Time Machine co-ordinates VICXLVI65011672

Today, we go, in a very frustrating "New Blogger" way, to November 6th, 1972- the day before Richard Nixon gave George McGovern a sound whupping...

Easy, buddy, I'm on your side!  And if that alienates you, get a grip, this is Time Machine and it's all in fun!  Today, we have Cher- I hope- one new debut, and a bit of an odd 6D coming your way.  So let's move on from the dusty dregs of politics and into the vibrant world of music!

***********************************************

Now, I have to admit this was one of the more bizarre Panel weeks ever, because one station, labelled 'progressive' but I peeked at it anyway, had Bread's Sweet Surrender at #2, Loggins and Messina at #3 with Your Mama Don't Dance, and Joni Mitchell's You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio at #4!  On the other hand, another station labelled 'top 40' had Black Sabbath, Yes, T-Rex (not with Bang a Gong), and The Move (ELO before they were ELO) in their top ten! I had two reactions: on the first, Bread as progressive is one of the most enormous stretches in TM history, and the other, man, I wanna listen to THAT station!  I just hope that the dozen and a half other stations labelled progressive weren't cleverly hidden fake ballots... Oh crap, that's politics again, sorry!

**********************************************************************

I had a lot of new songs come in for M10 consideration, along with a couple still knocking on the door, but the winner of that new debut slot at #10 goes to my girl Roseanne Cash, with some help from hubby John Levanthal...

******************************************************

Well, that was SORTA political, but hopefully we can avoid that with our POTM today, as I introduce you to... Cher!

Wait... why is it something you want to avoid?

Well, in MY time, we're pretty much on separate planets politically...

Oh?  Why is that?  Are you against Gypsies?  Are you against Cherokees?

No, but I...

You're some kind of racist, aren't you?  You prolly think someone like me should be locked up!

Well, at the mome...

Your hair was probably orange before it went gray, wasn't it?  All you orange haired people are the same!  Nothing but Nazis!  

Now wait just a minute!

I bet you have Russian listening devices all over the place, don't you?

I would think they'd be more your type, actu...

Don't ever call me again!  SLAM!!!

Well, don't ever win the Panel picks again!

********************************************************

There was a point to all that.  We have become incredibly stupid voters, believing any lie that supports our position without checking into it, claiming hate is our enemy while hating our enemies, treating politics and politicians like gods when that position isn't open.  I promise next time Cher visits, I won't be so over the top, but this time, this week, I wanted to show some of you out there (not necessarily regular readers) how ridiculous this all has been- and sadly, I suspect will be.

Now, this time, NO MORE POLITICS!  Hey, Elvis, got a minute?

Yeah, I heard the door slam, gimme the list...

21 songs from forty-three stations.  And we didn't skip no ballots- those progressive stations we skipped we all legit- tho' one of 'em had Bread's Guitar Man at #1...

Here's who ya get to pick.

Johnny Nash 'n' I Can See Clearly Now at #6 on Cashbox...

Lobo with I'd Love You Ta Want Me... or is it, I want You To Love Me?  I always mix that up.  Anyway, it's at #11.

Michael Jackson an' Ben at #8... better hope he don' win, we ain't made it ta 1955 yet!

An' the numero uno, Moody Blues with Nights In White Satin!

Thanks, bud.  At this rate, we may HAVE to call them the Presley picks...

HB:  I sincerely hope you are kidding, sir.

EP:  What, Priscilla ain't signed that rights thingie yet?

HB:  No, but she has chosen to ask for a rather substantial sum to compensate the estate if we do so without her consent...

EP:  Hard-headed woman, anyway... Say, I think I recorded that once!

**********************************************************

So after years of trying to talk him into it, Bill Champlin joined Chicago to share lead vocals on several songs, notably Hard Habit To Break.  What brings him up? Well, the 6D actually led me to the Grammy for best R&B songs, and I noted a lot of names that you wouldn't expect to find there.  Bill joined Jay Graydon and former Skylark keyboardist Dave Foster on the writer's award for Earth Wind And Fire's After The Love Has Gone, and with Toto's Steve Lukather and Jay on George Benson's Turn Your Love Around.

Others on the list was the 1978 winner- Leo Sayer for You Make Me Feel Like Dancing; Boz Scaggs and another Toto-ite, David Paich, for Lowdown in 1977;  and KC of Sunshine Band fame with his partner Richard Finch for Betty Wright's Where Is The Love, a #96 pop and #15 R&B that won in '76.

The reason why I went there was because our 6D victim was runner up in '73 to the Temps and Papa Was A Rolling Stone- Curtis Mayfield for writing and recording Freddy's Dead- from Superfly- the #7 song this week with no Panel love.

*************************************************************

I have to tell you the funny story behind this week's UK #1.  Two dudes, Rob Woodward and Nigel Fletcher, had a side act they were working on- a song recorded in Rob's living room, with his mother Hilda on piano!  They named the act Lieutenant Pigeon, and released the song to a crashing thud on the charts.  Then, a Belgian current affairs program, for some reason I can't imagine, chose it to be their opening bumper music.  It caught on in Belgium, hit the top, got re-released in Merry Ole, and hit the top there, too!

***********************************************

The remaining Overseas If You Please are as follows:

New Zealand: 3 Dog Night's Black And White, which was #1 here in September.

Australia:  Hot Butter with Popcorn, which peaked here at #11 2 weeks ago.

Canada:  My Ding-A-Ling by Chuck Berry, our #1 2 weeks ago.

South Africa: Finalist I Can See Clearly Now.

And, in Laurenco Marques... The Bee Gees' Run To Me, prolly my third favorite of theirs, another September peak at #11.

And this week's big mover:  Johnny Rivers with Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu, up 21 from 77-56.

*******************************************

Boss, I didn't get any votes...?

You know darn well you did.  Burning Love at #2 got 2 votes.  You beat over half the field, and tied another quarter.  And doubled the vote of the #1 on the alleged top 40 station with all the progressive songs, Help Is On The Way by Bloodrock.

Oh, boy...  Can I at least do the M10?

I'm surprised you're interested!

Every li'l bit of PR helps the NEXT song, boss!

Holdin' at #9, Ron Keel's Ghost Riders In The Sky.

When yer first week at #1 is yer 7th on the chart, you can expect the next week's gonna be a bit rough.  America's Remembering drops all the way to #8.

The Four Seasons go back ta back, with The Girl I'll Never Know goin' up 3 to #7, and the Any Day Now medley dropping from, 4 to 6.

That Shilpa Ray chick an... do I have to say the whole name?

I didn't last week...

Ok, then her HH Blues goes back up a spot to #5.

Acres Wild goes up 3 to #4 with Mirrorball Stars...

Bon Jovi 2 to #3 with Beautiful Drug...

One spot ta #2 fer Yuno and No Turning Back...

An' their first time at #1....

...Blue Oyster Cult with Tainted Love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Back ta you, boss!

Nice job, buddy!  How's the planning for the Christmas Party going?

Why's it's going so... it's gonna be a real... uh,  I got nuthin'... But Noodle...er, I mean NARDOLE... is helpin', I'll have a good report next week for sure!

You better, you only have six weeks- and it goes live Christmas Night!  I want it to top last year's!

I dunno anything c'n top last year's... but I'll give it my best shot!

Alright, so we close it out with this week's winner!

MJ and the Moodys got you 9.3% each...

Lobo gets you 11.6%...

But the winner, with 16.27%....

...Johnny Nash and I Can See Clearly Now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This'll be his second win with I Can See, so we'll have to see if we can have a little more fun than we did last time- he won the week of the Big Board Meeting, and thus was in and out.  Once again, cue up 1973!