TimeMachine week 92

Our mixed bag of what happened on our target date this week, November 1, 1971, leads off with a piece of... er, literature... released today that was more famous for what it represented than anything within its pages.  The Anarchist's Cookbook, a compilation on things such as making bombs and attacking telecommunication systems, was a one-finger salute to the establishment by William Powell, who has since become an Anglican Christian and disavowed the tome.  In fact, he tried to get it taken out of print for years, but the publisher refused.  In 1991 that publisher was bought out, and of the several thousand books the new publisher acquired in the deal, Cookbook was the ONLY one they dropped.

Also, the Eisenhower Dollar was first released to the public.  Never saw one?  Not surprising; it had nearly a 100% "extinction rate" (meaning it was sold first to collectors and they never spent it again).

And finally, this is the cover date for one of the great books in comics history:

Avengers (first series) #93, part of the game-changing Kree-Skrull War storyline, illustrated by the great Neal Adams, written by Roy Thomas, and the origin point of dozens of later storylines.  The Kree-Skrull storyline stretched from #89-97, and was so popular that back in the day, my mom was able to get ONLY the first episode.  I paid $20 about 15 years ago for my copy.  On today's comics price guide, a near mint copy will run you $340 or more.


Welcome to Time Machine, where we deal with super hits rather than superheroes.  This week, the 7th class of the Martin Hall Of Fame; not one, but two songs that clear at least 19 spots to hit the top ten; the penultimate (AKA second-to-last) episode of stars of the 50 states; the great cover battle; and just for fun, the Fantastic Four!  Up, up, and away!!!!!

Frankly, Sue, I fail to see the need for our presence in a MUSIC blog...

We start out with number ones across the land- at least where Mamy Blue hasn't taken over!  In the Netherlands, the Scots band Middle Of The Road (who brought us the original of Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep earlier this year) hits the top with their song Soley Soley. If nothing else can be said for the band (the song is really pretty good), the lead singer, Sally Carr, is worth a nod in the next TM Beauty Contest:

 The only other change internationally was the Great White North exchanging one Osmond for a bunch, as Yo-Yo took over the top spot.  Around the US of A, it stacks up like this.  Both Detroit stations place Have You Seen Her at the top;  Pittsburgh, LA, both Minneapolis stations, and one Chicago station has Gypsies Tramps and Thieves at #1, while WLS stubbornly holds out for Yo-Yo.  Peace Train is now on top of the AC charts; Six degrees accomplice from last week Denise LaSalle's Trapped By A Thing Called Love is at the R&B #1; and Lynne Anderson's How Do I Unlove You holds onto the Country title.

Which, then, brings us to the hot 100 debuts for this week.  And what a lot- out of 20 new tunes, I'll feature 8 of them- Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band come in at #91 with Scorpio; The Stylistcs' classic You Are Everything is in at #90; Diana Ross' UK #1 I'm Still Waiting comes in here at #87; The Who also debut with a classic- Behind Blue Eyes at #82; Sly and the Family Stone- who will be having a few mentions today- come in at #81 with Family Affair; David Cassidy's solo cover of the Association's hit Cherish comes in at #74; and Michael Jackson comes in with a solo hit at #59, Got To Be There.

That brings us to our birthday song feature.  Turning thirty this week, Hall and Oates' Say It Isn't So, Elton John's I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, and... uhhh.... Madonna's first top 40 single, Holiday.  If only we knew then...

Turning 35, we have Two of the songs I absolutely HATED the most back then.  One was Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's You Don't Bring Me Flowers; the other, Chic's Le Freak.  This was soon after our local station started airing Casey Kasem's American Top 40.  It had debuted on the BB chart at #37, and I couldn't stand it instantly.  It wasn't (yet) airing here, and when the next countdown had got in the 20's without it, I thought, "Good, it died a quick death and went away."  But I hadn't done my math right, and I was totally surprised when Casey played it at #6!!!  I don't dislike it near as much now- something I really can't say for Neil and Babs.  Also turning 35, The Cars' My Best Friend's Girl and Bob Seger and the band's We've Got Tonite (which I liked until Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton butchered it for me).

One song turns 40- Jim Stafford's tender love song Spiders And Snakes.  Turning 45 we have Glen Campbell's Wichita Lineman, the recently featured Jose Feliciano's Star Spangled Banner, Stevie Wonder's For Once In My Life, and Judy Collins' Both Sides Now.  Finally, hitting the big 5-0 we have the Beach Boys' Be True To Your School and the Singing Nun's Dominique.  Blow Out The Candles...


Before we get to the really good stuff, let's refer to the map...

We are almost done with the highest charting acts of the 50 states, and this week we had to do some real stretches...

South Dakota- the best I could do here (no offense) is Shawn Colvin, who sang background on Suzanne Vega's 1987 hit Luka, and charted her own hit in 1997, Sunny Come Home.

Tennessee- Aretha Franklin, who'll also have a big part in something around the corner, with 72 hot 100s and 18 top tens.

Texas- the aforementioned Kenny Rogers, who in solos and duets charted 29 hot 100s and 8 top tens.

Utah- Cahmann, you know this.  Donny Osmond, solo and with Marie, had 24 hot 100s and 8 top tens.

Vermont- again, we make a colossal stretch of the rules and point out that Rudy Vallee is Vermont-born.



That brings us to the 45 at 45- the #45 song 45 years ago.  This week it belongs to a Detroit outfit called the Fantastic Four with their song I Love You Madly.  This band had been on local label Ric-Tic before Motown bought them out, and outsold even Edwin Starr there, charting an R&B #6 with The Whole World's A Stage.  This tune was their only chart hit for Motown, though they stayed together until they lost two founding members- "Sweet James" Epps and Cleveland Home- in 2000.  One of the remaining brothers was still trying to reforge a new FF as late as 2010.

Okay, I'm Reed, you're Sue... no, you can be Johnny... You're just a thing, man!

Big mover time!  Going up- Have You Seen Her by the Chi-Lites shoots up 46 spots to #41; going down, Bill Withers drops 29 to #42 with Ain't No Sunshine.



One of the songs that gets into this week's top 40 is the Isley Brothers' cover of War's Spill The Wine.  Which got me thinking- I see an awful lot of covers done by two R&B acts in particular- the Isleys and Aretha Franklin.  So I got looking into it.  The Isleys picked an eclectic mix of songs to cover, including:

Love The One You're With (original hit 14 on BB, their cover 18)
Spill The Wine (which missed the BB top 40 at 49, while the original hit #3)
Lay Lady Lay (Yeah, that one surprised me, too; I also learned that Dylan wanted to give it to the Everlys, but Phil thought he sang "lay across my big bad breasts" or something like that, and turned him down- he never knew the right words until Dylan's single started playing.  He hit #7; the Isleys hit 71.)
It's Too Late (original #1, theirs 39 R&B)
Summer Breeze (original #6, theirs 60).

Aretha had a much larger assortment of covers, along with original singles that songwriters would record later like You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.  She also had a string of hits that had charting b-side covers.  Here are a few of her a-side covers:

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (original #1, hers didn't chart in the US)
I Say A Little Prayer (original 4, hers 10)
The Weight (original a classic despite only charting at #63; hers 19)
Eleanor Rigby (original 11, hers 17)
Bridge Over Troubled Water (original #1, hers 6)
Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (original #8, hers 47)
What A Fool Believes (original #1, hers 17 R&B)
Jumpin' Jack Flash (original #3, hers 21)
Everyday People (original #1, hers 13 R&B).

So Aretha did a little better against the originals than the Isleys did, but not near as well as the queen of covers, Linda Ronstadt:

When Will I Be Loved (original 8, hers 2)
Heat Wave (Hers 5, original 4)
Tracks Of My Tears ( one of Aretha's b-side covers; Aretha charted at 71, the original at 16, Linda at 25)
That'll Be The Day (original 1, hers 11)
Blue Bayou (original 29, hers 3)
Back In The USA (both peaked at 16)
Ooh Baby Baby (original 16, hers 7)
Hurts So Bad (hers 8, original 10)
I Knew You When (Original 14, hers 37).

And that's how you cover a song!

Speaking of the top 40 (which I did at the beginning of that bunny trail), let's look at our 5 debuts this week.  Up 10 spots to land at 40 is Bobby Sherman with Jennifer.  That Isleys cover of Spill The Wine moves up a pair to #39.  Coven hits with One Tin Soldier, up 11 to #36.  Up 11 spots to 34, a DJ by the name of Freddie North with his only top 40 hit, She's All I Got.  And finally, storming up from 52 to 30, Bread with Baby I'm-A Want You.


And Nowwwwww the 7th class of the Martin Hall Of Fame!  For those who aren't in the know ( and have been inexplicably unable to scroll up and click on the MHOF page), the MHOF has acts arranged by these titles:  Top names, top men, top women, not so rock'n'roll, personal favorites, and golden oldies.  This class of the MHOF features:

Top Names

With 10 top 40s and 3 #1s, Sly and the Family Stone!
With 7 top forties, 2 #1s, and a lasting influence... The Byrds!
With 21 top 40s and 3 top dogs... Three Dog Night!

Heh heh... 3 "top dogs" for three DOG night... it was a joke, right?

Top Men

With 6 top forties and a LOT of writing and production credits... Todd Rundgren!
With 9 top forties, a man I couldn't believe I hadn't put in yet... Tom Jones!

Top Women

With 21 top 40s and 4 #1s... Cher!

Not so R'N'R

With 33 top 40s and 3 #1s... Paul Anka!

Personal

With 5 top 40 hits... Pablo Cruise!
With 6 top 40s and a top dog... Bill Withers!

Golden Oldies

With 12 top 40s and a classic #1.... Gary Lewis and the Playboys!
And, with 5 top 40s... The Orlons!

And there you have the 7th semi-annual class of the MHOF!  Congratulations to one and all!

__________________________________

Three songs jump in- two of them REALLY jump in- so three fall out.  The droppers:  Thin Line Between Love And Hate (10 to 11), Sweet City Woman (7 to 22), and If You Really Love Me (9 to 27).

Lee Michaels takes a 6-spot drop, and that hurts.  Do You Know What I Mean?

Cat Stevens claws his way into the top ten, with an unspectacular (this week) 6-notch jump to #9 with Peace Train.

From 29 to # 8, John Lennon with The Internationale  Imagine.

Al Green is not only Tired Of Being Alone, he's tired of going up.  He slips from 6 to 7.

The Free Movement freely moves from 8 to 6 with I Found Someone Of My Own.

From 24 to #5, Isaac Hayes with Theme From Shaft.  I always kinda liked Bart Simpson doing it at karaoke.

Yer damn right...

The Carpenters slip from 3 to 4 with Superstar.

The Osmonds lose their runner-up slot, sliding to 3 with Yo-Yo.

The three week reign of Rod Stewart and Maggie May is over, it slips to #2.

And that means, Minneapolis, LA, Pittsburgh, and Chicago told you so! the new #1...

...Cher, with Gypsies Tramps And Thieves!



Next week, more Reed Richards (not really), more Sally Carr (you never know), and more fun (guaranteed)!