Time Machine week 39

Well, even a Tardis had trouble finding noteworthy news events here on September 4th, 1969.  I mean, yeah, Ho Chi Minh kicked the bucket, but as he got his way (and his name plastered upon a city that had a perfectly good name without him), nothing real to celebrate there.  One source told me that the Chicago Eight trial began today... but closer examination proved two things- a) the source needs a new keyboard as their "2" isn't working, and b) it didn't really start for another twenty days.  I saw an entry for the Mike Douglas Show for that day, and thought maybe the musical guest might be interesting.

It was the Joe Harnell Sextet.  Joe was the house pianist for the Dinah Shore Show.  Sorry, Joe.

Then I found what I thought might be the story for the day- the first ATM opening in NYC!  But when I got there... it actually happened two days ago.  So I guess the best we can say about the day's news is, nobody really knew what they were doing on the 4th.

"Well, I know what I was doing- I was discovering, that's... not... Buddha..."

 Thankfully the music was better than the news, and that's what we do here on Time Machine!  And this week:  The unknown song that had an REM cover for a b-side; a six degrees that takes in noted psychologist BF Skinner; a peak at the "summer top 50" that Rolling Stone had; and the latest and greatest on the new Martin Top Ten!  So hit the button in your Skinner Box, and away we'll go!

Climb into that police box- to listen to music?  Will I get a cookie?

This week's panel ropes in KLOH Pipestone, MN (somewhere in the southwest rump of the state), WIFE Indianapolis (I wonder if they named the station that so that male listeners could say they were listening to their WIFE?), KOIL Omaha, old friend WKNR Detroit, WBOW Terre Haute, IN (somewhere in the southwest rump of MY state), old pals WRKO Boston, WMCA New York, KGB San Diego, WIXY Cleveland, and KPOI Honolulu, along with WALG Albany GA and KYNO Fresno.  These nine collected 25 different songs this week, including number one votes for Oliver's Jean (Boston) and Bobby Sherman's Little Woman (San Diego).  And the top 4 were:

At 16 points but just one #1 vote- Omaha's- the nation's #9 this week, Three Dog Night and Easy To Be Hard.

Also at sixteen points, but fifteen of those points being number one votes from Pipestone, Terre Haute (the "rump" vote), and New York, the national # 1- the Stones and Honky Tonk Women.

In second at 20 points- ten behind the leader- with 3 number ones (Indy, Fresno, and Blue Hawaii), the national #4 this week, CCR and Green River.

And at number one... stay tuned.

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Our unknown song had a bit of trivia which I didn't even know until moments ago (that's right, forgot to prep the feature again!),  The band is called the Clique, whose home town is Holli Country- Texas!  Specifically, the Houston area.  Their leader- and sometimes only member, with session players filling out the team- was one Gary Zekley, who also was the writer of the big hit for the Grass Roots, Sooner Or Later.  Their song, which would get to #22 nationally next month, was number three in Boston, of all places.







The b-side of this was the song Superman, which REM would cover and take to #17 on  the mainstream rock charts in 1986.  Weird wild stuff!

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Last week's #3 on the M10, NRBQ's Ridin' In My Car, was on the Rolling Stone mag's top 50 songs of summer chart from 2013.  They led off that chart at #50, and I thought it might be fun to take a look at what Martin Era songs made that list.  They were:

Chad and Jeremy's A Summer Song was 47.
Last week's M10 #4, Weezer's Islands In The Sun, was at 46.
Chicago's Saturday In The Park made 42.
The Kinks' Sunny Afternoon was 39.
Donna Summer had Hot Stuff at 31.
Chubby Checker was just behind the line with Let's Twist Again at 30.
Martha and the Vandellas had Heat Wave at 29.  TWENTY-NINE???
Chic discoed in Good Times at 26.
Marvin Gaye at 23 with, of all things, Got To Give It Up.
Mungo Jerry at 20 with In The Summertime.  TWENTY???


You can see I'm not all that agreeable here, Jan... but your Hall Of Fame sucks, too!  Anyway, moving on...

The Drifters' Under The Boardwalk... 18.
Jan and Dean, Surf City, 17.
Dancing Days, Led Zep, 16.  Really?
Summer Breeze, Seals and Crofts, 13.
Summer In The City, the Lovin' Spoonful, 7.
Sly and the Family Stone, Hot Fun In The Summertime, 6.  Well, maybe there's SOME hope here.

Beach Boys, California Girls, number 4.  And this is the only one out of 50?
Alice Cooper, School's Out.  Good pick. But #3?
And the last ME song is at #1...

Martha and the Vandellas- again- with Dancing In The Streets.  I can live with that.

The remainder of the top ten had Eddie Cochrane's Summertime Blues (missed my cut off) at #2, The Ramones and Rockaway Beach (?) at #5, the Go-Go's Vacation (missed the other cut off) at 8, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince with Summertime at 9 (please...), and Bananarama's Cruel Summer (missed the cut-off) at 10.

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It's Bottom's Up time!

  A tad disappointing that the top of the bottom starts in the national top 40...

10- Stevie Wonder's My Cherie Amour, on it's way down at 38 after 15 weeks.

9- The aforementioned Bobby Sherman's Little Woman is at 39 in its 4th week.

8- Andy Kim placed at 45 this week with Baby I Love You in week 7.

7- Lou Christie was at 47 after 4 weeks with I'm Gonna Make You Mine.

6- The Who are at 53 and dropping with I'm Free after 9 short weeks.

5- Debuting this week is an underplayed gem by the Four Seasons, And That Reminds Me, at 61.

4- Here's a treat for Laurie- Joe South's Don't It Make You Wanna Go Home is at 67 after 2 weeks.

3- The Cuff Links are at 81 after two weeks with Tracy.

2- Orpheus comes in at 84 after two weeks with a song you KNOW I love, Can't Find The Time.

And the top Bottom?

...Gayle McCormick and Smith with Baby It's You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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If you followed the former shuffle ten, you've seen ELO chart with some of the tunes from their "comeback" lp Zoom.  This was really a Jeff Lynne deal (Richard Tandy was the only alumni involved), but had a lot of good music on it.  On the sales-abbreviated tour, Greg Bissonette was the drummer.  He was also the drummer (and one of the few using his real name) in the semi-legendary, semi-fictional band Spinal Tap.  One of the three founders of said "band" was really Harry Shearer, who you know as many of the voices on The Simpsons.  One of those characters he voices is Pricipal Seymour Skinner...

"Moving on, our class trip to Italy is now spaghetti night at Papa John's. And your $1,500 deposits will not be refunded."

Skinner was named after the previously mentioned BF Skinner, whom older folks might understand why me and a high school buddy called him "the other guy".  Skinner at one point dated one Mary Rotolo, an activist whose family, particularly her daughter Suze, were the subject of the Bob Dylan tune Ballad In Plain D- after he had a nasty breakup with Suze.  One particular line of that song-

Of the two sister, I loved the young
With sensitive instincts, she was the creative one
The constant scapegoat, she was easily undone
By the jealousy of others around her-

Was the inspiration that lead Randy Bachman to write the Guess Who hit Undun, the b-side of their top ten hit Laughing- which, sitting at #11 on Cashbox this week, is the highest charting tune which got no love from the panel.

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And now, this week's Martin Ten!

Holding at number 10, Angel Deradoorian with Expanding Flower Planet, the winner of a three-way battle for the last spot.

The first of three debuts this week was a suggestion from Spotify.  It was a 1971 Chicago hit for a band called Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah, and I'll likely feature it later on in upcoming M10s.  It's called Lake Shore Drive, and it sits at #9.

Number Eight comes to us from Shady Dell Knight, who featured this song very recently on his blog.  It belongs to Lulu, who had her big moment with the movie title song To Sir With Love in 1967.  This one was before that, in 1964, and was on the Lulu EP from that year- The Trouble With Boys.  Don't know how it didn't get released as a single, but A&R men are of course wiser than I.

Saint Asonia slips a notch with the song which is NOT their current single (Better Place, currently 8 on MSR), to number seven with Leaving Minnesota.

At six is our highest debut, a duo who go by the name Beach House.  They are into "dream rock", and have just released a new lp called Depression Cherry.  Their individual names are Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand, they are from Baltimore MD, and their song, which was 17 last night on Spotify's viral hits, is simply called Space Song.

Tender is the night

For a broken heart

Who will dry your eyes

When it falls apart?

What makes this fragile world go 'round?

Were you ever lost

Was she ever found?

Somewhere in these eyes

Fall back into place

Fall back into place

Tumbling 3 spots to #5 is King Harvest with Vaea, from the comeback lp Old Friends.

The Big Mover this week belongs, most surprisingly to me, to Adam Lambert.  The lyrics to Ghost Town have been playing in my head all week, and that moves it up from 9 to #4.

Now, I'm searching for trust

In a city of rust

A city of vampires

Tonight, Elvis is dead

And everyone's spread

And love is a satire

And now I know my heart is a ghost town

Our first number one becomes the first to fall from number one- Status Quo's You're In The Army Now drops to #3.

And at number two, our video for the week...

Island In The Sun is pounding at the door, moving up from 4 to #2.

And our number ones?  Survey says...

The Archies with Sugar Sugar, which was the  national #3 this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, Martin says....

...NRBQ, up two spots with Drivin' In My Car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Okay, so Labor Day awaits, and the music begins to slip into fall.  Soon we'll be hearing Nat singing about those roasting chestnuts.  But for right now, it's close to 90 out and the only roasting chestnuts are near and dear to me!  In the meantime, tune in next week when we visit...