Time Machine co-ordinates VIX4377766

Today we roll into July 7th, 1966, and Jack Kent Cooke breaks ground at what would become the LA Forum.

Cooke, who won a bidding war to become hockey's Face of LA, would eventually own the Lakers and Kings.  The building would host 6 Lakers NBA championships, one Kings NHL final, 3 championships in World Team Tennis, 16 Led Zep shows, 4 Elvis shows, 3 by the Stones, 2 from the Jackson Five, and two of the last shows by Cream on their farewell tour, before being de-commissioned and at one point becoming a church....


And welcome to this week's Time Machine where we get:  the tightest 4-song race the Panel has ever seen; a debut on the M10 I've been dying for a chance to import from Russia;  a 6D that brings in Captain Jack Harkness, John Barrowman; the act with the most Bubbling Under hits without EVER making the Hot 100; a list of songs with some very questionable names; and the answer to last week's cliffhanger- who wore the shades?

So dig in and enjoy, as we kick things off with a debut on the M10 I've been hoping for for some time.  I discovered these guys doing some research on "folk metal".  When we first met, they were a power Goth set with an operatic female lead singer who did dueling vocals with a screamo male counterpart.  They eventually got a big contract, did some Euro tours- and while most of their older stuff is a bit too WILD for the M10, this tune from 2016 is a little more pop and well within the listening standards of mainstream humanity.  From Russia with love, here is... Alkonost!






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This week, the Panel was a 78-station mob with 17 candidates put forth!  And it was a tight race between 4 songs- with one at 20.5% of the vote, TWO with 19.2, and one with 14.1%!  And hear to introduce the list- I hope- from our POTMs this week, the Rolling Stones, drummer Charlie Watts!

Yes, yes, of course, it's me.  Whenever there is a hashed up job to do, they say, '" 'ave Charlie do it!"  Because they are too busy being so ...

Um, yeah... I understand.  But some people would consider it an honor...

Who?

Well, Wayne Newton...

Fine.  Get him.

Okay!  Here we go with the 17 candidates for this week's time machine POTM!  Am I on the list?

No, Wayne, sorry...

Oh, well, maybe next time.  Anyway, here are your choices...

The Hollies were 2 weeks away from debuting on the charts here with Bus Stop.
Tommy James and the Shondells are at the top with Hanky Panky- which IS one of the Big Four this week.
One of the foreign charts on the Panel, from the UK, had the Mamas and the Papas with the tune I Call Your Name, never released here.  That Mama Cass...

...Wayne...

Yes, sorry.  The Platters were on the way down at #39 with I Love You 1,000 Times.
Another of the big four is Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs with Li'l Red Riding Hood, sitting at #14 this week.
The Mamas and the Papas are back again with Monday Monday... but it peaked last month.  Boy, that M...

WAYNE!

Sorry.  The POTMs, the Rolling Stones, are at #6 with Paint It, Black.
The Beatles are the third of the big four with Paperback Writer, the #2 on Cashbox.
This next group was a favorite of our former encyclopedic commenter Shady- the Magnificent Men, with a local hit called Peace Of Mind.
Crispian St Peters was at #12 with The Pied Piper.
At number three this week- but not one of the big four- were the Cyrkle with Red Rubber Ball.
Ike and Tina Turner, who peaked at #88 on BB and bubbled under on CB with River Deep-Mountain Wide.
Bobby Moore and the Rhythm Aces were at #76 on their debut week with a tune that would go top ten R&B, Searching For My Love.
The Happenings were also new to the chart, at #88 with See You In September.
Frank Sinatra was at #4 with Strangers In The Night.  
Tommy Roe was at #25 with Sweet Pea.

And finally, the last of the big four this week, the Troggs and Wild Thing, which was at #7.

So, there you have it- was the winner the Troggs, Sam The Sham, the Beatles, or Tommy and the Shondells?  Take your best guess, and learn at the end of the post.

Hey, Chris, can I do something else?
I don't think so, Wayne.  But thanks for coming.
Do you think Mama Cass might be backstage?
Wayne, for pity's sake!  Sure, go look.  Whatever.

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When last we met, we had a cliffhanger on the Greatest Acts of the Summer- who would be the final act in the 35th place tie?  Well, let's check out the next five on the list, starting with, in that spot...

Roy Orbison!  Hence the glasses, dudes...

At 34th one of our contestants this week-

...the Platters!

Next, one of a handful of acts- mainly from the early end of the era- who got in on just one song-

...Miss Gogi Grant!  She earned all those points from The Wayward Wind.

At #32, with a mix of serious and novelty hits- heavy on the novelty-

...Ray Stevens!  And the last stop for this week, the #31 act of Summer...

...the Doors!  Next week, no cliffhanger, but we will have another one-song wonder.

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Wow, this is a packed show!  Next up, our 2nd debut at #8, the guys who gave you the apocalyptic hit from last year, Mont Blanc- here are Quiet Hollers...




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I had to laugh at the titles of some of the tunes on the charts this week.  Here's a sampling...

Susan Christie's I Love Onions;
The aforementioned Ray Stevens (what a surprise) with Freddie Feelgood (and his Funky Little 5-Piece Band);
A name as unusual as the title, the Clefs of Lavender Hill with Stop! Buy A Ticket;
At #70, Johnny Cash's Everybody Loves A Nut, followed 7 spots downwind by Leroy Pullins'  singing I'm A Nut...
And Roger Miller's sound advice, You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd.

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Rick Christian is a songwriter who you may never of heard of, but he wrote the big Kenny Rogers #1, I Don't Need You.  That was on the lp Share Your Love, which Lionel Ritchie produced- and was SUPPOSED to write all the songs for, but they decided they'd pick other songs both men could agree on.  One of those was the Marty Panzer tune Through The Years, one of my best KR songs.  Panzer was known for many hits he wrote for Barry Manilow, including It's A Miracle.  He also penned a song called 24 Hours A Day on the lp Barry, which contained the hit I Made It Through The Rain, written by Kenny (I Like Dreamin') Nolan and Maurice (Earth Wind and Fire) White.  This song was the single from a cover lp called Music Music Music, released in 2008 by Doctor Who alum John Barrowman.  And another song he covered there was at #5 this week without any Panel Love- You Don't Have To Say You Love Me by Dusty Springfield!

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Stat Pack:  UK #1 was the Kinks and Sunny Afternoon, with Paperback Writer sitting at #2 on BOTH charts.  Our #66 in 66 was the previously mentioned I Love Onions by Susan Christie-

-and at #101 was the song Race With The Wind by the Robbs.  The house band for ABC's Where The Action Is, they hold a record under both the Robbs' moniker and subsequently as Cherokee, for having no less than 6 charted singles without EVER hitting the hot 100- 103, 123, 131, 114, 106, and 116 on Billboard.  I had thought Steve Alaimo had this record, but though he had 11 sub-100s on CB (5 on Billboard), he did manage to cross into the double digits a few times.


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The remaining M10:

Beth Ditto goes up one to #9 with In And Out.

Amber Mark as well, to #7 with Can You Hear Me.

Springtime Carnivore drops from 3 to 6 with Midnight Room; Kidsmoke drops a notch to 5 with And Mine Alone; and last week's #1, Northern Faces' Messin' With Me, tumbles to #4.

Monaco moves 3 to #3 for Public Access TV.

Moon Taxi Is kinda looking like the song title Two High is prophetic, as they hold at #2 for a second week.

And the new #1, up from 5-

courtship. with Sunroof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the winner of the Panel?  Well, the Beatles got the 14.1, the Shondells and the Troggs had the 19.2s, so that means the winner is-

...Sam The Sham and the Pharoahs with Li'l Red Riding Hood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Next stop, 1967!  Kindergarten, Dad's new Impala, and more music!  Be there!