Time Machine week 49

Today we will be setting down in November 13th, 1968.  And today Bob Gibson, pitcher for the Cardinals, collects the NL MVP award to go with the Cy Young he already claimed.  And in a couple days, Denny McLain of the Tigers will do the same in the AL to make the first time the 4 awards are split between two pitchers.

Also today, the Supremes release their Love Child lp.

  And speaking of music, the animated Beatles movie Yellow Submarine comes out today.  The funny thing, other than a bit at the end, no Beatles were used in the making of this movie.  The voices of the Fab Four belonged to:

John was John Clive, an English movie and TV star who had parts in A Clockwork Orange and two Pink Panther movies.

Paul was Geoffrey Hughes, a veteran of the UK soap Coronation Street, as well as playing the part of clerk Mr. Popplewick during Colin Baker's swan song as the Sixth Doctor during the 1986 Trial of a Time Lord series on Doctor Who.

Ringo was Paul Angelis, whose biggest American claim to fame was playing a henchman named Karageorge in the Bond flick For Your Eyes Only.

And George was Peter Batten, who... well, he really didn't do anything else, and in fact didn't get a credit for this. Bad karma, huh?

The Beatles- Peter, George, John, and Paul.  Wait, what?

Welcome to this week's Time Machine.  This week, the curse of  Bobby Russell; a six degrees that crashed into the ten most performed songs  from 1940-90;  a five-debut Bottom's Up, and a runaway (40-24) Panel winner!  Climb on in- we ain't yellow, but we're watertight!

I think I'm thanking the Palehawaii blog for this...

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Okay, so onto the panel this week, and we have KQV Pittsburgh, KMEN San Bernardino, WKYC Cleveland, WMCA New York, WKY Oklahoma City, KUDL Kansas City, WCFL the Voice of Labor in Chicago, WKNR Keener hits Detroit, WYND Sarasota, WHYN Springfield MA, WSGN Birmingham, and WDGY Minneapolis.  They put together 24 different tunes this week in 1968, including the #1 vote getters Hey Jude by the Beatles (Pittsburgh), Tommy James and the Shondells with Do Something To Me (San Bernie), and the Bob Seger System with Rambling Gambling Man (where else? Detroit).  And for a change both Pittsburgh and Birmingham were well-behaved; the lowest charting song for either of them was Glenn Campbell's (a name we are not done hearing) Wichita Lineman at 31.  And their top four:

Dion's Abraham Martin and John, the national #16 after a 25-notch jump, pulled i n 16 points and the #1 from Detroit.

Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride, the national #5, was third with 18 points and a number one courtesy Birmingham.

Mary Hopkins' Those Were The Days, the national top dog, collected 24 points and the #1s of Chicago and Minneapolis.

And at #1....  I'll give you a clue, you've heard the name before on this post.

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When we get to the Martin Ten this week, you'll find there was but one debut this week- a surprise to me as I was doing the list!  It is by a folk-rock group with the best name for a band I've heard in a while.  Here are, from last year, the Apache Relay:





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So the six degrees kinda got broke up into two distinct non-six degrees parts.  The one will give away the song that charted highest without getting panel lovin's, so we'll start with the other.  I found in trying to make a six degrees that in the early 1990's music licenser BMI did a list of the 50 most performed songs from 1940 to 1990.  Of which, we will now share with you the top ten.  Mind you, these are over all performances by all artists.

A song made famous by Ray Charles, Georgia On My Mind, is the number ten.  (Interesting note:  his I Can't Stop Loving You was 11th.)

Paul Simon, who'd already been in the top 50 once before, took 2 spots in the top ten.  Mrs. Robinson is the first of those at #9.

You've Lost That Loving Feeling, top ten by both the Righteous Bros and Hall and Oates, sits at #8.

Paul Simon #2- Bridge Over Troubled Water, takes 7th.

George Harrison, who couldn't even get a famous voice actor to play him in the movie, takes the 6th spot with his Beatles comp Something.

At #5 is the instrumental More, most famously done by Kai Winding:




Oh, how I have always loved that tune!

Two Glen Campbell signatures take the 4th and 3rd spots.  Gentle On My Mind at four- and the reason I found this thing in the first place, By The Time I Get To Phoenix, at 3.

Number two, and the second big hit for The Association in the top fifty, Never My Love.

Not surprisingly, it was a Lennon-McCartney comp that takes the top spot- Yesterday.

Now, By The Time I Get To Phoenix started all this because the lp from which our victim came from also contained this cover.  But the scary thing that comes with it is the Curse Of Bobby Russell.  Bobby, who wrote a passel of big hits including Honey and The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia, also wrote our poor victim, but oh what he did to those who recorded it.  Nearly simultaneously, three acts recorded and released it.  For Country star Roger Miller, who made it to #39, it was the last time he would top #80 on the pop chart.  For fifties legend Patti Page, it was her last time in the hot 100, peaking at #96.  And for our hero, who eventually took it to #2 but was stuck at 4 with no panel love this week- he would never break the top 30 again.  The singer?  O.C. Smith.  The song?  Little Green Apples.

Come to think of it, after he wrote the Night The Lights Went Out for then-wife Vicki Lawrence, she never topped #75 again...

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Okay, I'm on my head.  Could ya speed it up?  Yer gonna mess up my soft spot...

Yes, that sweet little kid ushers in our Bottoms Up for this week, so let's hear 'em!


At number ten, a song that was also on that 50 most performed list- Judy Collins with Both Sides Now, at 60 after 3 weeks.

Ironically, the Temptations are at #9 with Cloud Nine, debuting at #61.

Derek and his hit Cinnamon are at #8 on the BU parked at #62 after a 10-week run.

Oh, here's one of my faves- the Lettermen with Put Your Head On My Shoulder, at 64 after a couple of weeks.

Definitely NOT one of my favorite, the hoarse screamings of Joe Cocker's cover of With A Little Help Fro m My Friends is at 75 also after 2 weeks.

Marvin Gaye debuts at 78 with I Heard It Through The Grapevine.

BJ Thomas was at 81 after 4 weeks with Hooked On A Feeling.

Three debuts left.  Our number three is the Vogues with Till, coming in this week at 84.

The runner up was a band featured on an earlier Time Machine post (in fact, this one ), Young-Holt-Unlimited with Soulful Strut.  It comes in at 93.

And the top bottom?  Why, our second straight debuts-at-#100 is none other than...

...the Bob Seger System with Rambling Gambling Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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And now, the somewhat more static Martin Ten!

Family Of The Year slides down to #10, a four spot fall, with Carry Me.

Our previously listened to debut, The Apache Relay with Katie Queen Of Tennessee comes in at #9.

The Housemartins fall three to # 8 with Happy Hour.

Last week you heard Pure Bathing Culture's Pendulum at #10- this week they climb to #7.

D A Wallach manages to find a comfortable home easily this week-  he parks HIS Time Machine at #6, climbing one notch.

And World Party sits at #5, up 4 spots, with:




From here on, it gets very familiar...

Cage The Elephant holds at four with Cigarette Daydreams.

Jana Kramer holds at three with Boomerang.

WILSN holds at 2 with Unmeet You.  BTW, she finally released her new 5-song EP, which includes Unmeet You and Walking For days- two days ago- it is called Don't Give It Up.

And the number ones?  Well, on the M10...

...it's Beach House with Traveller, which brings us to one of those statistical anomalies:

The M10's first two #1s (You're In The Army Now and Ridin' In My Car were number one one week each.

The next two, Island In The Sun and Space Song, each held the top for 2 weeks.

And now the next two, Lisztomania and Traveller, have held the top spot for 3 weeks.  Is there a four weeker out there somewhere... and can it top Traveller?  Stay tuned.

In the meantime, the panel #1...

The title tune from the just released lp, Love Child by the Supremes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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Next week is volume IV's 50th anniversary!  I don't know how we're celebrating yet, but we'll be doing it in.... 1974!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Do not miss it!