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

SOCK IT TO ME BABY!!!

Friday, May 12, 2017

Time Machine co-ordinates VIII51258

Nice to have the ol' girl back, eh?

You can find some very interesting things out when struggling to find out "what happened on..."  For example, I settled on the May 12, 1958 explosion of a nuke called "Koa" that day on the island of Eniwetok Atoll.  It was actually part of a series of tests that Ike was having shoved down his throats by "his scientists" (this description per what I gleaned from the recently read bio Ike's Bluff)- and poor little Eniwetok was hit, all told, during Operation Hardtack 1 with 21 surface or lagoon fired bombs from May to August.  Say overkill, anyone?  Koa itself, fired from inside a huge water-filled tank, tested out at 1.37 megatons- or approximately 38 times what Hiroshima and Nagasaki got combined.   And you know what really amazed me?  Some service personnel were left ON THE ISLAND for the tests- and those who stayed for Koa were bivouacked about 15 miles as the crow flies from the site of the blast!




I assure you, you are safe from not only radiation here, but also whatever bug has given me the damnable chills the day before my first 3-day weekend in a month!  But, I am soldiering on, and so should you, as we get with our program and ask the musical question- outside of the US of A, what nation has the most M10 #1s?  Answer at the end.  If I hold out that long, lol!  When I come back from getting the Tylenol I forgot about ten minutes ago, we'll get it on the road!


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Okay, drugs ingested, blanket acquired, ready to go (as long as no one saw how I just tried to type "acquired").  Let us start out with the fun stuff- and by that I mean a new M10 debut!  It was one of several I found last week about this time, and I thought I was going to have a hard time picking just one out!  But then I played it again... and again... and now, the latest hit by an American trio headed by one Lyndsey Gunnulfsen (who apparently goes by "Lynn Gunn") and a band that USED to be called Paris, but SOMEone claimed a copyright.  So, here's our new hit by PVRIS...





And it comes in at #10.


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Next up, we had a 20-station panel this week, and no funny business like the last couple!  They were all good and had top 40 songs as their #1s- 7 of them, in fact.


First off, we have the current Cashbox #3, the Everlys and one of my all-timers, All I Have To Do Is Dream.

You BETTER have one a' mine in there, son...
Yes, Mr President, but you know I go in alphabetical by song order, and...


Don' give me that alfum-betical stuff.  I'm the President...

...Again...


...an' I want MY song next!

All right, all right.  Bullying a sick man is real class, y'know?  But anyway, the CB #4 this week, Wear Your Ring Around My Neck.

Good, I like that one.  Carry on!

(If I could think right now, I'd be re-thinking this POTM thing...)

HEY! Did I hear that right?

It was in parentheses, you didn't hear it at all....

Anyway, next up is Bobby Freeman's Do You Want To Dance, a song the Beach Boys did a great job on later, and CB has it at 43 and climbing.

Perry Como came in at #11 with Kewpie Doll.  One of the 88 that escapes me this week.  (Although right now, American Pie would escape me.)

Next up is a jazzy instrumental by Renato Carosone (not cortisone) called Torero, and it's at #39.

The Platters held the #2 spot with Twilight Time.

And David Seville of Chipmunks fame had the CB #1 with the novelty hit Witch Doctor.  What, you expected him to do a ballad?)

Now I am sorry to say that this week was a total rout.  Everybody but the winner had just one vote!  So let's just say everybody #11 and above made it.  Except Elvis.  He only got one.





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Wow, I gave myself what is almost 2 6Ds this week.  Let me start off with the ACTUAL one.  It was a 14-y-o lad named Laurie London who was at #5 with He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, which is considered the only gospel song in history to hit #1.  And while I couldn't go too far with him, I found many many covers of the tune- on in particular that amazed me.  A supergroup called the Sisters Of Glory had it on their 1995 lp- an lp that wasn't even supposed to be.  The group was brought together for a charity series by Lois Walden, a singer/author, just for the event.  But they were so good together, it led to them opening Sunday morning at Woodstock '94- then to a performance before the POPE- and at that point, they HAD to do an lp.  And who were these ladies?  In addition to Lois, there was Thelma Houston (#1 with Don't Leave Me This Way), CeCe Peniston who hit the R&B and Dance charts a handful of times; Phoebe (Poetry Man) Snow, and the Queen of Gospel, Albertina Walker!





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The other story I found came up with the week's UK #1, Whole Lotta Woman by Marvin Rainwater.  Now you don't forget a name like that- but you might, as I did, forget why you heard it.  Well, he was the first person to record The Pale Faced Indian- later known to everyone as Paul Revere and the Raiders' Indian Reservation.  It was written by John T Loudermilk, who also had to his credit Tobacco Road, Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye, and Sue Thompson's hit Norman.

He also had 2 brothers- who for whatever reason when by the Louvin Brothers.  They were both secular country and gospel stars- although it can't be said that brother Ira was a good Christian.  He was often drunk, a big womanizer, got shot six times by the third of his four wives (who allegedly commented that if that wasn't enough to kill him, she'd shoot him again).  Ironically, he and his fourth wife were killed BY a drunk driver.


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The #58 in '58 would be a real poser if I could take the titles off this video.  As it is, it is the first chart hit- here, but not on Billboard- for Kenneth (later Kenny) Rogers...





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And now, the almost immobile M10:

Willie Nelson moves up one to #9 with Delete And Fast Forward- so does Ruth B with Dandelions, to #8.

The Old 97's head for final judgment, as Good With God falls 4 to #7.

And now it's Styx's turn to move up just one, going to #6 with Gone Gone Gone.

So of course, Flogging Molly stubbornly stays put at #5 with The Hand Of John L Sullivan.

Taking advantage of the chaos to move up two, the Orwells at #4 with They Put A Body In The Bayou.

Real Estate- whose lead guitarist also founded M10ers Ducktails, slips out of the top spot to #3 with Serve The Song.

And, as I told Laurie, "Here's something I never thought I'd say 4 weeks ago- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at #2, up 2, with Hope The High Road.  Just kinda grew on me.

And now, I can safely answer our opening question.  France, whose Beach House collected 2 #1 weeks with Space Song, 4 weeks with Traveller, and 1 with Beyond Love; Phoenix, whose Listomania was the first 3-week #1 on the M10; and Melody's Echo Chamber, with three weeks of I Follow You, 2 weeks of Crystallized...



...oh, yes, and one for You Won't Be Missing That Part Of Me- which means the two female led French acts are the ONLY M10 acts to log 3 #1s!!!!!!!!!


And, who is our POTM next week?


I don' care if'n it ain't me...
Yeah, but we do, and without further ado I give you...




...Phil and Don (woooo...), the Everly Brothers, and All I Have To Do Is Dream!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Okay, the ibuprofens are starting to have a good effect, so let me try some hot vittles next.  See you in 1959!

4 comments:

  1. Hope you feel better soon!! You still managed to get out a great post. No way could i ( would i ) have done that while sick.

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    1. I was at my bottom worst during that whole Elvis schtick. As proof, I offer the picture of me that was taken as I composed it. Amazed even myself.

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  2. Chris:
    ---NOW you tell me AFTER I bought all those surplus RAD-badges!!!
    ---No Tylenol for me...gimme Aleve.
    ---Most M10s OUITSIDE the USA (guessing UK)
    ---PVRIS - very good tune...nice find!
    ---The Everlys...always good - the Platters...grew up with them in Dad's LP collection (think I might still have the greatest hits vinyl somewhere)
    ---Wow...you almost gave yourself a 12D...isn't that habit-forming?
    ---hard to believe that was the ONLY gospel tune to hit #1...!?!
    ---Sisters of Glory...the back beat has me wanting to watch The Lion King for some reason.
    ---Marvin Rainwater had a very "interesting" family...for sure.
    ---STYX moving up - OK. Flogging Molly holding steady - also OK,Jason Isbell...OK,
    Melody's echo Chamber...again, OK...(liking the lineup)...
    ---The Everly's take the presidency...whatta great song, too.
    Well done.

    A really good ride this week.
    (and we avoided all that rain)
    And please lose that bug you snagged. We want a HEALTHY you around, kapeesh?

    Keep those hits comin' up there, brother.

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    Replies
    1. Actually "tylenol" was a euphemism for "I can't possibly spell ibuprofen right now"- as the squiggly line proved later.

      UK was lower on the list- and would have been much lower if I'd have counted all M10 songs, as Canada and Australia would have really pulled into the battle.


      Next week, a report on the Eurovision final that will be more of an op-ed than a review- and you'll see why.

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