Time Machine co-ordinates VIXII43972168

Damn, Chester...




 

So here we are in Summer 1968- about 6 weeks away  from that well-behaved Democratic Convention of legend.  It is July 21st, and for the first time in a while we hear those once familiar words- "We had a plane crash today".  This time it was an Aeroflot (Soviet) Antonov AN-2, in bad weather pasting itself against the side of a mountain.  The Soviet report on the crash was kinda interesting;  they blamed first the ignoring of a rule that said,  "bypassing the lightning and storm centers of the clouds at low altitudes in mountain areas and night shall be prohibited. "   Then, the  duty forecaster didn't get updated forecasts before leaving; the dispatcher didn't change the course or contact his manager when HE got news of the weather; and finally, the telegraph operators that didn't get the forecast to the dispatcher who ignored it fast enough.  Oh, and nobody had proper training.

That is obviously a "before" picture.  Both crew and a dozen passengers were killed.

Travelling through the space-time continuum is much safer, though, so buckle in as we run into:  3 new M10 debuts; another new # of Panel contestants record; a supergroup you may have missed out on in the StatPack; a Bond movie that wasn't a Bond movie, and what it has to do with the 6D; and Baby Come Back at #1- no, not THAT Baby Come Back!  Plus more of the top acts of summer in the ME2.0!


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We have a lot of contestants to get to, but first, here's the first of this week's debuts on the M10.  You have Laurie to partially thank for this, because I was at flip a coin mode between two songs here at #10, and Laurie decided in favor of Nashville's Amanda Bantug, who records under just the last name.






And since this is NOT a picture of Amanda, let me dig one up for you of the lovely youngster:

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So Terry Kirkman of the Association has graciously come in as our POTM to do the list of candidates for this week's vote.  Thanks, Terry!

Sure thing, man.

So this week we had 70 stations- which is actually a drop- but 28 songs on the candidate list, a new record!

28?  Wow, that's a lot...

Yes, so I thought I would help things out for the readers by having you start with all the one-vote songs first, instead of the usual alphabetical.

Say, is this gonna be like, y'know, school?

No, Terry.  Just read the songs on the list I give you.  It's all the one vote tunes.  Then I'll come in and give the others.

Hey!  That's one... two... a LOT of songs!  You want me to read all that?

Is that a problem?

My agent said this was gonna be a two-three minute deal tops.  Anything over and I get paid overtime.  Do you pay overtime?

Ladies and gentlemen, Terry Kirkman!  Thanks for stopping by, and I'll go ahead and read those lists.
Friend and Lover, the band, hit with Reach Out Of The Darkness (y'know, "I think it's so groovy now, people are finally gettin' together") at #12 on this week's Cashbox national chart.
Chicago's The Radiants were bubbling at #109 with Hold On.
The Dells were at #40 with Stay In My Corner.
Three spots below them were the Rascals with People Got To Be Free.

The Cowsills were in the top ten at #8 with Indian Lake.  You'd think with this many songs the top ten would be really banging it, but half the top ten combined for just 3 votes, and two of 'em got shut out totally.
Paul Revere and the Raiders were at #25 with Don't Take It So Hard.
South Africa's one hit wonder Hilary Archibald got a vote for a tune called Sunglasses.
The Animals with one of my faves of theirs at #20, Sky Pilot.
The Ohio Express had Yummy Yummy Yummy at #14.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys were covering Sealed With A Kiss at #50.
Engelbert Humperdinck fell out of the hot 100 last week with Man Without  Love.  I guess that's appropriate.
Also having fallen out back in June was an excellent song by the Bob Seger System, 2+2=?
Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild was just climbing, down at #88.
Next come two more one-vote songs from the top ten- Merrilee Rush and Angel Of The Morning at #6, and Cliff Nobles and Co. with The Horse at #4.
Vanilla Fudge was also in the just climbing phase with You Keep Me Hanging On at #86.
Status Quo- the owners of the very first M10 #1- were at #24 with Pictures Of Matchstick Men.
Jerry Butler was at #21 with Never Give You Up.
And finally, a band called Fever Tree had peaked back in May with a tune called San Francisco Girls.  Whether he meant real girls or cross dressers I'm not sure.

And that leaves us a few multi vote candidates to actually consider.  But since this took so long, let's go back to the video...

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Two songs from which I expect maximum advancement debut in the 7th and 8th slots.  The song at #8 comes to us from Austin, TX's Cotton Mather:






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All right, now about those contestants- this time in alphabetical order:

Mason Williams' Classical Gas, which sat at #30;
Hugh Masekela's version of Grazing In The Grass at #5;
The Doors with Hello I Love You at #15;
Donovan's Hurdy Gurdy Man at #9;
The Stones With Jumpin' Jack Flash at the CB top spot;
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap with Lady Willpower at #3;
Cream and Sunshine Of Your Love, falling at #42;
Herb Alpert's This Guy's In Love With You, # 2 this week;
and the Vogues with Turn Around, Look At Me at #17.

Now there was a tight race all around this week, and the top four went 10-9-8-7.  So your bottom line choices go to Mason Williams, the Doors, the Stones, or the Union Gap.  Choose well...


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The one book by Ian Fleming that the main creators of the Bond movies didn't have the rights to was Casino Royale.  And the producer that did wanted to do it in association with them, but they refused.  So he decided to make a farce of it- and a farce it became, as dozens of name actors clamored for parts in what they thought would be a legit 007 movie.  Among those who got anything from a starring role to an uncredited hand shot were:  Orson Welles, John Huston (whose young daughter Anjelica got her first film role in the aforementioned hand shot), Deborah Kerr, Charles Boyer, Jacqueline Bisset (in a role first offered to Joan Collins), Peter O'Toole, Dave Prowse (later Darth Vader, this time Frankenstein), Geraldine Chaplin (Charlie's daughter), and Elke Sommer.

In addition, the movie contained no less than seven Bonds- David Niven as the real thing, recently retired; Peter Sellers; Joanna Pettit (as Mata Bond, daughter of James and Mata Hari); Ursula Andress; Daliah Law; Woody Allen (as Bond's nephew); and Terence Cooper.

The real fun on the set came because Sellers wanted to play it straight, raised all sorts of havoc on set, and finally left before it was finished, necessitating some creative screenplay.  Woody Allen was made wait so long for his part, he got mad and flew back to NYC in costume, and decided he would direct himself from now on as a result.  Orson Welles got under Seller's skin so bad that even the scenes they shared had to be filmed separately with body-doubles.  Two stories arose as to the cause, in one, Sellers was miffed that Welles demanded to get to do magic trick in his scenes.  The other involved Princess Margaret visiting the set.  Apparently Sellers made a big to-do of greeting her when she arrived- and she walked right past him to fuss over Welles.  And as the cherry on the cake, retried Formula One racer Stirling Moss had a part.  He was ordered to "follow that car", which he did- on foot.

What does any of this have to do with music?   Well, the song that is this week's 6D victim- The Look Of Love, by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66- was on the soundtrack!


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And now, the next 5 biggest acts of summer!

A 24th place tie between two HOFers leads us off-

...Marvin Gaye...

...and Ray Charles!

Then at #23, we have...

...Elton John (long time since I used the duck picture)!

Number 22...

...Tommy James and the Shondells!

And out of left field at #21, a band that hit early with two big hits in the day....

...Les Baxter and his Orchestra!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And there lies the fun of going that far back....

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One more debut, from an lp coming out TODAY- at #7, here is Foster The People...







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Stat Pack:  At 101- but not for long, was the latest incarnation of a soul supergroup called Soul Clan, with a song called Soul Meeting.  This group started out with founder Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Don Covay, and Joe Tex.  Burke's concept was to use the profits to invest in improving inner cities- a great idea, but Burke's dreams were a tad grandiose for Pickett, who left about the same time that Redding was killed.  They were replaced by Arthur (Sweet Soul Music) Conley and Ben E King.

According to Burke, the project fizzled when the power structure realized these guys, requested an advance of $1 million to invest in the Black communities in the South, and wanted to do more than make a record.[8] Although the "Soul Meeting" single made it to #34 on Billboard's soul singles chart in July 1968, Burke alleges "the record was stopped and banned...we were going against the grain of what black entertainers are supposed to do. We were all just supposed to go out and buy red Cadillacs. We weren't supposed to go out and start talking about spending millions of dollars on building and developing... We were supposed to talk about having parties and good times and eatin' barbecue ribs. You know, pork chops."  (wiki)

The 68 at 68 was one of my favorites of the Bubblegum genre, 1910 Fruitgum Company's 1-2-3 Red Light.  It was a top ten hit across the English-speaking world- except in the UK, where they only ever charted with the earlier Simon Says.

Speaking of the UK, their chart was topped by Baby Come Back- by a band called the Equals, who would chart at #32 here in October.  The highest there that was charting here was Yummy X 3, which was 14 here and 5 there; the flip was Jumpin' Jack Flash, #1 here but #9 there.

And, I knew 36 songs on the hot 100 this week.  And just to show off, 4 of the Bubbling unders.


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And the remainder of the M10:

Kidsmoke and Northern Faces both see their former #1s slide in their 8th weeks on the chart.  And Mine Alone from 5 to 9; Messin' With Me from 4 to 6.

Alkonost edges up a pair to #5 with Mouth.

Moon Taxi also slips this week, down to #4 with Two High.

Caught In the updraft, Quiet Hollers surges to #3 with Funny Ways.

Public Access TV moves into the runner up slot with Monaco.

And this week, we have our first three-week #1 since Foxygen's Follow The Leader back in February-

...and of course, that's courtship. with Sunroof!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the winner of the menagerie of Panel picks- again-

...the Stones and Jumpin' Jack Flash!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Their ten beat out Lady Willpower with 9, the Doors with 8, and Gas's seven.


(But, don't expect them to foist Charlie Watts off on me NEXT week!)

And that next week will be in 1969... no Bryan Adams required!  Be there!