Time Machine week #3

I kinda think that three weeks in, I can drop the “new”.  Now it’s just like the trick the comic book companies do- when sales slump, re-number to #1 and pretend there was some reason to start over.  Except I had a good reason, and this week is especially special because we’re going to celebrate the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary with some extra bon mots, including a 6 8 degrees on some Beach Boys members that you might never have known about.  Along with a lot of our usual fooferall including a trip through the legend of Billy Jack.  Hop in, belt up, and flip the switch!

We had an amazing 18 debuts on the hot 100 this week- but despite new music by such luminaries as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, the Grass Roots, the 5th Dimension, Tommy James and the Shondells, and Paul Revere and the Raiders, I knew only 3 (count ‘em, 3) of them.  At 82- and the only way I knew this one was from owning a Glen Campbell’s greatest hits tape, is the man himself with Bobbi Gentry redoing the Everlys’ All I Have To Do Is Dream.  At #70 is the peripatetic Tony Burrows and Edison Lighthouse and Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes, which always reminds me of Foster Brooks on some skit slurring, “Where Bambi goes, nothin’ grows!” for some odd reason.  And all the way up at #45, ta da daaaaah- the King, Elvis Presley, and Kentucky Rain.  Quality over quantity, I suppose.

Birthdays this week:  Turning 30 are Van Halen’s cover of Roy Orbison’s Oh, Pretty Woman, along with Foreigner’s Jukebox Hero.  Turning 35 are the live version of Wings’ Maybe I’m Amazed, along with the Climax Blues Band’s hit Couldn’t Get It Right.  And finally, Mr. Orbison himself debuted with Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream) 50 years ago this week.  Blow out the candles…

Speaking of birthdays, I’m not alone in celebrating the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary.  A new studio album is being recorded, and a 44-city tour starting in April, by the band’s most original lineup possible: Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks.  Brian, Mike, and David were originals, Al was David’s replacement when he proved too young to tour.

Our big dropper this week is courtesy of Johnny Taylor, who would in a few years give us the classic Disco Lady.  His tune Love Bones falls 42 spots to #74 this week.  The big jumper- well, it’s in the top 40.  WAAAAY up in the top 40.  So we’ll see it later.

One thing I wanted to do was a list of the Boys’ all time best sellers.  However, that info has proven… difficult.  However, I did find that 4 of their songs (as of November 2003) had played at least 3 million times on the radio.  3 of them shouldn’t be that hard to guess- the fourth was actually the b-side of another of their big hits.  I’ll give you some time to guess before I let the cat outta the bag.

The Where Are They Now victim at #50 this week is the song One Tin Soldier- not the Coven version that was on the Billy Jack movie, but the original by… er… Original Caste.  OC was a Canadian folk band basically consisting of leader Bruce Innes, vocalist (and at some point between 1967 and 1970, Mrs. Innes) Dixie Lee Stone, Graham Bruce, and Bliss Mackie (who is not affiliated with Brown Mackie College).  Their take on the song was top ten in Canada in ‘70, and it would hit #34 here.  In ‘71, vocalist Jinx Dawson of Coven recorded it for the Billy Jack soundtrack on the condition that it be listed on album, single, and movie as Coven.  The single, in some kind of attempt to skirt royalty issues, was labeled One Tin Soldier (The Legend Of Billy Jack), and had made it to #26 before the production company pulled it because their dastardly doings failed.  The full band put it on their album (With their faces cleverly whited out on the cover) and it re-charted in 1973 and ‘74.  It was eventually named the most request song of the year in both 1971 and 1973.  OC went on to have some more hits in Canada- as well as Japan- but never hit in the US of A again.  The band shrank to just Bruce and Dixie in 1972, and was finally shelved when they divorced in 1980.  Dixie dropped out of the biz and became a social worker;  Bruce stayed in and eventually formed a new “Original Caste” in the early 2000’s.

Dixie Lee Stone Innes of Original Caste

Jinx Dawson of Coven- ooooh!

We had 7 top 40 debuts this week.  Soul  singer Joe Simon moonwalked into the top 40, going up one to the leadoff spot, with Moon Walk.  Coming up 6 to #39 was a catchy little soul/dance number by the Dells, Oh, What A Day.  Roaring into the top 40 at 38, up 17 notches, is Santana with Evil Ways.  Coming up 9 to #37 is last week’s big mover, the Chairmen Of The Board’s Give Me Just A Little More Time.  Also up 9 to come in at 35 is two weeks ago’s Where Are They Now victim, Lenny Welch’s Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (which is a pretty faithful precursor to Neil Sedaka’s upcoming slow version).  Shooting up 14 spots to #28 is Donnie Iris and the Jaggerz with The Rapper.  Which leaves the high debut and this week’s biggest mover- up 32 spots to #18- Simon And Garfunkel with Bridge Over Troubled Water, which was last week’s WANT victim.  Fifty’s getting to be a popular launching pad, eh?

Have you guessed at the 4 3-million-listens yet?  One of them is (unfortunately) their biggest seller of all time, Kokomo.  The #1 Good Vibrations and the #3 California Girls  should have been pretty easy to get.  But the fourth?  It was the b-side of I Get Around- Don’t Worry Baby.

Two songs enter the top ten, two fall out.  Vanity Fare retreats after their one-week peek into the ten, dropping from 10 to 26 with Early In The Morning.  And, Elvis in, Elvis out- Don’t Cry Daddy slips from 9 to 24.

We lead off the top ten with Led Zep’s Whole Lotta Love slipping from 7 to #10.  Mark Lindsay of the aforementioned Raiders moves up 2 to #9 with Arizona.  The Guess Who stalls at #8 with No Time.  Dionne Warwick’s I’ll Never Fall In Love Again falls a notch to #7; as does Tom Jones’ Without Love (There Is Nothing) to #6.

And now, in chronological order, 8 people you might never have guessed were Beach Boys:
GLEN CAMPBELL- He toured in Brian’s spot while Brian worked on Pet Sounds back home.

CHARLES MANSON- well, not exactly, but while he spent some time freeloading out at Dennis’ place, he, with help from Dennis and Terry Melcher, wrote a song he called Cease To Exist, which morphed later on into Never Learn Not To Love on the album 20/20.

DARYL (“THE CAPTAIN”) DRAGON- Was the touring keyboardist an a couple of stints, the first from 1967-72.

BLONDIE CHAPLIN- a buddy of Carl’s, he was lead vocal on Sail On Sailor and a few others.

GERRY BECKLEY- the former vocalist from America(I Need You, Sister Golden Hair) was the one who finished Carl’s last tour for him in 1980.

JOHN STAMOS- Has pitched in at various levels since 1990, is going to be part of the upcoming tour, and if you have any doubts about his abilities, catch his lead vocal on the song Forever.  This should have been a top ten hit, if negative critics didn’t have much of the world brainwashed against them.

PHIL BARDOWELL-  after one of his stints in the touring band, he joined Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, became a Christian, and has had several Christian releases.  Oh, and he’s in on the tour as well.

JOHN COWSILL- drummer for the family act in the ‘60s (Hair, Indian Lake), founding member of Tommy Tutone (867-5309/Jenny) in the 80’s, member of the band in the 1990’s and 2000’s.

Crashing the top ten party at #5, up 7 big notches, is Eddie Holman with Hey There Lonely Girl.  From here on out it gets very familiar-  Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head holds at 4, I Want You Back at 3, Thank You Falletenme Be Mice Elf Again at 2, and Shocking Blue takes the top with Venus for a third week.

Tune in next week for more fun and games, and tomorrow for the seventies countdown.