What is it about nice people that attract total idiots?Nice people are martyrs. Idiots are evangelists.

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Friday, June 17, 2016

Time Machine week 78



Today was a very controversial day- June 17th, 1963.  Today the SCOTUS ruled 8-1 in the case of Abington School District v. Schempp.  This case was caused, I'm sorry to say, by Christian overreach- the state of Pennsylvania REQUIRED that each school open the day with a Bible reading.  Naturally, someone objected.  That someone was what was called a "Unitarian Universalist", which supposedly means he supports the " free and responsible search for truth and meaning"- except, of course, as it pertains to Christianity.  Nonetheless, the Justices agreed that it was not the State (and by extension, the Government) who got to decide who had to listen.  Which I have no problem with- the state requiring Bible reading clearly goes past the Establishment clause.  However... Justice Thomas Clark said that the Court was of the feeling that no matter the religious nature of the citizenry, the government at all levels, as required by the Constitution, must remain neutral in matters of religion "while protecting all, prefer[ring] none, and disparag[ing] none."  (Italics from Wiki).  I think that since then, we have went WAY beyond neutrality to eradication.  And my point- that perhaps this would have never become a deal- or at least, became one so soon- had not an overzealous legislature made it something that HAD to be addressed.  How unlike the bathroom battle we just went through.  But, that's just me.


And, this isn't a political post, it's a MUSIC post!  So welcome again to Time Machine, where we don't inquire about your political leanings to ride along, just that you make sure that your ring tone isn't the Doors, Aretha Franklin, or gangsta rap.  This week, the Panel stuck to the lower end of the charts, and we'll explore that;  connecting Tom Petty to Al Martino; and will the Monkees have what it takes to dethrone the Justad sisters from the top of the M10?  I'm banging the gavel on this trip, and away we go!



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This weeks' Panel consists of WJET Erie PA, WRNB New Bern NC, WHLO Akron, WLS Chicago, WSGN Birmingham, WBUT (the Big But?  Think of the possibilities...) Butler PA, KIMM Rapid City SD, KFJZ Ft Worth, KTKT Tucson, KFXM San Bernardino, WENE (the Big We... uh, never mind...) Endicott NY, and KJR Seattle.  They put together 26 different songs, and I'm gonna save the low charter this week for a bit.  They did post seven different number ones- three of which I'm also saving for later, and another which didn't make the P4 (which is a P5 this week as we have a tie for 4th) was Bobby Darin's 18 Yellow Roses, which was 13th nationally and top dog in New Bern.  The race at the top was quite close, with a couple of classics fighting for the top spot.  The Panel Four:

As I said, a fourth place tie with no #1s and 12 points-

Barbara Lewis (again this week, Shady!) with the national #10, Hello Stranger.

And... Nat King Cole with Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days Of Summer, the national #8.

At the third spot, with 19 points and the #1 from Erie, the Polish Prince, Bobby Vinton, with Blue On Blue, the national #11.

At the second spot, with 27 points and 3 #1s (Akron, Tucson, and the Big But), the national runner-up, Leslie Gore and It's My Party.

And at the top, with 36 points and the other four #1s, as well as the national top dog... stay tuned.

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So this week was a big one for the lower rungs of the national Cashbox chart amongst the Panel.  With 26 songs, only 26.9 % were top tens... but an even half of them were from #41 and below.  2 of those had just debuted nationally- Ray Stevens' Harry The Hairy Ape at 96, and the #1 song in Ft Worth, a catchy number by Kirby St Romain called Summer's Coming at 97. (The Harry vote was also Ft Worth, and they would have another low-bob coming up.)

I mentioned that we had THREE of these low charters get Panel #1s.  The other two were Jan and Dean's Surf City in San Bernie (#50) and Lonnie Mack's instrumental Memphis, which was #53 nationally and at the top in Seattle.  The other low-bobs included Marvin Gaye's Pride And Joy (#57), The Raindrops (I believe Shady featured this song once... nope, sorry, but he did feature the Raindrops here ) and What A Guy (#48), Johnny Mathis and Every Step Of The Way (#42), The Fleetwoods with Goodnight My Love (#83), Big Dee Irwin's Swinging On A Star (#65, the other Ft Worth low-bob), a pair from Tuscon- Joey Dee and the Starliters with Hot Pastrami and Mashed Potatoes (#59) and Little Peggy March's I Wish I Was A Princess (#63), and three from San Bernie- the aforementioned Surf City, Bobby Bare's Detroit City (#81), and the lowest of the week's lows- The Surfari's and Wipeout, which Cashbox had at 100.


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The first of the M10 debuts is a song that has been bopping around the lower rungs of the shuffle for quite a while, and manages to sneak in this week at last- the second single from the lp Hitch for The Joy Formidable:



TJF come in at the 10-spot this week.

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Tom Petty manages to start out the six degrees in part because he participated in an lp called Timeless: A Hank Williams Tribute back in 2001.  Petty saluted ol' Hank along with such acts as Bob Dylan, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Keith Richards, and Johnny Cash.  His contribution was a tune called You're Gonna Change (Or I'm Gonna Leave), a song that Williams took to #4 back in 1949- one of a string of 20 straight top tens that Hank ran until his death.  Ironically, 5 years later Petty would also cover the b-side of that single- an oft-covered Hank classic called Lost Highway.  Hank actually had that b-side itself make it to #12.  The original was recorded by the songwriter, Leon Payne, who took it to #1 that same year.  (All these Hank and Leon numbers are obviously the Country charts.)  And Leon Payne, who was more famous for his songwriting, also wrote the song that charted the highest nationally (#3) without a bit of Panel Love- Al Martino's recording of I Love You Because.



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I took a little extra time looking for a quote today, because today we received word of the brazen attack on and murder of  MP Jo Cox in the UK today.  An MP for barely a year, she was cut down because one of her positions was staying in the EU in the heated referendum debate over there.  A nutjob shouting Britain First! slogans shot and stabbed the 42 year old wife and mother of 2.


While from what I read about her, I suspect we might have been at loggerheads about many things, one thing you could say about her is that she wasn't in it for herself.  Here is what she had to say on the subject she died for...


Treasury experts estimate that we could be pushed into a recession with hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs. House prices would be hit, holidays made more expensive and shoppers forced to pay more for their groceries...

This uncertainty is not what businesses want nor is it what working people and families need.

And this is not a future I want to pass on to my children or grandchildren. A vote to leave is a risk that is simply not worth taking. 


So I believe that instead of doing the UK ten this week... let's just have a moment of silent prayer for her family and friends.




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And now, the rest of the M10...

Our second debut comes to us from a Philly girl named Eliza Hardy Jones.  She's beat around the Philadelphia scene for a while with various up-and-comers from the area.  But this year, she, her keyboard, and her drum machine put together a solo lp called Because Become.  And the first song from that lp that came my way comes in at #9:





Whitney moves up a pair to #8 with Golden Days.

The Jayhawks return to that old familiar 7-spot (three weeks out of 4) with Lovers Of The Sun.

Telekinesis becomes the ninth song to gather 50+ M10 points, even though Lean On Me sags to #6, a three-notch fall in week #7.

A big jump of 4 for Krewella and Surrender The Throne, to #5.

But Dami Im, she seems to be stuck, holding at #4 with Sound Of Silence.

Not surprisingly, Case/lang/Veirs also make a big 4-spot jump to #3 with Honey And Smoke.

And the answer to the earlier question- the Monkees hold at #2 with She Makes Me Laugh.

The #1s? On the M10:



Week #3 at the top for Tangerine and You'll Always Be Lonely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the winnah of the Panel vote?




Kyu Sakamoto with Sukiyaki!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Next up on our delicious list of time destinations- the Summer of '69!  I promise, no Bryan Adams, though!

8 comments:

  1. Hi, Chris!

    I wish I were a princess. I just wanted to put that out there.

    By the way, I also want to thank you for mentioning my name in your post and linking to SDMM. If it's not too much to ask, I would like to start using Tilting At Windmills as a site to market a series of YA books that I am currently writing. For every book I sell here on your blog I will give you a commission in the form of an "attaboy!"

    Deal?... or no deal?

    1963 was a great year to be 13 and many of the songs in your post explain why. Barbara Lewis had the original of "Hello Stranger," but it was a cover version by The Capitols, released three years later as the killer bee on the flip side of "Cool Jerk," that became one of the biggest jukebox jiants at the Shady Dell.

    Holy crap! The Joy Formidable is sensational! Rhiannon is the new Stevie Nicks! Me likey likey likey! No need to proceed with this year's Beauty Contest. We have a winner!

    http://img2-ak.lst.fm/i/u/770x0/8689285671364cd68b5a9bc1cdf77569.jpg

    I also really dig Eliza Hardy Jones - her pure, clean, powerful vocals and the dramatic arrangement used on "Criminal."

    Me also likey Tangerine. I have been listening to their recordings and there's not a lemon in the bunch.

    "Sukiyaki" reminds us that, in 1963 and earlier years, instruments were just as likely as vocals to become major hits. That changed at the start of 1964 when The Beatles created a demand for vocal groups and self contained bands that wrote their own songs and played their own instruments.

    This was fun, Chris. 1969 was another great year (any year that starts with "60") and I look forward to the Summer of '69 next time. Have a safe and Scrappy weekend, good buddy!

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    1. First off, ,your "business prop": Shoot me an e-mail (I checked, the link is still good) with more details- including about the novels themselves and what you need done.

      TJF pic you put up is the one I used right around the time Liana was at #1. And sorry, Scrappy has not spoken yet.

      I love instrumentals- one of the first two songs I loved was Percy Faith's Summer Place.

      It's hard for my mind to grasp the band that did Cool Jerk doing Hello Stranger. Laurie and I will listen to it in a few minutes.

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    2. Hi again Chris!

      I didn't realize you don't like the Doors. Can you elaborate? Did you come unhinged over Morrison's dark songs and stage antics, causing you to knock the Doors or even slam them? :)

      Good buddy, I was only kidding about using your site to sell my books. I haven't written any books and have no plans along those lines, but it is nice to know that you would be such a good and generous friend if I ever did. Thank you!

      Have a Scrappy weekend, Chris!

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    3. Guess you shoulda checked the sarcasm box on the book thing... ;)

      The Doors: I never cared for Morrison's monotone sounding voice is all. My brother in law tried to convert me one night by getting me to listen to LA Woman on reel-to-reel, but it didn't take. He also introduced me to Bloodrock that night, which surprisingly did.

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  2. Hard to believe the State compelled reading a Bible verse once upon a time.
    No Doors ringtone makes sense, I suppose. I guess "The End" would be confusing.

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    1. And I forgot to add Jay and the F'n Americans to that list. Never liked them either.

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  3. Chris:
    ---I was in 6th grade when that ruling came down (and not from heaven).
    Abington is a small town north of Philly along rt 611 (Old York Rd). Very unassuming.
    Later in life I covered that area. Those small towns tend to have the WORST loons (at least they did back then).
    Didn't know you were into Pennsy history...lol
    Your take on the matter is spot on!
    ---On the panel - Nat Cole - days of SODA (when coke was a NICKEL a bottle) and PRETZELS (hot, soft Philly ones) and BEER (Schmidt's brewery along Girard Ave).
    That's hard to NOT miss.
    --- Jan & Dean SURF CITY - still got me the vinyl!
    ---WIPEOUT was at the BOTTOM??? Wow!
    ---I like that Joy Formidable song...catchy.
    ---A shame about the MP in the UK, too. I saw a BBC news special about immigration and that "debate" is INDEED becoming quite heated on BOTH sides, and for the obvious reasons (of late).
    --- Is it just me, or does that Philly girl, Eliza Hardy Jones remind one of Karen Carpenter? Good voice. And a SOLO gig? Well done.
    ---Tangerine REMAINS on top (please don't say what you're thinking,...LOL).
    I mean on the LIST!!!

    Excellent ride this week (glad the A/C was on, too).

    Keep those hits comin' up there, brother.

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    1. You aren't the only one I've seen mention a KC sound to EHJ. Me, I'm not catching it, but any girl who starts a chorus with "Take off your clothes" and isn't wearing a rubber glove) is Jake with me!

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