
Hi, Kent -
I'm not really sure.Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Lloyd
Price used to come to mind as extreme elders, but all of those folks are
now gone.Bruce Belland of The Four
Preps (born 1936) comes to mind, as does Freddy Cannon (born 1939) and
Wink Martindale (born 1933).
I don't really think about this
subject much, as, to me, the music of ALL hitmakers remains forever alive
-- even if they are not. Burt Bacharach is 93, Harry Belafonte is 94,
Tony Bennett is 95, Mel Brooks (who sang as one of Three Haircuts) is also 95,
as is Dick Van Dyke (who charted with Julie Andrews).
All the best,
Gary Theroux
"The History of Rock 'n' Roll"
Saw a T-Shirt the other day that read: "Boy, it sure is weird being the same age as all these old people"!!! (lol) Yep ... that's EXACTLY how I feel sometimes! (kk)
I often pop up a Bowl of Hot, Puffy, White, Salty Popcorn before I sit down each morning that there’s a Forgotten Hits Post to
read!
And TODAY I’ll make a Big
Buell Brimming Bowl of it!
Because Today, January 19th, is National
Popcorn Day!
And to Commemorate this Day, here's a Special Serving of Audio Popcorn, a Top Ten Hit from 1972 coincidentally enough, titled . . . . . "Pop Corn!"
CB ( which stands for “Corn
Boy!” )
The group Hot Butter (who is actually just a "band of one," featuring Stan Free playing his moog synthesizer) did, indeed, score a Top Ten Hit (it peaked at #7 in Record World ... and #9 in Billboard)) with this one in 1972.
But DIDJAKNOW that James Brown had an incredible FIVE Top 50 Hits with the word "Popcorn" in the title?!?! (And I'll bet ya can't hum a single one of 'em!!! lol) kk
Here's the biggest ...
"Mother Popcorn," ALSO a #7 Record World Hit ... from 1969.
You should do a voters’ poll of your listeners and compile The top
100 Yacht Rock songs of all time!
That would be fun.
Eddie C. Spencer
I
have never been a fan of the term “Yacht Rock” … and Sirius/XM’s over the top
exploitation of it has only served to worsen my feelings.(Plus I’m not even sure they have a playlist
of 200 songs!!! Which means you just keep hearing the same batch of songs again and again and again.And we pay money to
listen to this station!!!)
And
it seems to have gotten worse …
I
can’t tell you how many times in the past month that the last song I hear when
I pull into the driveway at night is then also the FIRST song I hear when I go
out to start my car for work the following morning!Are the playlists really THAT tight that you
have to repeat every 12 hours???And we
PAY for this!!!(Clearly, one of the
things we’re NOT paying for is variety.With an available song list of probably 3000 songs that fit the Yacht
Rock format perfectly, we are instead constantly fed the same 200.THIS kind of programming is EXACTLY what
prompted me to start Forgotten Hits 24 years ago!!!)
Sure
things:You’re going to hear something
by Ambrosia any time you turn it on for more than 20 minutes … and I used to
LOVE Ambrosia’s music … now I find myself turning it off due to pure saturation
… once again, radio’s narrow-minded play lists is ruining the music I love for
me.
You’re
going to hear Michael McDonald somehow, someway, at least 12-20 times a
day!!!Whether it be the repeated
airings of his solo hits “I Keep Forgettin’” and “I Gotta Try” (and, to a
lesser extent, “Yah Mo Be There” and “Sweet Freedom” (which I actually still
like) … his hits with The Doobie Brothers (“What A Fool Believes” seems to be
their go-to tune two or three times a day) … or any one of the 850 other tunes
he sang background on the the late ‘70’s and ‘80’s.(Key preference given to songs by Christopher
Cross and Kenny Loggins.)
You’re
going to hear Rupert Homes’ #1 Hit “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” a few times
a day … as well as regular airings of his less-deserving hits “Him” and
“Answering Machine.”
It
just goes on and on (although hearing “On And On” by Stephen Bishop right now
would be a pleasant surprise!)
Did
you happen to see that Paramount+ documentary that’s running right now?
It’s
a 3-Part profile of Soft Rock … how it grew to infinite proportions in the
‘70’s, continued on during most of the ‘80’s and then (according to them) just
COMPLETELY blew off the map by the end of the decade … as in “We now pronounce
you DEAD!!!”
My
experience with this music is that this simply isn’t true … and wasn’t the case
at all.
They
then go on to give undue credit to the Hip Hop Industry for resurrecting the
soft rock songs of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s by putting a new backbeat behind them
and introducing a whole new generation to this music … music that THEY grew up with
listening to their parents’ records.(There’s a similar segment in the recent Dionne Warwick profile where
she takes credit for turning Snoop Dogg’s career around and setting him a
better path with his music.)I just
don’t think the media is portraying an accurate version of “reality” when it
comes to the legacy of soft rock music.
Then,
just last week, the Ross On Radio column (one of the most respected radio
profile sheets out there) did an entire segment on Soft Rock Hits (while also
plugging the Paramount + special for at least the third time), working in their
“Lost Factor” for great soft rock songs that you just don’t hear anymore.They even polled their readers as to which
soft rock songs they’d like to hear more of because radio just doesn’t play
them anymore.
Seriously?!?!
I
had to take Sean Ross to task on this one … because man, if you think these
songs are missing from the airwaves … and you really want to hear them … you’re
just listening to the wrong stations!!!
Some
of these songs play SO often that they have become immediate button-pushers for
me.
Here
are just some of the songs on Sean’s list:
This
Is It by Kenny Loggins (I’ll bet you I hear this at least six times a week – maybe
even more - and I rarely listen to the station!)
Steal
Away by Robbie Dupree (at least 3 or 4 times a week)
Ventura
Highway by America (2-3 times a week)
Cool
Change by The Little River Band (5 or 6 times a week)
I’d
Really Love To See You Tonight – England Dan and John Ford Coley (literally a
dozen times a week or more … this one seems to play on EVERY station these
days!)
Just
The Two Of Us – Grove Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers (3 or 4 times a week)
Sara
Smile by Daryl Hall and John Oates (a good eight times a week)
I
Keep Forgettin’ by Michael McDonald (six times a week)
True
– Spandau Ballet (3 or 4 times a week)
Smoke
From A Distant Fire – The Sanford-Townsend Band (another one that seems to play
on every station these days … a good ten times a week … another song that I’ve
always loved that saturation has now ruined for me)
Hard
To Say I’m Sorry by Chicago (3 or 4 times a week)
Lonesome
Loser – The Little River Band (5 or 6 times a week)
Lowdown
by Boz Scaggs (a good six times a week)
You’re
The Only Woman by Ambrosia (12-15 times a week … WHY?!?!?!)
Something
by The Beatles (5 or 6 times a week – and that’s not counting The Beatles
Channel!)
Well,
you get the idea!
And
songs that were considered flat out rock and roll when they were released …
things like “Hurt So Good” and “Jack And Diane” by John Mellencamp or
“Maneater” by Hall and Oates … some of the Starship stuff … Survivor now all of
a sudden qualify as soft rock / lite rock / yacht rock / or whatever you want
to call it. Even back in the day, during its peak, they called it "Mellow Rock" ... Yacht Rock just sounds so pretentious and insulting.
(Actually,
I have always loved the marketing concept of “The Lite” … they were playing
nothing but soft rock hits 25-30 years ago!“Turn On The Lite” … and once you did, you knew EXACTLY what you were
going to be listening to … a great campaign that still works today.)
But
Yacht Rock?Why can’t they just call it Soft Rock … because that’s what it is!!!(It’s kinda like radio not
wanting to use the word “Oldies” anymore.) Those of us who grew up during “The Soft Rock
‘70’s” knows the shift and impact this music had on the charts ... and I'm not ashamed to admit I have always liked it ... and continue to enjoy it to this day. It's just the "branding" that I object to.
Billboard
Magazine published an Adult Contemporary Chart for decades.I checked Joel Whitburn’s book on this (which
recaps the hits thru the year 2000) to see what it determined to be the biggest
and most popular Soft Rock Hits of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s (because this seems to
be the key era that Yacht Rock concentrates on today.)
These
rankings are based solely on the record’s performance on Billboard’s Chart …
Peak Position and Number of Weeks at its Peak Position being the determining
factor.(While not, perhaps, the most
accurate method, it is at least a method that offers consistency without prejudice
to the ranking.)Ties are broken by
weeks in The Top Ten … and then in The Top 40 … and then, if necessary, in The
Top 100.
Looking
over this list today, all I can say is …
Be
prepared to be surprised!
MOST
of the songs on the list don’t receive anywhere NEAR the airplay that the
“heavy repeats” get on a daily basis!
According
to Billboard’s actual chart stats, here are Joel’s Top 50 Adult Contemporary
(Soft Rock) Hits for the period of 1970 – 1989:
#
1 – Time Passages – Al Stewart (1978) #1 for 10 weeks!
#
2 – Lead Me On – Maxine Nightingale (1979) #1 for 7 weeks
#
3 – Nobody Does It Better – Carly Simon (1977) #1 for 7 weeks
#
4 – Crazy Love – Poco (1979) #1 for 7 weeks
#
5 – We’ve Only Just Begun – The Carpenters (1970) #1 for 7 weeks
#
6 – Song Sung Blue – Neil Diamond (1972) #1 for 7 weeks
#
7 – Love Theme from “A Star Is Born” (Evergreen) 1977 - #1 for 6 weeks
#
8 – How Deep Is Your Love – The Bee Gees (1977) #1 for 6 weeks
#
9 – Cherish – Kool and the Gang (1985) #1 for 6 weeks
#10
– Right Here Waiting – Richard Marx (1989) #1 for 6 weeks
#11
– If You Don’t Know Me By Now – Simply Red (1989) #1 for 6 weeks
#12
– You Are – Lionel Richie (1983) - #1 for 6 weeks
#13
– Hello – Lionel Richie (1984) #1 for 6 weeks
#14
– Lost In Love – Air Supply (1980) #1 for 6 weeks
#15
– Snowbird – Anne Murray (1970) #1 for 6 weeks
#16
– (They Long To Be) Close To You – The Carpenters (1970) #1 for 6 weeks
#17 – Yesterday’s
Songs – Neil Diamond (1981) #1 for 6 weeks
#18 – I Don’t Need You
– Kenny Rogers (1981) #1 for 6 weeks
#19 – Read ‘em And
Weep – Barry Manilow (1983) #1 for 6 weeks
#20 – Alone Again
(Naturally) – Gilbert O’Sullivan (1972) #1 for 6 weeks
#21 – We’ll Never Have
To Say Goodbye Again – England Dan and John Ford Coley (1978) - #1 for 6 weeks
#22 – Watching Scotty
Grow – Bobby Goldsboro (1971) #1 for 6 weeks (when’s the last time you heard
this one?!?!)
#23 – The First Time
Ever I Saw Your Face – Robert Flack (1972) #1 for 6 weeks
#24 – Bridge Over
Troubled Water – Simon and Garfunkel (1970) #1 for 6 weeks
#25 – Don’t Know Much
– Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville (1989) #1 for 5 weeks
#26 – The Rose – Bette
Midler (1980) #1 for 5 weeks
#27 – Stuck On You –
Lionel Richie (1984) #1 for 5 weeks
#28 – Another Day In
Paradise – Phil Collins (1989) #1 for 5 weeks
#29 – You’re Only
Lonely – J.D. Southern (1979) #1 for 5 weeks
#30 – It’s Sad To
Belong – England Dan and John Ford Coley (1977) #1 for 5 weeks
#31 – Two Hearts –
Phil Collins (1988) #1 for 5 weeks
#32 – Say You, Say Me
– Lionel Richie (1985) #1 for 5 weeks
