Time Machine week 71

Well, we have arrived at May 6th, 1974, and it was yet another slow news day.  How slow?  The lead story for today is that the Philadelphia Phillies set their all time low attendance at Veterans Stadium, drawing 4,149 for a loss to the Padres, 7-6.  The rest of that series didn't do much either, as Phillies fans stayed away to the tune of only 13,000 and change for the whole three game series.  To put it in perspective, they drew that previous Sunday 41,000 to see the Dodgers.  But don't feel bad for the Phils.  It was 16 1/2 times what my A's drew for a game with Seattle in 1979, an attendance that night of 250.

No, this scene at the Vet was 1984.  But it prolly looked very similar...

So welcome to Time Machine for this week in the merry year of 1974- and this week we have some closing milestones on the M10- we will be one song away from 100 all time songs charted with our two new debuts- one of which you may have heard recently on a McDonald's ad!  Also, this list of all-time M10 hits to pile up 60 points + grows by 2 this week; and the question this week becomes, will the Jayhawks take the record with 5 weeks at the top?All this and a bonus six degrees video!  Get yer popcorn, grab a cold one, and batter up!

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The gang assembled for this week's Panel include:  WMYQ Miami, WKAP living here in Allentown PA, WAXY Ft Lauderdale, CFGO Ottawa, Canada, WPOP Hartford, WROM Rome (no, the one in Georgia, my friend), KROK Shreveport, WBZ Boston, WDRQ Detroit, KTKT Tucson, KHJ Los Angeles, and KYA San Francisco.  They collected a measly 16 different songs, including the low charting at #39 nationally Billy Don't Be A Hero by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods (whose one vote was the #1 slot in Tucson), and the other #1 that missed the Panel Four, Wings with Band On The Run (whose only vote was the #1 in Boston).  And with that, here's the Panel Four:

With one #1 vote (Ft Lauderdale, natch) and 19 points, the national #7, Ray Stevens with The Streak.

With one #1 (Ottawa) and 22 points, the national # 5, Marvin Hamlisch and The Entertainer.

With one #1 ( San Fran)- and yes, that means the top dog got 7- and 26 points, a mere 19 behind the winner, the national #4, the Jacksons and Dancing Machine.

And at the top, with 46 points, the national #1 as well- stay tuned.

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First up, some new retro-soul on the M10.  The gent's name is Charles Bradley, and he's going through some Changes...





Charles comes in this week at #10.

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And now a few words from English footballer and worldwide star David Beckham:

I have got this obsessive compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line, or everything has to be in pairs. 


Well, what I have in mind comes in a straight line, and it is an even numbered set, so what say we...

10- This week's UK top ten leads off with a Stevie Wonder song that did not get released here, though in three years it would be the USA flip side to the #1 Sir Duke.  It was called He's Misstra Know It All.

9-  An American #1 that was on it's way down at #48 this week, Terry Jacks and Seasons In The Sun.

8- A tune that The Essex took to #12 in 1963, redone pretty faithfully by a band called Limmie and the Family Cookin', A Walking Miracle.  This didn't chart here, and they only once did graze the US charts.

7- In late March, this tune made it only to #54 here, and with US consumers that look at a title and pass on by, I can see why- the Chi-Lites and Homely Girl.

6- Roy Wood, who helped found the original ELO, and his band Wizzard chart here with a song not released here- Rock and Roll Winter.

5- Another did not chart here was by a band we're quite familiar with- the Bay City Rollers.  They held down this spot with Shang-A-Lang.

4- A folk duo ( and another act that barely grazed the US charts with a different song) called (Lenny) Peters and (Dianne) Lee were here with Don't Stay Away Too Long.  I can see why Lenny Peters might say that.  This cousin of Stones drummer Charlie Watts was blinded in one eye from a traffic accident at 5 years old- and then in the other when he was hit by a thrown brick at the age of 16...

3-

Sigh... yes, the Wombles again... this time with Remember You're A Womble.  Frankly, I'll stick with the Banana Splits...

2- The Rubettes hit #37 in August here with this tune, called Sugar Baby Love.  In a similarity to Strawberry Alarm Clock's Incense and Peppermints (and believe me, it is the ONLY similarity), the lead vocal on this, their biggest hit, was done by a guy (Paul DaVinci) who NEVER joined the act.

And tops of the pops....

A tune you may know well... Waterloo by ABBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  It would make top ten here in August.

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I want to kick off  the six degrees this week with a tune I really love...  just in case you don't know it.  This is Duncan Sheik:

Duncan's big hit peaked at #16 back in '96.  And just how does he fit into our story?  Well, his sister Kacie Sheik...

...was in the 2009 and 2011 revivals of Hair, where she played the part of Jeanie.  This part was played in the original by one Sally Eaton...

...who in addition to her singing talents is a full fledged Wiccan priestess.  Not surprisingly, she was one of a handful of acts to perform at the first Earth Day, doing a song charmingly titled Sulfur Dioxide.  Opening the show was the Native American/Cajun band Redbone, who more famously had a hit with the highest charting song this week to get no Panel love, Come And Get Your Love.


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And that brings us to the M10!

You heard number ten- and it is the 98th song to hit the M10!  Next up is a song that MIGHT have dropped and opened the way for #100 this week- except that, as my FB friends know, I watched a certain video last weekend.  It was a video by the family of a good blogger friend who passed last year- a Mother's Day Mash Up, of some neat songs lip synched by my friend's Husband and Daughter.  It was fun, and really showed how well they are doing these months later-  but then I said to myself, "She'd be so proud..." and it all broke loose again.  I had been playing some music at the time, and when I returned to it, the next song that played was the tune at #9- Jimmy Ruffin's Farewell Is A Lonely Sound, spending a third week at #9.

At number eight, Rah Rah's Fix Me slips back a notch from #7.

I believe I mentioned two songs crossed the sixty point plateau this week.  One of them, putting it 5th all time, Is Madness by Lucius, dropping three to #7.

Our second debut- and 99th all time- I first heard on the recent McDonald's "Wedding Quarter Pounder" ad.  It came out in 2013 by a guy recording under the name of Telekinesis:





Lean On Me debuts way up at #6, and might have gone higher...

...but I had a third wave of falling in love with Emi Knight and the Strawberry Runners with When We Were Good, and it moved from #8 to #5.

And then there was the obstacle of the beautiful Ruth B, who moves up 2 more spots to #4 with 2 Poor Kids.

Carroll gets stuck with a second week at number three with Bad Water.

And now, it's time to answer the question- do the Jayhawks make history with a fifth straight week at the top?  The answer:

Quiet Corners and Empty Spaces- which pulls into 4th place all time this week- drops a notch to #2.

And at the top?  M10 says...

...Redspencer with Ride It Out... the 19th #1 song on the M10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And on the Panel....

...Grand Funk Railroad with IMHO the best cover ever- The Loco-Motion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


With that, we wrap up another week!  Tune in next time for... 1978!