Time Machine co-ordinates VICXLIV62451572

Today we reach May 15th, 1972, the day Arthur Bremer, who apparently was just looking for someone to shoot to make him famous, got off three rounds at presidential candidate and well-known bigot George Wallace.  The fact that I just read his story, went on to other research, and had to go back to remember his name, speaks volumes.  Perhaps if he had remembered to shout his catch phrase after the shooting, as he had planned, it would have been easier.  That catch phrase- something historic like Sic Semper Tyrannus?  No... actually it was, "A penny for your thoughts."

"Now that's just nuts!"

Sure it is, so why don't we ask the Milwaukee psychiatrist who declared him mentally ill after an arrest on November 18th, 1972- but "stable enough" to live in society, so he got let out after paying a $38.50 fine...

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Anyway, here we are at Time Machine, where we have 3 Dog Night as guests, two new M10 debuts, a 6D that I actually put some work into, and the top 2 from Eurovision 72!  Let's get at it!

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Let's lead off with our debut at #10- a song about " peaceful people who worshipped a mountain river believing its water was sacred. Neighbors were afraid to invade their lands because of a legend according to which the ones who spilled the blood on the banks of the river were forever cursed and would not live another year. Once a conqueror passed through those mountains and the lake people were in his way. He shed the blood into white streams of the river and went on to his war. And despite that it seemed like an easy victory to him, he failed in this military campaign because of the curse." (From their website).  In English, it's called, Where The Winds Live, and this is Russia's Alkonost:





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Nardole, where are Three Dog Night?

N:Well, it seems that Lawyer Bellbottom refused to sign off on their contract...

Oh.  And why would that be, Lawyer Bellbottom?

HB:I observed them to be not in a fit condition to participate.

And what condition was that?

Elvis:  They were messed up, man.  They got some drug issues...

And it didn't strike you, Nardole, to choose another time to retrieve them from?

N: Well, yes, but by the time I found them in suitable condition, they were in middle school...

Seriously, you couldn't have found them during some recording session, or during an interview?

HB:  Then we would have been obligated to bring in all band members, producers, recording engineers, etc, etc...

I have got to have another look at our 'standard contract'.  So what did you come up with as an alternative for our show?

Elvis:  I suggested the singing dogs...

N:  Mr Newton kindly made an offer...

HB:  I believe our best solution is just to wear these masks and, er, stand in for them...

Elvis:  Are you out of your cotton-growin' mind?

N:  Fine, but I want to be the middle one...

Elvis: Dibs on Blue!!!

All right, you clowns, enough!  I'll do it myself.  And take those costumes off!  Good grief, makes me wonder what I pay this staff for!

So, we had 25 contestants from 75 stations- and it just so happened that 2 of them were the top 2 finishers in the Eurovision '72 contest!  So naturally, we lined them up on a

feature to see if we agreed!  The first one, which I believe got a vote from Radio London, was the New Seekers and Beg Borrow And Steal, which came in 2nd... the other, which came to us from Radio Netherlands, was a young lady who was born Vassiliky Papathanasiou, but performed under the less-bulky Vicky Leandros.  Her song, the rep from Luxembourg, was the French-language Apres Toi (which was 6 on the UK chart this week in English as Come What May).


Laurie:  I give a slight edge to Vicky.  Both are good!
Chris:  Vicki.  Just a better song, period.

So as it turns, we both agreed with the EV judges.


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Back to the Panel- this ended up being a fairly tight race, and we have four contenders.  A side note is that four Australian stations all had the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and their version of Amazing Grace at the top, so it gets an honorable mention despite currently being #113 on this week's Cashbox chart.  Wayne Newton is pestering me would like me to mention that his Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast has 2 votes from the #60 spot on the charts.  Anyway, here are the finalists:


The Staple Singers at #8 with I'll Take You There...
Roberta Flack with The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face at #1...
The #11 this week, the Chi-Lites and Oh, Girl...
and Joe Tex with I Gotcha at #3.

Tune in later to see how that goes!  Right now, our debut at #9 was introduced to me by bloggy friend from Canada Debbie D Doglady, as last week she introduced me to fellow Canuck Sass Jordan, who grabs her M10 spot with this hit from 1994:





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The Carpenters were set to release off their lp Passages a song called I Just Fall In Love Again.  You might remember Passages as the album where the song they DID release was a cover of the song Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft from Klatuu (who?).  But apparently the record company didn't like the concept of a 4 minute Carpenters song instead of a 3 minute one, so it ended up becoming a #1 country and AC and #11 pop hit for Anne Murray.  Dusty Springfield also had a go at it on her lp Living Without Your Love.  This album also had a song called Save Me Save Me, a Barry Gibb co-write whose claim to fame was being covered twice and becoming failed follow ups to 2 other Barry Gibb-written hits- Rare Earth's Warm Ride and Frankie Valli's Grease. 

The Grease theme was played over an animated beginning which was created by one John David Allen- who several years before created the animated video for our 6D victim.  It was the last hit as a duo for Sonny and Cher- A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done, at #6 on Cashbox this week without a Panel vote.

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As I went down the week's chart to find the big mover, I got real concerned when I had 5 songs tied at 14 spots up- then, at last, I found one that moved up 15 places.

And another.

And another...

Three songs split the big mover title this week:  Mouth and MacNeil's How Do You Do, going from 100 to 85; Elton John's Rocket Man, from 81 to 66; and Frederick Knight's I've Been Lonely For So Long, from 80 to 65.

In the meantime, the UK #1 was Metal Guru by T-Rex.  Australia, as mentioned, was Amazing Grace by the RSDGs, while Canada had Neil Young's Heart Of Gold at the top.

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The remaining M10:

Albert Hammond Jr's 3 week #1 Set To Attack slides from 4 to 8.
As I told Laurie several times, "Two out of three songs that were stuck in the same position last week are still stuck this week"- and one of those is Jana Kramer's Untouchable at #7.

Caroline Rose evades the 2 to 8 curse (somewhat), falling only to 6 with Do You Think We'll Last Forever?
The second 'stuck for a third week' is Brooke Annibale's Under Streetlights at #5.
The Pretenders climb 5 to #4 with You Can't Hurt A Fool.
The other one that was stuck, falls from the top spot to #3- Maddie and Tae's I Don't Need To Know.
Up from 6 to 2 are the Stones and Living In A Ghost Town.

And our new #1?

Deradoorian and Monk's Robes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And the Panel?

Joe Tex 'gotcha'ed 8%...
The Staples gotcha 9.3%...
Roberta Flack managed 14.67%...


But yer winnah, with 20% even....

...the Chi-Lites with Oh, Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Next week, after a thorough review of our contract situation, will be the Chi-Lites and 1973!