Time Machine week 51

Wow, we have a lot going on this week, and we're going to do it in November of 1964, and we're going to do it AS I figure out the Martin Ten!  Last time I tried that, I hit the magic button of death and deleted half the post, so light a candle for me (this is time travel, it'll work) and I'll do my best to miss that-which-I don't -know-where-it-is-or-why-it exists.  Today, is actually the day after Thanksgiving in 1964, and today filming starts on a new science fiction pilot for TV called Star Trek...

A smiling Spock- NBC wanted to get rid of the guy with the pointy ears...

And that's how we kick off the 1st year anniversary episode of Time Machine.  If you add up the various incarnations (89 posts for Volume I, 116 for Vol. II, 30 for Vol. III), stand alone specials (three holiday shows, the first Beauty Contest, and the Hal David memorial), and the countdowns (16 each for the Great '60s and Great '80s, and 18 for the Great '70s), this marks our 341st flight!  And I've only ever changed transmissions and got the brakes worked on a time or two...  And this week, I start the six degrees with Betty Boop, hit up a trio of recently released Billboard's greatest lists, and maybe get a M10 done!  Hang on tight, this is a risky Enterprise!


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BILLBOARD LIST #1:  They have actually put together their greatest all-time albums list, singles list, and artist list for each of those!  Now, I'm going to modify a couple of things a scosh, but this first list I'll give you as published:

Top album and singles acts!  They had some differences in the two, so I'll base us around the singles list and go from there.

The top act, both lp and 45, is of course, the Beatles.
Madonna was #2 on 45's, but fell to 17 on lps.
Elton John drew 3 on singles and 5 on lps.
Elvis was 4th on 45s and 38th on lps.  Are you kidding me?
Mariah Carey was pretty balanced- 5th on singles and 6th on lps.
Stevie Wonder copped the six spot on singles, but only 22 on lps.
A Jackson at last at #7- Janet.  Michael follows at 8th.  But Michael beat her on lps, 10th to 28th.
Whitney Houston goat-yells her way to 9 on the singles chart, 15th on lps.
The Rolling Stones took the 10-spot on singles, but trailed only the fab Four on lps.

The lp top ten that missed the singles chart were Babs Streisand at 3, Garth Brooks at 4, Herb Alpert at 7, Taylor Swift at 8, and Chicago at #9.

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The panel this week consists of WILS Lansing MI, WDRC Hartford, WFNC Fayetteville, KQV Pittsburgh, WKY Oklahoma City, WMCA New York, WXYZ Detroit, WCOL Columbus, KTEO San Angelo TX, KJR Seattle, WAKR Akron, and WLS Chicago.  They blew it out with 27 different songs, and had 8 songs get #1 votes and NOT make the panel four- as only 3 songs got more than one #1 vote, and one of them didn't make the panel four!  Those that did not make the P4 were:

Baby Love by the Supremes (Hartford) I Feel Fine by the Beatles (Pittsburgh- in their usual fashion, it wouldn't even hit the national chart till next week, as well as Seattle), drummer Sandy Nelson's Teen Beat '65 (Oklahoma City), Going Out Of My Head by the Lettermen (New York), the Supremes again with Come see About Me (Detroit), and Herman's Hermits with I'm Into Something Good (Chicago).

And as for the widely scattered panel vote:

With 14  points, the #1s from Akron and Columbus, and the national #6, the Kinks with You Really Got Me.

With 15 points, NO number ones, and the national #5 slot, the Zombies with She's Not There.

With 18 points, 5 back of the leader (ironically), the #1 from Fayetteville, the national top dog, The Shangri-Las with Leader Of The Pack.

And at #1... not the Beatles!  Stay tuned to find out who.

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Last week, the rookie act Islandis debuted in the M10 with a song I described as reminiscent of America in their later stages.  Here's a listen to that tune.




Does it remain in the top ten?  It's a damn crowded field...

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BILLBOARD LIST #2:

Rather than do the top lps, some of which you may or may not know (that's my story, etc, etc...), I am about to treat you to the highest ranking albums yours truly has listened to ALL the way through at least once...

10- It was 59th on their list, and I heard it a couple of times after borrowing it from HS English teacher Mrs. Jane Hursh (along with CSNY's Deja Vu)- The Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack.

9- Coming in at #54, a cd I actually currently possess, The Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

8- At their #45, one of the best alternative lps of all time, Pearl Jam's debut lp Ten.

7- Come on, you know there are 2 discs that HAVE to be here- the first came in at their #43- Saturday Night Fever.

6- How can you have lived in the seventies without Frampton Comes Alive?  It was their #38.

5- I had this on cassette till it broke- Hootie and the Blowfish's debut, Cracked Rear View.  They have it at #30.

4- The other "you gotta know" lp on the list, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.  They have it at #15.

3- Carole. King.  Tapestry.  They have it at #10.

2- Their #7 is Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill.  You live, you learn.

Before I give away the top one I've heard the whole way through, the two that finished above it- they had Adele's 21 at the top, the Sound Of Music soundtrack at #2.

And their #3, my #1?

Yup, Thriller.  Amazingly enough, I have heard that through at least once.

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I think I got the M10 down to 9.  Hey, I got four strong contenders trying to take that spot!  Not as easy as it sounds.

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Meet Betty Boop.

Now meet the real life woman she was based on:

This is Helen Kane, a 1920's singer who had as her signature the tune I Want To Be Loved By You, famously done by Ginger (and Maryann) on Gilligan's Island.  She also had a tune called He's So Unusual, which was decades later covered in a 45 second burst by Cyndi Lauper on her big hit lp She's So Unusual.  Another song on that lp was a tune written by Prince, When You Were Mine.  Another cover of this song, produced by John Cougar Mellencamp, was the last hot 100 hit for the legendary Mitch Ryder, peaking at 87 in 1983.  One of his famous songs was Jenny Take A Ride- which was a medley containing the song CC Rider.  That song, also represented as See-See Rider, was an old tune (1929 by Ma Rainey) that a man named Chuck Willis rocked up.  Chuck also wrote the song that was charting the highest this week without garnering a panel vote Dean Martin's The Door Is Still Open To My Heart, which sat way down at 13, one of the lowest six degrees victims ever.

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Okay, I got the M10!  But first...

BILLBOARD LIST #3:

You get the biggest singles within the Martin Era (1962-79 for you rookies) on their all time list.  Now you leave a lot of good music off in doing this, both before (#3 Mack The Knife, #21 Theme From A Summer Place, #34 Battle Of New Orleans for example) and after (Santana's Smooth at #2, Jewel's You Were Meant For Me at #18, Eye Of The Tiger at #24)... as well as some not so good stuff IMHO (The Macarena at #7, Physical at #8, Endless Love at #16).  So without further doo-doo, the Martin Era's greatest:

10- Their #39, the Bee Gees (who'll be back in a bit) with Night Fever.

9- Their #38, Marvin Gaye and Let's Get It On.

8- Their #37, Wings and Silly Love Songs.

7- Their #27, Andy Gibb with I Just Want To Be Your Everything.

6- Their #23, the Bee Gees (told ya) with How Deep Is Your Love.

5- Their #22, Chic and Le Freak.  Le gag.

4- Their #17, Rod Stewart with Tonight's the Night.

3- Their #10, the beatles and Hey Jude.

2- ARRRGGH!!! It had to finally happen here on Time Machine! After 340 times we managed to avoid it, their #9... Debby Boone and You Light Up My Life.

And their number one, which qualifies for the martin Era because of its SECOND trip to the top-

...Chubby Checker and The Twist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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All right, the spanking new Martin Ten:


Well, two of the Titanic Three are gone, but Jana Kramer comes back with her big country hit, debuting here at #10:






After a huge battle for this spot, I decided to leave number nine right where it was last week- with the Preatures and Is This How You Feel.

Debuting at #8 is a band called the Decemberists, with a song that they took to #20 on adult alternative this past spring- The Wrong Year.  Stay tuned for this one next week.

My boy KC introed me to the next debut last weekend.  It's by Avril Lavigne, and it hit #4 on the Hot 100 back in 2002, so some of you might know it.  It's called I'm With You, and it comes in at #7.

Cage The Elephant slips from #2 to #6 with last year's big hit Cigarette Daydreams.

Oooops, back up we go!  Victims of the squeeze last week, World Party returns up the chart, ascending from 8 to 5 with Is It Like Today.

ELO moves up one more notch to 4 with One Step At A Time, apparently taking its own advice.

The Apache Relay amazingly holds at three for a second week with Katie Queen Of Tennessee.

Sliding down an notch, four-time champ Beach House with Traveller.  And at #1?  The M10 says...

...the Silversun Pickups with Nightlight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I loved the way they got their name- when they were starting out, some of the members lived across from a liquor store called the Silversun.  So when everyone gathered together, somebody would have to go across the street and make a "silversun pickup."


And the Panel pick?

....Bobby Vinton with Mr. Lonely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so now you can go back home, but be back next week for- 1963!