Time Machine week 14

Welcome to Time Machine for February 27, 1967- a day so devoid of news, Google led me to this Chicago Tribune article from that day's paper:

Why, of all the articles in that day's paper Google took me here, I don't know.  It must be the mystical power of Ras Tafari....

By the story I read, he's more likely Noah...

Despite that, it was a good week for music- the world got it's first radio tastes of The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever, Mamas and the Papas' Dedicated To The One I Love (both in the top 40), Penny Lane (the a-side of Strawberry Fields, with its own entry), the Royal Guardsmen's Return Of Snoopy And The Red Baron, Martha and the Vandellas' Jimmy Mack, and Harper's Bizarre with The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy).  And on today's show:  the highest charting 6 degrees victim of the new TM; Two more unknown songs... and one by a bunch of little kids; and the return of the man with the most hot 100 songs to never hit the top 40!  Gather the herd, and let's go!


This week, our friendly group of panelists include:  WSAI, Cincinnati; KDWB, Minneapolis; WQAM, Miami; WKBW, Buffalo; WKIX, Raleigh; KJR, Seattle; WMCA, New York; WRKO, Boston; KASH, Eugene OR; our old friends CKLW, Detroit; KFWB, Los Angeles;, and a reeeeeal stretch... KPOI, Honolulu.  One of their unique contributions was their #3- a song by a lady who went by the moniker of France Gall.

As you can see, France Gall was more than just Gallic rudeness.  She was a big hit in her home country, singing what was known as ye-ye music- the French version of "yeah-yeah", like the Beatles.  The song she charted with in Hawaii wasn't released as a single, but was getting airplay anyway.  It was a French-language tribute to the son of the late President Kennedy called Bonsoir, Jon-Jon.  It was written as JFK talking to the boy after his death, and was pretty and sad.

Bonsoir Jon-Jon was one of a record 30 songs that were on the top fives of our 12 panelists.  Thirty-two if you count the two b-sides that were also mentioned on the charts, (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone on the flip of I'm A Believer by the Monkees, and There's No Stopping Us Now on the back of the Supremes' Love Is Here And Now You're Gone.  Another oddball I thought I would mention was the two versions of the song There's A Kind Of Hush that appeared this week.  Most of them were the Herman's Hermits' big hit version... but one was by a group called Gary and the Hornets.  The thing about Gary and the Hornets, though, was...

...they were 7, 11, and 14 years old.  Gary, Steve, and Greg Calvert from Franklin, OH, hit #5 on the (surprise surprise) Cincinnati chart this week.  They later parlayed their "fame" into an appearance on Carson, where they did Devil With A Blue Dress.


Anyway, the shakedown of the thirty songs gives us the following top four:

The Buckinghams pulled 15 points and the #1 from Eugene with Kind Of A Drag, which was #4 nationally as well.

The Turtles racked up 15 points as well, but with the #1s of both Detroit and LA, with Happy Together, which was 39 and rising nationally.

The aforementioned Love Is Here by the Supremes vol. 1 pulled in 22 points and top picks in Miami, Raleigh, and Beantown.

Before I tell you the winner will be mentioned later, I should also say that the 3 songs that got #1 votes but didn't make the final four were:  I've Been Lonely Too Long  by the Young Rascals (Honolulu), Let's Spend The Night Together (although because they agreed with Sullivan that the title was too suggestive, listed it as "Let's Spend IT Together") by the Stones in Seattle, and Ed Ames...

...yes, THAT Ed Ames, with My Cup Runneth Over in (once again) Cincinnati.  And now:  The number one song on the survey is... coming up later!


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Unknown song number one comes to us from the good people of Raleigh, who had as their #4 pick a duo from (AGAIN!) Cincinnati who were named Linda Parrish and Patti Valentine, but performed as the Two Of Clubs.

(Google, on the same image page, had a pic of Dick The Bruiser.  Not sure how that ties in, either.)

You have virtually all the facts I could find about them, other than their sweet little tune called Walk Tall:





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Next up, the Great Nineties Countdown!  This week we have numbers 20-16:

20- You Were Meant For Me, Jewel, 1996.  Hit #2 pop.  Covered by about everyone.

...I pick a book up and then I turn the sheets down
And then I take a deep breath and a good look around
Put on my pj's and hop into bed
I'm half alive but I feel mostly dead....

19- Man On The Moon, REM, 1992.   A second single from the Andy Kaufman tribute soundtrack, it made #2 alternative/ #30 pop.

Now, Andy did you hear about this one?
Tell me, are you locked in the punch?
Andy are you goofing on Elvis? Hey, baby
Are we losing touch?

18- Zombie, The Cranberries, 1994.  A heartfelt telling of the war in Northern Ireland from a mother's point of view.  #1 alt, 22 pop.

It's the same old theme since 1916
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,And their bombs and their guns
In your head, in your head, they are dying...

17- Fade Into You, Mazzy Star, 1994.  This is THE most mellow lp I ever listened to.  Took 15 points off my blood pressure all by itself.  #44 pop, #3 alt.


Some kind of night into your darkness
Colors your eyes with what's not there.

Fade into you
Strange you never knew
Fade into you
I think it's strange you never knew....

16- Till I Hear It From You, Gin Blossoms, 1995.  One more time for these boys, with a tune that hit #5 alt and #11 pop.


Still thinking about not living without it
Outside looking in
Til we're talking about it, not stepping around it....



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Our second unknown was a bit more well known than the first- it was on Cashbox at 57 this week, headed for an eventual peak near #36.  It was the #3 on both Miami and Eugene, and it came from a group called the Mojo Men.  They were a San Fran outfit headlined by one Jim Alaimo- the brother of Steve Alaimo, who hit the hot 100 nine times from 1962-72 without getting any higher than #46- a record for top 40 futility.  Both brothers had been members of a band called the Redcoats (should have been here last week with the Sons Of Liberty, lol), who were the backing band for several acts during Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars tour in '67.  The Mojo Men got their first start with a little help from the producer who would become better known as Sly Stone.  Sly grafted himself onto the band ( Sly and the Mojo Men, no lie), but the guys didn't like any of the songs he was in on, and scrapped it.  By themselves, they took this song into the national top 40:





(Yeah, I know, this is FAR from what I was figuring on from "Mojo Men", but it ain't half bad...)


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Our six degrees is as always based on the song that sat highest nationally that got no votes from the panel... and with 30/32 songs to choose from, you'd think this would be a fairly low down in the "do I know this?" end of the chart... put it is actually the highest charting 6D we've ever had!  And it starts... with Roger Miller.

Now after his big hit, Roger's song was answered by a lovely yet unrelated singer named Jody Miller.  Her response ended up being her biggest hit, Queen Of The House.  Among her other resume points was a good showing at the San Remo (Italy) music festival with a song that would one day become, in English, Dusty Springfield's You Don't Have To Say You Love Me.  Another chart hit for her- though not a big one, peaking at #54- was a song made more famous later by Linda Ronstadt, Silver Threads And Golden Needles.  This tune was first charted by a UK outfit called the Springfields, and it was the first UK hit ever to chart on the Billboard top 20, back in 1962.  Hmm, Springfields, where has that come up before... Oh, of course, they were composed mainly of Dusty Springfield and her brother Tom.  But Tom's main fame was as a writer for a more well-known band... Judith Durham and the Seekers, who were sitting with Tom's composition Georgy Girl at #2 this week- the highest song on the charts that didn't get a vote from the panel in our history!


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And now, the shuffle ten!


At number ten, a big hit in Canada- which was cool, because I listened to CKLW back then-  Lighthouse, in their second trip to the ten, with their big hit One Fine Morning.  #2 in Canada, #24 here, in 1971.


Chicago also claims their second trip to the shuffle ten.  Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, a #7 in 1970, rests at #9 this week.

Reaching WAAAAAAY back to 1955, the Four Aces are at #8 with Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, which they topped the charts with.

At number seven is a song I discovered while researching other things.  It's from Poco's 1975 lp Head Over Heels, an unreleased cut called Down In The Quarter. If you have the time, it's well worth a listen.

The Righteous Brothers also claim their second shuffle ten song- this time, they have their 1965 #4 Unchained Melody- yes, the "Ghost" song- at number six.

Longtime followers have heard about this one before, I discovered it in the midst of a long, convoluted trail first told way back in Volume one week 30, or in laymen's terms, here.  I discovered it in amazement to learn that once upon a time, Rick (Super Freak) James and Neil Young were in a band together, called the Mynah Birds.  The song itself was about to be released as a single in 1966- just before Rick got arrested for going AWOL- but got pulled and didn't see the light of day again for almost 40 years!  It's called It's My Time, and you can click on the link and scroll down for the story and the video.  And... it's our #5 today.


Ronnie Milsap's country crossover from 1981, There's No Getting Over Me- #5 pop and numero uno country- sits at #4.

Yet another of those songs that got drastically cut airplay because of certain lyrics- not sure if it was "We made love to bombs bursting in air..." or, "I said, Hi, she said, "Yeah, I guess I am..." "- but I heard it way after the fact and fell in love with it.  Oh, it's called Ariel, it's by Jersey boy Dean Freidman, and it topped out at #26 back in 1977, and it's at #3.


Anne Murray flies in for the first time with her 1970 #8 Snowbird (apropos, no?) in the runner up spot.


And, the number ones this week?


Survey says....

The Stones and Ruby Tuesday!!!!!!  Amazingly, this was the b-side of Let's Spend "IT" Together, but we know how THAT turned out...


And shuffle says...

... The Alan Parsons Project with Damned If I Do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


From the lp Eve, this was probably the first time most people heard them and it climbed to #27 in 1979.

And that is a wrap for this week, kids!