Time Machine week 74

Today we arrive just four days after my birthday, May 20th 1962.  Now I type these things on Thursday night, and every once in a while, I search for the Thursday date by accident, as I did this time.  But I am NOT changing it, because the thing that happened last night gives me something I always wanted.  Because last night, JFK had a song sang to him- "Happy Birthday, Mr. President...."

...and because of that, Marilyn Monroe is at last entered in the Time Machine Beauty Contest next January!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to this week's Time Machine, where this week we find a new top story on the M10- if you were 1,2,or 3, you aren't in the top 3 this week!  Plus did the Jayhawks break the point record on the M10- and tie the weeks record?  Who is Dave Ball? How many songs the panel voted for NEVER charted?  What the heck does J.A.J stand for?  And what the heck is a nut rocker?  All this and more, coming your way!


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The Panel bring you this week's mayhem consists of:  WWIN Baltimore; KTRM Beaumont, TX; KYO Seattle; KLMS Lincoln, NE; WDRC Hartford; WABB Mobile; KRLA Los Angeles; KWK St Louis; WABC New York; KYA San Fran; WHK Cleveland; and WBKW Buffalo.  They rolled us up a whopping 35 different songs- which has to be one of the highest totals ever!  That total gave us no less than three songs that never charted nationally- and we'll get to them in a bit.  It also gave us 7 #1 songs, including the Shirelles' Soldier Boy (Lincoln and NYC), David Rose's The Stripper (LA), and Connie Francis' Why'd You Wanna Make Me Cry (Cleveland), as well as one of those songs that never charted nationally.  The lowest song that actually charted this week goes to Tony Bennett, who had just entered at #123 with I Left My Heart In San Francisco.  And our top 4:

Without a #1 vote and 11 points, Jimmy Soul and Twistin' Matilda, which sat at #22 on Cashbox.

Also with 11 points BUT with a #1 from Baltimore, Gene Pitney's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence, the national #34.

With the number ones of Beaumont, Mobile, St Louis, and Buffalo- which accounts for all twenty of his points and thus a second place finish- Ray Charles and I Can't Stop Loving You, the national #9.

Boy, the panel sure seemed to be allergic to the national tops!  Although the national number one IS the panel pick as well, with 24 points and the remaining couple of #1s.  But the rest of the top ten, save #s 1 and 9?  Well, they got only thirty-four points between 'em, and that's only because Soldier Boy (#2 nationally) got the 2 #1s.  The rest combined would have only tied the Panel's top pick.

And that song?  C'mon, you know you gotta wait...

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Next up, a little game I call, How many of the songs in the top 150 on the week he was born does Chris REALLY know?  And the answer is, only counting songs I actually know and can whistle a significant bit minimum- 18.  And I thought I'd filter them in a bit at a time.  Here goes:

#131- Johnny Get Angry, Joannie Sommers
#123 - I left My Heart In SF- Tony Bennett
#122- Roses Are Red- Bobby Vinton
#100- Al Di La- Emilio Pericoli
and #83- Moon River- Henry Mancini.

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Next up, our first M10 debut this week goes to the Jayhawks, with their second hit off Paging Mr. Proust:







Lovers Of The Sun places #10 this week.

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So what about those songs on the Panel Picks that were only regional hits?  Well, the biggest one was by a gent named Shelton Dunaway.  He was better (relative term) known as Cookie of Cookie and his Cupcakes, who actually grazed the hot 100 once.  His solo hit was called Just One Kiss, and Beaumont had him at #2.  This was  a nice bit of swamp-pop- doo wop.

Beaumont also supplied us with another regional hit.  And once again it was some swamp pop, this time from one Jerry (Count) Jackson,  Real name Jerry Lacroix, he was better known (again, relative) for being the lead vocal on an outfit called the Boogie Kings.  Later on, he would appear on a Blood Sweat and Tears lp (1974's Mirror Image.)  The tune is called The Band Doll, and I kinda dug it.

Third and final was the #1 out of Seattle, an instrumental by the Dynamics called J.A.J.  And what was JAJ?  Apparently it came from the writer, one Dave Lewis.  In his band, he had a bass player named Jerry Witten, whom they called, "Jive-ass Jerry."  And that is what JAJ stands for.


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How about some more of the hits I actually knew from back then?

#58- David Rose and The Stripper, naturally.
#53 Twistin' The Night Away, Sam Cooke on the way down.
#43- Young World, Ricky Nelson
And then two of my all timers back to back:
#35- It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin', Johnny Tillotson, and
#34- The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Gene Pitney.

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And now, since he has nothing better to do, some words from Sir Paul McCartney:

I don't take me seriously. If we get some giggles, I don't mind. 

Well, you'll fit right in here!  So pull up a chair, and let's...

10- This tune had already hit #1 in the States back in March- Bruce Channel's Hey Baby.

9- Jimmy Justice (if your real name was Jimmy Little, you might think about a stage name, too) peaked only at #127 with this tune, When My Little Girl Is Smiling.

8- Del Shannon just peeked in the top 40 last year with this one, called Hey Little Girl.

7- When Terry Nelhams-Wright decided he wanted another name, he picked a much cooler on than Mr. Little did- Adam Faith.  Adam was at #7 with a did-not-chart here, As You Like It.

6- Ketty Lester was on the way back down in the states, at #31 after a top ten showing for Love Letters.

5- A non-issue over here for Brenda Lee, Speak To Me Pretty.

4- Of course, we're not complete without Cliff Richard and the Shadows, this time with the double sider Do You Want To Dance/I'm Looking Out The Window.

3- And, of course, that means the Shadows have to have a solo too.  Their hit, Wonderful Land, was at #143 over here this week.

2- Elvis' Good Luck Charm, #11 in the States, was the runner-up in the UK.

And, tops of the tops this week?





And now you know what a Nut Rocker is.  It was at #65 and falling here this week after making the mid 20's.


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Here's some more of the songs I actually knew:

#33 Palisades Park, Freddy Cannon
#13 PT 109, Jimmy Dean
#12 Shout (Knock Yourself Out), Ernie Maresca
and #9, I Can't Stop Loving You, Ray Charles.

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The tune Conquistador was released off the live lp Live With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra by Procol Harum.  On that live single the guitarist was Dave Ball, but the original recording, off their 1967 debut, hard rocker Robin Trower was the guitarist.  Trower was a albums-only arena rocker in the 70s and 80s, and one member of his band was bassist James Dewar.  Dewar was the only notable name on a band called the Luvvers- with the exception of their lead singer, Lulu.  Lulu had a hit in '64 with the Luvvers, a#7 cover of a song that the Isley Brothers did more famously (and originally) in 1959- the song which sat at #15 this week but got no Panel love by Joey Dee and the Starlighters- Shout pt.I.



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And the last four I knew?

#7 Lovers Who Wander, Dion
#5 Johnny Angel, Shelly Fabres
#4 She Cried, Jay and the Americans,
and #2, Soldier Boy.

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And now, the M10!

You heard number ten, now have a listen to #9 Seattle sisters Mariko and Miro Justad and their band Tangerine:







Number eight was going to be a fall-off this week, but it changed my mind at the last second, and Carroll's Bad water hangs on, slipping a notch to #8.

With such a big turnover at the top, somebody had to fall- and three former #1s are in the next four songs!  Dropping 4 to #7 is one of them- Redspencer's Ride It Out.

Quiet Corners  by the Jayhawks also falls 4 - but at #6, it becomes the M10's all time biggest hit, and the record for most weeks on the chart is theirs if they can hang on next week too.


Charles Bradley fights his way upstream one more notch to #5 with Changes.

Actually, the Queen- Ruth B slides down to #4 with 2 Poor kids.  But don't panic- she climbs 6 spots to #3 with Superficial Love!

This song always surprises me- 8,7,back to 8, up to 5, holds at 5- and now, jumps three into the runner up spot- Strawberry Runners and When We Were Good.

And the #1s?

M10 says-

... Michael Benjamin Lerner and Telekinesis with Lean On Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And at the top of the Panel?

...Mr. Acker Bilk and Stranger On The Shore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And that's a wrap from the wonderful year of 1962!  Tune in next week when Marilyn and I... er, when we travel to...1979!  And, we see if the Jayhawks can shatter the 9-week barrier!