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

SOCK IT TO ME BABY!!!

Friday, October 14, 2016

Time Machine week 94



Today is October 14th, 1979, and while Google will tell you that there was a singular event that was the big deal, I say it missed the mark.  The real big deal was that Wayne Gretzky scored his first NHL goal, off Vancouver goalie Glen Hanlon.  He would add 51 over the course of that season, second only to Marcel Dionne's 53.



After that, he was one season away from a six year string where he was over 60 goals every year but one- and that was the year he shattered the all time points record with 215!

With that, I will skate right past the other "big news" (you can look it up on your own if you so choose) and move us into this week's Time Machine, where we we will have a BIG Hollywood guest star in the 6D, another first for the M10, and a UK 10 that has not one, not two, but three of my favorites of the late 70s!  So ice yourself a cold one, and let's go!


___________________________________________

SPECIAL NOTICE

I've been doing a little digging in prep for our upcoming 100th TM Volume IV, and found out something even more spectacular- when you count holiday specials, the Great (fill in your favorite decade) Countdowns, a handful of M10 stand alones, and the all time biggest- the Hal David Wake- that 100th V IV post will also be the 400TH ALL TIME Time Machine post!  Now you KNOW it'll be a party!

_________________________________

And now, we move on to the Panel of the week:  WNCI Columbus, WHB Kansas City, CKLW Detroit, KRUX Phoenix, KFRC San Francisco, WEGP Presque Isle ME, KELP (not at sea but in) El Paso, CIHI Frederickton NB, WHYN Springfield MA (and of course, can't have them without) WCVS Springfield IL, KFI Burbank, and WABC New York.  They gathered an impressive 25 different songs- all the more impressive when you consider the first 8 stations had 24 of 'em!  They included the low charter winner by Chris Thompson, If You Remember Me, which sat at #73 this week- a week that Cashbox didn't do a Bubbling Under chart.  They also managed to corral all but 2 #1 votes in the top 4- the only left-out was Robert John's Sad Eyes, which had #1s from Illinois and New York, but only 3 other points.  This week's Panel Four, then:

At #4, with 23 points and #1 votes from KC, Detroit, and Burbank, the national #4 as well, Herb Alpert's instrumental Rise.

And how about this for a new occurrence- for the second week in a row, we have a tie for #2, with 3 #1s and 24 points!  One of those was the national top dog, as well as in Ohio, Massachusetts, and San Fran- Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get Enough.

The other was the national runner-up, with #1s from New Brunswick, Maine, and Arizona- The Commodores with Sail On.

And the winner this week, with just one #1- and 3 #2s- and 27 points, the national #6- stay tuned....

_____________________________________________

Three M10 debuts this week, and the first one was one I was hoping to sneak in at some point.  A beautiful cover of a Neil Young Classic, here are Julia Cumming and Sunflower Bean at #10...







_______________________________________


So let's go and see what superstar Phil Collins has to say, shall we?

I can't play anywhere near like I used to, and I was a hot drummer. It doesn't bother me, because frankly, if you get to that point where you can't hold a drumstick properly, there are many other things in life which are far more important, like cutting a loaf of bread or a piece of cheese. 


And eating them, more important than that!  But, we digress, so let's...



10- The Dooleys were kinda like a British Cowsills, but nowhere near so good.  They were here with a non-charter on our side, The Chosen Few.

9- A tune that peaked at #6 in August in the US of A, Dr Hook's When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman.  If you recall, it started, " When you're in love with a beautiful woman, it's hard..." which led me and my friends to rename it "The Logical Song."

8- Another non-charter here from Status Quo, Whatever You Want.

7- Three songs that don't debut in the US until November are among my favorites of this time period.  The first is Rainbow with Since You've Been Gone.

6- Two more non-US-charters come next.  The first is a pretty, melancholy song by a band called Sad Cafe- the song Every Day Hurts.

5- The second was Scotswoman Lena Martell with her version of the gospel hit One day At A Time.

4- Blondie's Dreaming, which was #60 this week back home.

3- The US top dog, Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get Enough.

2- The second of those favorites of mine (yep, they're 1-2)- The Police and Message In A Bottle.

And tops of the pops this week?



The Buggles and Video Killed The Radio Star!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


____________________________________

Debut #2 comes in at #8 this week, and it's Tangerine....





_____________________________________

Now, truth be told, all I know about the movie Footloose, other than Kenny Loggins did my least favorite of his songs for it, as that in a Michael Douglas- hosted SNL they did a parody of it called Footless...




But what I learned was that a tune from that movie, Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero, was one of the several hits of that era co-written by Meat Loaf's good right hand, Jim Steinman.  They also put the song on Bonnie's lp Secret Dreams, Forbidden Fire.  Another of his songs on that lp was Ravishing, which originally didn't have words... it was the theme to the Hulk Hogan Rock And Wrestling cartoon on Saturday mornings!  Speaking of said cartoon, did you know that it was NOT Hulk doing his own voice- it was Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett!  But we here at TM have spotted an even earlier sighting of Mr Garrett...



Why, that's him on the back of the ELO lp Discovery!  And that brings us to the song that charted the highest but without Panel love... ELO's Don't Bring Me Down, which CB had at #11 this week.


_________________________________

And now, the M10:

You heard #10.  #9 belongs to Joy Again, who climb a notch with Looking Out For You.

You heard #8.  #7 belongs to Benji Hughes with Longshot.

And now, #6, a debut from Dinosaur Jr:




#5 is Shakes, slipping a pair with Tranquilize.  I will point out that this week is kind of a "Big five, little five", and they may not quite yet be done.

#4- 
Who are you to take over my mind
With your eyes on me
All for you I am climbing the sky
Of golden green

Agnes Obel moves up a single notch.


#3 is last week's #1, The Explorer's Club and Quietly.

#2?  Why, that's Lucius with Pulling Teeth. 

 And the Top Dogs?  M10 says....




...Dent May, becoming the first song in M10 history to RETURN to the top spot, with Face Down In The Gutter Of Your Love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the Panel says....




... M with Pop Muzik!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Next time, 1974!  See you then!

8 comments:

  1. Hi, Chris!

    By October, 1979, there was way too much schlock on the pop chart, much of it lame attempts to keep disco alive in the wake of Disco Demolition Night which took place three months earlier at Chicago's Comiskey Park. Herb Alpert's mind numbing disco instrumental "Rise" is an example. And take The Commodores' "Sail On" - PLEASE! Robert John's "Sad Eyes" sucked but not quite as much.

    I enjoyed your debut artist Sunflower Bean. Julia Cumming has a pure, clear, bewitching voice and I liked her even more after seeing her pictures on Google Images, especially the pose with a cigar in her mouth. :) Coincidentally I watched Neil Young and his band perform "Harvest Moon" a couple of weeks ago on another blog. You might enjoy:

    http://frommybraintomymouth.blogspot.com/2016/09/saturday-night-dance-party_24.html

    I didn't like Dr Hook's "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman" song. It was played so often on the radio that it grated on my nerves.

    I liked Rainbow at the beginning when the late, great Ronnie James Dio was their lead zinger. I didn't care for them as much when Dio left and the band adopted a more commercial sound.

    I enjoyed Tangerine's concert in the park. They have a peel. :)

    I didn't know that trivia about Brad Garrett. Ever see his spot on impression of Herman Munster?

    ELO's "Don't Bring Me Down" gets Shady's Zeal of Approval. So does your debut Dinosaur Jr with "Love Is." I love the retro late 60s sound and the blistering guitar solo in the middle.

    The Buggles "Video Killed the Radio Star," "Kenny's "Footloose" and M's "Pop Muzik" are three of my all time biggest ME NO LIKEY songs!

    1974 was a better year for music and I look forward to going there with you next week. Have a Scrappy weekend, good buddy Chris!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You realize you had groups ao three songs at each end of this comment? How delightfully symmetrical...

      Group #1: I never minded Rise one way or the other; Sail On grew on me, and of course Sad Eyes was a big #1 on the old M10, that just hasn't aged so well.

      Group # 2: Again there was a loved it, a didn't much mind, and a couldn't stand in that group, but you already know who was who there.

      Wow, three fer three on the debuts? Something is not right here, lol! I agree on Dr Hook, but you could say the same on anything they released after Only 16, which is about it for me after Cover Of The Rolling Stone and Sylvia's Mother.


      Rainbow def had more energy with Dio but who wouldn't? I still liked the more poppy stuff from them, though.

      Have not seen Garret's Herman Munster, but I can just imagine. My favorite moment of his is when on Raymond his parents wander into his new place and find out his new gf is living with him. He comes out of the shower dressed only in a towel, and after a stunned silence his dad yells, "Hail, Caesar!"


      Y'know, I LOVE ELO. I own things that aren't even any good by ELO. Don't Bring Me Down would have to be the ONE song that never got to me. And of course, it would be their biggest hit.

      Delete
  2. The version of "Harvest Moon" was like listening to the Neil Young version with nicer vocals, though I do like the way Neil Young does it. It was a nice relaxing cut for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was playing it in my head on those walks when we took the moon pics.

      Delete
  3. Chris:
    ---Ahh, for those golden era hockey players once again...
    ---Looking forward to you nailing that "century" mark, too.
    ---That Alpert song (Rise) as the music in which Luke Spencer "had his way" with Laura Baldwin on General Hospital. Why do I still remember that?
    ---Harvest Moon cover - nicely done.
    ---Agreed w/ Collins on his quote. You appreciate the things you take for granted more.
    ---Status Quo was a huge fave of mine in the day, and they rarely got ANY air-time over here when they were "in their prime".
    ---Rainbow - Richie Blackmore's old group (that also didn't get much play-time over here...a shame. GOOD band).
    ---LOL...Buggles at UK #1...good video.
    ---=Tangerine makes a comeback...!!!
    (and filmed in Seattle, too, I believe)
    ---That's one of the BEST 6D's I've seen here yet...amazing stuff about Garrett.
    ---Dinosaur Jr - decent driving music (rural, that is).
    ---Dent May - the guy that looks MORE like you than Dave Edmunds...(please, no "ass" jokes). Got it.
    ---Talkin' 'bout pop...pop muzik.
    (they need spell-check_.
    Fun ride this week (and we didn't skid once on any fallen leaves, either).

    Keep those hits comin' up there, brother.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Golden Era" players? That's when I think of Orr, Esposito (either one), Bobby Nystrom, or Derek Sanderson, lol...

      Did not know the GH info. I was a Guiding Light-er myself.

      Yes indeed on the Tangerine filming.

      I about died when I found out who was on that ELO cover...


      Delete
  4. Pop Muzik has a funny story with me and husband Todd. When we were just friends, we went on a trip and this song was playing on the airport car shuttle. I was exhausted but was singing this song and we were laughing so hard. One of those punch drunk exhausted that anything was funny.
    Elo is so good! Great songs this round.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Know what you mean about those punch drunk funny songs. My brain seems to leave out those details, though, or else there was a time-specific joke that's faded over the years. Great to be able to retain such a memory with that special someone...

      Delete