Time Machine week 85

Today was a busy day, August 12th, 1970:  Willi Brandt and Alexei Kosygin signed the Treaty of Moscow, which pledged both sides to non-violence in dealings with each other (of course, the Cold War and all those nukes kinda made that redundant); Elvis gave his "best performance ever" in Las Vegas at his midnight show; Curt Flood lost his lawsuit trying to overturn baseball's reserve clause; and Janis Joplin was at Harvard, giving her last live performance before her death just over 50 days later.

I figured you all would prefer this pic to the one of Willi and Alexi signing the treaty, with Brezhnev glowering over them...

And so we welcome you to this week's Time Machine, as we close in on the M10's final week of year one.  And this week:  the return of Mistra Know-It-All; a big turnout for this week's low charter story; the UK top 10 manages a week with only ONE song that never charted here (though a couple of 'em cut it close); and (not really) in honor of the Olympics, a truly international M10, with 6 nations represented!  You don't have to run around with a torch- or watch any sports, Jo-Anne- just hop in and let's go!


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Our wonderful Panel this week includes WFUN Miami, KPUA Hilo, HI, WFAA Dallas, CKLW Detroit, KIOA Des Moines, IA, WSGN Birmingham, KIKX Tucson, WHBQ Memphis, WNHC New Haven, KMBY Monterey, KTLK Denver, and KISN Vancouver WA.  They totalled 25 different songs, which included #1s for Edwin Starr's War (Memphis) and, a bit surprisingly, Dave Mason's Only You Know And I Know (Denver).   Before I go any farther, I better fess up that at the time of researching this post, Cashbox had not gotten the archive back up yet (they have since done so), so all chart positions will be Billboard.

And I had BB working OT on the list of low charters.  Hilo was a particular help on this, as two of their top five never charted.  One was, again surprisingly, Dennis Yost and the Classics IV with an apparent dud ( I have not listened yet, fans take no offense) called God Knows I Loved Her.  The other, which I did listen to, was a dud (IMHO) by a band called Feather.  Their song was called Friends, and for me the only noteworthy thing about it was one member of that band was John Townsend, who would be part of the title pair from the Sanford-Townsend Band when they went on to do Smoke From A Distant Fire.

Also among the "where did they find this" crowd this week was the Monster Mash, which charted on Monterey's list in anticipation of re-entering the charts in August for one of its many re-releases.  And finally, singer/actor/talk show host John Davidson charted in Tucson with about as obscure a song as I have yet encountered.  It was called I Got Love, and apparently was never on any of his lps.  It was, however, the B-side to a song called Politician ( which I learned by stumbling to 45cat, Shady), which was likewise unknown to the world at large.  The low charter that actually charted was Al Delory's peppy instrumental version of the M*A*S*H theme, which sat at #71 this week.

And the Panel Four this week?

At #4 is the national #4 as well, with 3 #1s (Miami, Des Moines, and New Haven) but only 2 other points for a total of 17- Eric Burdon and War with Spill The Wine.

At #3 is the national #5, with 22 points and the #1s of Hilo and Detroit, Mungo Jerry's In The Summertime.

At #2, the national top dog, with 28 points and a single #1 vote (Tucson), the Carpenters and Close To You.

And at #1, the national #2, with 37 points and 4 #1s.... stay tuned.

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As I mentioned, we have a real international flair to the M10 this week, with acts from the UK, Australia, Norway, Denmark, of course the US of A, and this week Canada joins the fun!  But they don't join quite yet- instead it is a New York State duo calling themselves Phantogram which debuts at #10 with this great tune, one Sarah Barthel on lead: (Note- this one COULD deserve one of those seizure warnings at times...)





Also wanna note here:  Both of these debuts this week are songs where Spotify played me their latest, and latest didn't quite trip ye olde trigger, but showed potential- so I went through their back catalogue.  This tune was from the 2014 lp Voices.

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Just 13 short weeks ago we did a UK top ten that featured at #10 a Stevie Wonder tune called He's Mistra Know-It-All.  If you recall (and even if you don't), that song was the flip side to the #1 Sir Duke. Among the players on that song- and the lp, Songs In The Key Of Life- was a lead guitarist named Michael Sembello.  Of course, he became an "overnight sensation" when his song Maniac from the Flashdance soundtrack hit the top years later.  Another song on that lp was Lady Lady Lady, sung by Joe "Bean" Esposito.  Now him you might be more familiar with as the lead singer of a band called Brooklyn Dreams- the same BD that played with Donna Summer on Heaven Knows- and yes, that was Joe doing the singing.  BD's keyboard player would go on to marry Donna- that was Bruce Sudano.  And the first place you prolly heard Bruce Sudano was as the keyboardist for the band Alive And Kicking, whose Tommy James-penned hit Tighter Tighter (which Tommy gave them after he decided Crystal Blue Persuasion was too good to give up) is at #9 this week- but got no Panel Love.

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That other debut goes even farther back in this band's catalogue.  The Canadian rockers Billy Talent had released this as a single ahead of their upcoming third lp in 2008, and it charted at #23 in Canada (and somehow in the 50's in Austria, of all places).  On the M10, it drops in at #9...






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The last of Bobby G's great men of English music is one Ralph Vaughn Williams, a composer who actually did his work mostly in the last century.  While he had many good, and inspirational, quotes to his name, the one I chose has a special meaning for me:

I have always found it difficult to study. I have learnt almost entirely what I have learnt by trying it out on the dog.


And that would describe most of the M10's history, lol!  Anyway, it's time to...

10- Ten Years After, known for I'd Love To Change the World, sit here with a song that hit our charts in May ( and bounced off, reaching #98), Love Like a Man.

9- Another great lost hit for Jimmy Ruffin, this one called I'll Say Forever, My Love.  It is a late bloomer in the UK, having hit the US charts at #77 in April of '68.

8- The Panel's #3, Mungo Jerry and In The Summertime.

7- Marmalade, best known here for Reflections Of My Life, is on the chart with a song that is sitting at #75 this week back home, Rainbow. Deserved better than it's #51 showing here.

6- A band called Fairweather has the only non-charter in the US this week- a tune called Natural Sinner.  Vocals are similar (in style, not tune) to Mountain on Mississippi Queen.

5- You all should know Free's big hit All Right Now.  It would peak at #4 in October in the States.

4- Shirley Bassey of Goldfinger fame would peak in November (#55) here with Something, a Beatles cover.  Speaking of covers, Easy To Be Hard was the B-side.

3- The Kinks.  Lola.  Debuts here in two weeks.

2- Hotlegs, which as I understand was basically proto-10cc, with Neanderthal Man.  It debuts next week here, on its way to #22.

And Top Of The Pops this week?

... Elvis with  The Wonder Of You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That song had peaked at #9 on Billboard in June, but at 10 on Cashbox... a fact that will play heavily into my special for the M10 birthday celebration in a couple of weeks....


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And now, the rest of the M10:

Castlecomer drops a pair to #8- the Aussie representative with The Noise.

Plume Of Feathers float down 3 to #7 with the British representative, First Date, in its 7th week.

Anna Fox Rochinsky and Quilt go up 3 with Roller.

Screaming up 5 spots to #5 is Norway's Acres Wild and Pastel Waves.

The Danish contestant, Agnes Obel, drops from the top spot to #4 with Familiar.

Back at the end of May the Strawberry Runners meandered their way to #1 with When We Were Good in its seventh week.  Do we have a chance to top that coming on?  The Monkees rise to a new high water mark of #3, up 2, in their 8th week with You Bring The Summer.

The Pom Poms hold at #2 with 1-2-3.  And at the top?  well, the Panel says...

....Bread with Make It With You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And at the top of the M10?

(Photo credit Matthew Carter)

....The Explorer's Club with California's Callin' Ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Because maybe it's just me, but a top ten with the Monkees and the (almost) Beach Boys is what summer is all about.

1972 next week, kids!  See you then!