Time Machine co-ordinates VILIX49981077

For a change, I have many choices of lead-in, and this is the one I'm going with.  It was obviously a rainy day in Philadelphia, where it isn't always sunny, on August 10, 1977.  I say that because there was a doubleheader at Veteran's Stadium that day between the Phillies and the Montreal Expos- and they had not one, not two, but three rain delays.  The first two stopped the Game 1 1st inning for just over an hour; the second halted the third for 2 and a half hours.  The third came in Game 2 and stopped proceedings for another hour and a half- and the final out was recorded at 3:23 AM!  Game one featured Bake McBride going yard against Steve Rogers (who was NOT Captain America), and Game two saw Greg Luzinski hit 2 2-run HRs off Santo Alcala in the first and third innings, as the home town guys won both games- by the same 6-1 score.

Maybe if I hit 'em hard enough, the clouds will go away...

So here we are at the penultimate (which means one post before) Time Machine before the big party.  And there will be MORE baseball in a bit, along with two new debuts on the 156th week of the M10, and a winner on the Panel Picks that just missed lapping the field.  So get in the box and get ready to swing!  (That might have been more appropriate next week at the grand party, since we'll be back to 1955...)  Oh, and speaking of parties...

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...This week, I have a treat that I have been debating whether to save this for this week or next week, right up until this moment, but I kinda think Elvis and Wayne will have their hands full (likely with each other), so I'm gonna run it now.  I decided to go into the daunting task of doing a Dance Hits Countdown- the songs that actually were about a new dance with "instructions included"!  But y'know, it's hard to FIND such a list anywhere without them throwing in stuff like Bowie's Let's Dance which doesn't meet the requirement.  So I did the best I could on my own.  If you think of any more, put 'em in the comments- but remember, I want the SONG that goes with the dance.  Just naming "the Charleston" does you no good!  So I found 20 dances, ranked them by the US-UK combo MusicVF rankings, and here we go!


20- Let's Twist Again, Chubby Checker, 1961, 129 points.  Technically, this might be a no-no by my rules, but if you don't like it, then insert Mickey's Monkey by the Miracles (1963) here.

19- Hippie Hippie Shake, the Swinging Blue Jeans, 1963, 137 points.  Yeah, I know we know the Beatles doing it better, but they never released it.

18- Cool Jerk, The Capitols, 1966, 143 points.  Took me years to figure out what they said.

17- The Jerk, the Larks, 1964, 155 points.  Most of us would find this the perfect dance for our abilities, right?

16- The Stroll, the Diamonds, 1957, 164 points.

15- Monster Mash, Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt Kickers, 1973 release, 172 points.  One of two songs released more than once.  If I combined them, they would've ranked second (or third).

14- Bristol Stomp, the Dovells, 1961, 187 points.  One of my favorites.

13- The Loco-Motion, Grand Funk Railroad, 1974, 199 points.  If I really stretch I could combine this with another upcoming version and it would be the Top song!

12- The Wah-Watusi, the Orlons, 1962, 201 points.  Another of my faves.

11- Mashed Potato Time, Dee Dee Sharp, 1962, 205 points.  And here we will pause, and bring you the top ten in a bit.

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Debut #1 I have to thank KC for.  He introed me to the band Dorothy, led by Dorothy Martin, a couple weeks back.  And while I wasn't overwhelmed by his chosen song, I found one that really rips it.  At #10...






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Let me turn it over to the Starland Vocal Band to do the ... Nardole?  Where is the Starland Vocal Band?

Um, on the dance floor...

I knew I shouldn't have led with the dance thing...

Would you like me to hose down the floor...

For pities' sake, NO!  Just let them dance.  So after I cut the one-vote wonders, we'll be down to just three songs to vote on this week.  And here are those wonders...

English chick Tina Charles had an Aussie #1 with a disco tune called Dance Little Lady Dance.  It certainly beat last week's SSSSingle Bed...

Much better was Joe Tex's Ain't Gonna Bump With No Big Fat Woman, which peaked at #15 in June...

Rita Coolidge was a bit early, getting a vote for We're All Alone which won't chart till September.

Heatwave was at #68 on Cashbox with Boogie Nights.

Barry Manilow was on his way out at #24 with Looks Like We Made It.

Fleetwood Mac, too, at #23 with Don't Stop.

Ram Jam was at #18 with Black Betty.

Heart was at #13 with Barracuda, which I've never liked because it was hot when I got appendicitis.

Peter McCann was at #12 with Do You Wanna Make Love.

Barbra Streisand was at #5 with My Heart Belongs To Me.

And the #2 was Alan O'Day's Undercover Angel.

Rough week for the Cashbox top ten- in addition to our 6D victim, the Panel ignored #6 (Rita Coolidge's Higher And Higher), #8 (the Commodores' Easy), #9 (Bay City Rollers' You Made Me Believe In Magic), and #10 (Sean Cassidy's Da Doo Ron Ron, which they may have had a point on).


So that leaves us with your three choices this week:

The Emotions and Best Of My Love, CB's #3;
Andy Gibb's I Just Wanna Be Your Everything at Numero Uno;
and Peter Frampton's I'm In You, at #7.

One got 15 votes, the other two got five- and the rest of the field got 11.  Who do you pick?

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The rest of the Dance Song Countdown!

10- Slow Twistin', Chubby and Dee Dee, 1962, 206 points.  If you're diggin' Chubby-mania, you'll love...

9- Limbo Rock, Chubby Checker, 1962, 226 points.  Another fave for me.

8- Monster Mash, 1963 version, 230 points.  Think I've heard that before.

7- The Twist, you know who, first release in 1960, 239 points.  Combined with its next appearance, it woulda beat the two Monster Mashes by 101 points... but just under the two Loco-Motions.

6- Peppermint Twist, Joey Dee and the Starlighters, 1961, 240 points.  I woulda loved to have added the #1 on the M10 version by Sweet, but alas they only released it in Australia.

5- Pony Time, Chubby Checker, 1961, 253 points.  Boogity boogity boogity boogity shoo!

4- The Twist, second time around in 1962, 264 points.  Who the heck is still ahead of this juggernaut???  Chubby's racked up over a thousand points here...

3- Disco Duck, Rick Dees and his Cast of Idiots, 1976, 275 points.  Seriously?

2- The Hustle, Van McCoy, 1975, 326 points.  And at the top...

1- The Loco-Motion, Little Eva, 1961, 331 points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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So one of my favorite summer pasttimes back then was watching Mel Allen doing This Week In Baseball.  The distinctive "Dah Dah, Dah Dah.." theme at the beginning was called Jet Set, and was composed by one Mike Vickers.  He was a guitarist and woodwinder on the original Manfred Mann band, and also scored a cheesy blacksploitation film in '72 called Dracula AD 1972.  More original music on this timeless classic was by a band called Stoneground.  Stoneground was a second choice after the Faces cancelled, and included a drummer by the name of Steve Price.  And he was better known as the drummer for Pablo Cruise, who had the #4 song with no Panel Love, Whatcha Gonna Do.

"How ABOUT that!"

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Almost forgot the most important part of the show!  This year is the 25th anniversary for the ELO lp Secret Messages.  This album was intended by Jeff Lynne to be a double, but the record company shat on that.  Most of the tunage that got cut has been released here and there, but to celebrate the anniversary, Lynne is re-releasing the lp in its original intended form.  And as I snuck through that which I didn't know, I found this gem, and it debuts at #7...




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Stat Pack time!

I was much better this week on the hometown charts- 67 of 100 known as against 13 of 50 on the UK charts.

The UK topper was Donna Summer's I Feel Love; the only Panel song on their list was We're All Alone at #6.

The big mover was quite the contest- there was 1 17-spot mover, FIVE that went up 15, and Best Of My Love cleared 11 to get to #3!  BUT the biggest move was a tie just two spots apart at 18 spots jumped.  From 54 to 36 went The Brothers Johnson and Strawberry Letter 23, and from 56 to 38 went Foreigner's Cold As Ice.

The #77 in '77 was Kenny Loggins' very first single, I Believe In Love. It crashed out at 66 on Billboard, from the lp Celebrate Me Home.

And the #101 was Charlie Pride's I'll Be Leaving Alone.  Well, be that way!


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The remaining M10:

Caroline Rose pulls into 11th all time with a week at #9 for More Of The Same.

Player moves up a pair with Addiction.  Geez, Player, ELO, Gilbert O'Sullivan, and Jim Croce ALL on the chart?  What year is this, anyway?


Speaking of Gilbert, he moves up a notch to #6 with The Same The Whole World Over.

Black Joe Lewis slips another couple to #5 with the former top dog Nature's Natural.

Another pair of one-spot-up songs next- Kidsmoke to #4 with Patterns, Croce to #3 with Lover's Cross.

Geowulf slips one after a single week at the top with Sunday.


Which means the new #1 is....

The Jayhawks with Backwards Women!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Had it not been for Caroline Rose, this would have been their third trip to the top...

And the Panel winner?

...Andy Gibb and I Just Wanna Be Your Panel Winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I can't guarantee I can fit him in as a guest next week, because- ELVIS!  NEWTON!  the Reverse Beauty Contest!  You've been waiting for it... it's here NEXT WEEK!