In order to fill 53 weeks of charts this year, we had to expand our horizon a little bit ...
So this week we're featuring a chart from Washington, D.C.
(WPGC is promoting the fact that "the station now plays ALBUMS ... and offers up Washington area's FIRST Album Survey ... and a Top 20 list at that!)
Starting there, we see a wide variety of artists ... everything from Jethro Tull to The Chi-Lites to George Carlin, Bread and Sonny and Cher!!!
A quick look at Billboard's Top Albums for the month of June, 1972, shows "Thick As A Brick" at #1, "First Take" by Roberta Flack at #2, "Exile On Main Street" by The Stones at #3, "Joplin In Concert" by Janis, of course, at #4 and "Manassas" by Stephen Stills at #5 ... all of which appear on WPGC's list. (Interesting to see ALL of the members of Super Group Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young represented on this week's list ... in addition to Stills' "Manassas" album we've got "Harvest" by Neil Young and then the "Graham Nash and David Crosby" album they recorded together, spawning the hit "Immigration Man," which sits at #24 on this week's Top Singles Chart, down 12 places from #12 the week before.
On the Pop Singles side, we see Bill Withers making a HUGE leap into The Top Ten this week with "Lean On Me," up 27 places from #33 to #6! America is right behind it at #7 after a move of 17 spots ... and Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose made an 18 point jump from #28 to #10. THAT is a pretty impressive shake-up on The Top Ten Tunes in Washington, D.C.!!!
And it doesn't stop there ...
The Pipes And Drums And The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards' version of "Amazing Grace" climbs eleven spots from #26 to #15 ... and "Day By Day" by/from Godspell is up 17 places, moving from #34 to #17. Elton John's latest hit, "Rocket Man," moves from #38 to #26 (a climb of 12 spots) ... and Cher is right behind him with an eleven point jump (from #40 to #29) with her latest, 'Living In A House Divided."
A long-time Forgotten Hit favorite that also did very well on last year's Rewound Radio Countdown appears at #27 ... "Gone" by Joey Heatherton ... and an Apple Records release that we first featured AGES ago in Forgotten Hits, "We're On Our Way" by Chris Hodge, sits at #31 (up six spots.) We're also seeing "Cat's Eye In The Window" by Tommy James on the second or third local chart now since we started this year's cross-country journey ... that record fell short of The Top 40 in Cash Box and Record World, peaking at #48 ... and in yet ANOTHER ridiculous chart discrepancy, only reached #90 in Billboard!!!
The
Brian Wilson / Chicago tour has started so some of the early reviews are
starting to trickle in.
Unfortunately,
this one doesn’t sound much better than the Al Jardine review we ran a couple
of weeks ago … Brian seeming completely detached from all that is going on
around him, missing cues and abruptly ending songs early … again, how can this
POSSIBLY be any fun for any of them at this point?
It’s
almost like they’re doing this just to generate a paycheck for the rest of the
band.
We
DID read, however, that The Beach Boys come out and join Chicago (who are the
opening act on this tour) to sing “Wishing You Were Here” … while the Chicago
horns coming out during Brian Wilson’s set to pump some brass into tracks like
“Darlin’” … so THAT should make for an interesting mix.(I saw The Beach Boys tour with Chicago three
times over the years … dating all the way back to the ‘70’s and ‘80’s … and
Brian wasn’t part of any of them … so this at least allows the connection to
come full circle.)
We’re
going to see them in July … and I’m sure it’ll still be an enjoyable night of
music.(kk)
Although Brian Wilson has kept a fairly active touring
schedule since the launch of his first solo trek in 1999, he'd never
be mistaken for a person who feels comfortable onstage.He barely moves or says a word and tends
to stare into the distance with a blank expression from his seat behind that
rarely played piano. When he sings, he often misses cues or drops the
final word or two of individual lines. On "Sloop John B," he
came in early.
Any song that required the iconic falsetto that defined so many
Beach Boys classics, Matthew nailed, from "I Get Around"
to "Help Me, Rhonda." And he sounded especially angelic on
"Don't Worry Baby" and "God Only Knows."
Ed Masley / Arizona Republic
LOTS
of Beach Boys happenings of late … and there’ll be plenty more as this 60th
Anniversary runs its course throughout the rest of the year.
Our
Forgotten Hits Buddy Spud (who works for Al Jardine) sent us these links to
share:
Meanwhile, it has just been announced that Ringo has postponed the balance of the first leg of his summer tour due to two members of his All-Starr Band (Edgar Winter and Steve Lukather) testing positive for Covid.
Reviews have been great and, in fact, he and Paul McCartney will have each played New York City within eight days (which, as you know, in Beatles terms, is a week) of each other. (Ringo just did his show there at The Beacon Theater for three nights last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday ... and I'm told Edgar Winter missed those last two shows because he already had Covid at that point. Macca is due to appear at MetLife Stadium next Thursday, on June 16th, as the last stop of his US tour. Two days later, he'll be celebrating his 80th birthday!)
The good news is that the remaining twelve postponed shows will be added to the second leg of the tour, due to begin in September. (September 23rd, to be exact. Leg One was supposed to run through the 26th of June.) Covid has been a factor in this tour's history from the beginning ... it was first scheduled to commence in 2020. Due to repeated delays, the All-Starr Band line-up changed a few times along the way due to artist availability. Winter, Lukather, Colin Hay, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Warren Ham are all expected to be on hand when the tour resumes in September.
In his statement announcing the postponement, Ringo said, “We are so sorry to let the fans down.It’s been wonderful to be back out on the
road and we have been having such a great time playing for you all. But as we
all know, Covid is still here and despite being careful, these things happen. I
want to thank the fans for their patience, I send you all peace and love, and
we can’t wait to be back in the Fall.”
Hey Kent –
Thought you needed some more
drama on Forgotten Hits!
Here are The top 200 Songs as
voted on Boom Radio. A lot I have never heard before, but check out # 41.
This should provide some fodder
for discussion with the note that it is from England. Enjoy!
Keith Brodkorb
Yes, there is a distinctly British tone to this list … and
there are probably 30 or 40 songs listed here that I don’t know as well!
A bit Beatles top-heavy … between the group’s hits and solo
efforts, 22 tracks (just over 10%) dominate the list
And it appears this was an “anything goes” ballot … because
you’ve got British crooner Matt Monro represented with three hits, The Seekers
(!) represented with FOUR hits … and several other British Only hits and artists
thrown in in between.(Even ‘80’s
rockabilly artist Shakin’ Stevens has three entries … which is one shy of the
number that Elvis has!!!)Clifford T.
Ward???At #7?Ahead of “Stairway To Heaven”?!?!?(Ward also holds down the #36 and #44 spots) And what is the deal with all the love for The
Kinks’ “Waterloo Sunset”???We see this
time and time again!
The only Fleetwood Mac song that makes The Top 100 is
“Albatross,” an instrumental from 1969 from the band’s pre-pop blues band
days?Seriously???Interesting, too, to see the
recently-discussed Chris Farlowe version of The Stones’ “Out Of Time” up at
#43.(And I was quite surprised to see
that “Penny Lane” edged out “Strawberry Fields Forever,” too, finishing at
numbers 17 and 20.)
You mention #41 (“Runaway” by Del Shannon) which became a
controversial title when we tabulated The Top 3333 Most-Essential Classic Rock
Songs Of All-Time … but also ultimately dropped from that list was “Wichita
Lineman” by Glen Campbell, which comes in on this list at #30!(But this isn’t a rock list … by any stretch
… like I said, Anything Goes once you look for the list of artists who are
represented here.)
The British vs. American artists seem to win hands down as
well … “Anyone Who Had A Heart” by Cilla Black (rather than Dionne Warwick),
“Apache” by The Shadows (Cliff Richards’ band) over the #2 US Charting Hit by
Jorgen Ingmann.(Between them, Cliff and
the Shadows have five songs on the list.)
And who can forget THESE guys, performing this in one of my
favorite videos of all time!!!C’mon,
I’ve just GOT to run this clip every four or five years in case anybody new to
the list may have missed it! (Please note that this is NOT a parody ... but rather a legitimate video released at the time, attempting to turn this vintage instrumental into a disco hit!) I LOVE IT!
Still, this would make for an interesting countdown.(I can’t argue with #1 … which also placed
first on their last ballot … and is likely MY all-time favorite song, too.)
First, I have heard twice this morning a network
commercial (I've never heard before) on LOWE'S. In the background was the
instrumental version of Sammy Davis's Jr. CANDY MAN. It featured products one
father might like for Father's Day coming up.
Also, I always did like the Addrisi Brothers’
song CHERRYSTONE. I checked and for the week of May 21, 1959, it made our local
Top 40 weekly survey as the PICK HIT of the week. It was only on the survey for
a period of four weeks, peaking at #24.
Now Kent, I checked my reference book and I would
have sworn up and down that they lip-sync that song on American Bandstand but
apparently they didn't.(I still think they did.)
I was somewhat surprised of their WE'VE GOT TO
GET IT ON AGAIN. In 1972, the weekly survey consisted of the Top 20 records at
the top of the survey. The next ten were classified at HIT BOUND. The next ten
were classified as EXTRAS.
For the week of January 20, 1972, it made its
initial appearance on the weekly survey as an EXTRA Now for the next seven
weeks, it was listed in the HIT BOUND records. Then it fell off the survey and
never made it into the top 20.I was a little surprised because I remember it being played
for a long time.
On February 19, 1972, they did lip-sync that song
on Bandstand.
Larry
When I saw Kate Bush's "Running Up That
Hill" debut at #8 this week on the Hot 100, I thought "Oh, no, she
died!" Happily, though, she is still alive. The song was just
featured in some show that I never heard of but the kids apparently like, once
again proving that the oldies will never die
The Hot 100 today is the dumpster fire that I
just can't take my eyes off of.
Ed #1
The show you’re referring to is “Stranger Things” … and
yeah, it’s been one of the hottest cable shows out there for about four years
now.
I mentioned the other day about all the great music being
featured this season in the television series “Hacks” … they’re even offering a
special soundtrack link as part of the program so you can hear the full-length
versions of these songs … definitely a way to help build a new audience for
“music in the vaults.”(There’s gold in
them thar hills!!!)
In this day and age of streaming and downloading music
immediately, the game has certainly changed.That’s why you can watch the final episode of “The Sopranos” and feel
the need to grab a copy of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” … or Badfinger’s
“Baby Blue” if you were a “Breaking Bad” fan.(Personally, I think those impulse decisions are equally split between
your love for the show and a great tune to remember it by.)
Here’s the way Billboard explained it this past week …
The biggest story in the music
world this week is about a song from 1985: Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A
Deal With God).” The fever-pop classic re-enters the Billboard Hot 100 this week
(chart dated June 11) at No. 8 — 22 spots higher than it originally peaked at
back in ’85 — thanks to its extensive use in the fourth season of Netflix
sci-fi series “Stranger Things,” a usage that has introduced the song to a new
generation (while re-igniting older audiences’ love for the singular left-field
hit.)
Which, of course, is exactly what we’ve been saying for
years now … introduce today’s generation to the music of OUR generation and
odds are they’ll fall in love with it, too.
Billboard ran a list of examples of songs that enjoyed a
whole new chart life after they were featured in a new movie or television
series.(Repeated usage in television
commercials doesn’t hurt either!)
Some of the other (somewhat more obvious) examples cited
were “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous
Brothers, “Do You Love Me” by The Contours, “Twist And Shout” by The Beatles
and “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King … ALL great tunes that are still connecting
with audiences today, some 50-60 years later.
Congratulations to our buddy Chuck Buell, who just won a
voice-over award for …
Oh hell, I’ll just let HIM tell you!
I got some Great
Professional News yesterday!
I was informed that
I've received the award for “Best Theatrical Trailer Voice” at the
recent Hollywood Horror Film Festival for the Film, “Meet My Pet Monster!”
Pretty scary, huh!
In addition to my
award, this Film won over an amazing dozen other awards including “Best
Feature!”
For those who may
not be familiar with “My Pet Monster,” it was one of the few plush dolls
created for boys that was initially produced in the mid-1980s
and remained popular through the early 1990s. Some of you Guys out there could
quite possibly have had one!
The “Monster” had
blue fur, white fangs, tan horns and came with magic orange handcuffs (which
could also be worn and unshackled by kids who owned the toy).
The premise was
that the Monster would be brought to life when his shackles were released
and that took a “magic key.”
The design of the Monster was
wild enough for kids that loved monsters, but gentle enough to be a cuddly
“friend,” just as it is in the overall story. You could think it had
shades of ALF because of his Fun Furry appearance or Calvin & Hobbes because
only the Monster’s “Friend” ( the boy who owned it ) could “see it
alive!”
This film is considered a very
special and ultimate Fan Film Homage, that is, a film inspired by a character
or characters in a movie, television show, comic book or similar source created
by another other than by the original creators.
It was conceived, created and
produced by filmmaker James M. Storm. He produced it in the style of classic
live action-adventure films of the 1980s utilizing the familiar traditions of
puppet performers, animatronics and in-camera special effects. Classic
characters and traditional story lines were brought together to deliver a
fresh, new,
all-in-fun take on the original
franchise.
Now, please turn off your Cell
Phones. No texting! No talking! The Trailer is about to begin!
It’s attached.
Chuck
>>>The
Rolling Stones played a show in Liverpool last week as part of their new
“Sixty” tour. It was The Stones’ first appearance there since 1971 … 51
years ago … and they added “I Wanna Be Your Man” to the set list to commemorate
the event as a tribute to The Beatles, who gave them the song to record as a
single back in 1963. (Although it was recorded later, The Stones’ version
was released PRIOR to The Beatles’ version when it was issued as their second
single in The UK. The Beatles’ version first appeared three weeks later
on their “With The Beatles” album (issued in America as “Meet The
Beatles.”) Here in The States, “I Wanna Be Your Man” wound up on the
B-Side of The Stones’ first US single, “Not Fade Away.” It was only
released as a single … and didn’t appear in LP form until some compilation
collections issued many years later. (kk)
Kinda cool, especially when the Stones’ first 45
WAS a Beatles song.
I have followed the 1972 charts that have been posted this year in Forgotten Hits.
The Addrisi Brothers song 'We've Got to Get It On Again' has long been a favorite of mine.
I remember hearing it often during the first months of '72. The charts from each state that Kent has posted back that memory up. The song seemed to do well across the country.
Back in 2001, I interviewed Richard Addrisi about the story behind that Forgotten Hit ...
Oh man, what a FASCINATING story!!! I had never heard that before!
This is one of those songs that just never caught its momentum at the same time across the country.
As Phil mentioned, we saw it on many of the charts we've featured this year ... but nationally, its best showing was in Cash Box Magazine, where it went to #15. (Record World placed it at #20 ... and Billboard had it all the way down at #25.) kk
The Addrisi Brothers' first major hit was recorded by the Association.
Richard gave me the backstory of that major hit from 1967.
"Never
My Love," of course, ignited The Addrisi Brothers' career after The
Association recorded it in 1967. It really is the perfect love song.
A
short while back we featured the story behind THAT song in Forgotten
Hits as well. (In fact, there's even a photograph of the greasy,
bacon-stained paper they wrote it on!!!)
The first recording by Dick and Don Addrisi made the chart in 1959.
During the 2001 interview, we talked about the start of the brothers' career as singer/songwriters.
The Addrisi Brothers had their first chart hit (as artists) in 1959 with a song called "Cherrystone."
It went to #62 in Billboard ... and then they wouldn't have another for the next 13 years.
(The story goes that The Addrisi Brothers were first discovered by Comedian Lenny Bruce!)
It
was during this period that they really developed their career as
songwriters, scoring their biggest hit in 1967 when The Association
recorded "Never My Love," which went all the way to #1.
Don't you just find all of this stuff fascinating?!?!?
Be sure to listen to Phil Nee's THOSE WERE THE
DAYS radio program tonight on WRCO ...
