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Well, one thing about doing the lead in the "volume VII way" teaches us, is we can't hit a good lead in event no matter HOW many years we do at once! However, at least we can settle in, for a change, with a perfectly normal guest...
Bobby Vinton: Why, thank you... I guess...
I just was reading up on you- on the Billboard charts, you were the last act to hit #1 before the Beatles, with There I've Said It Again. But I also looked at who was the lucky last pre-Beatles #1 on Cashbox, and in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada- and you didn't claim that honor on any of those!
BV: Well, it's not like a black mark on my career or anything...
No, no, but what is fascinating is that out of those five other charts, one act had the SAME song on 2 charts, and another act had two DIFFERENT songs in that spot! So what we're going to do this week...
BV: Wait, let me guess! You're going to name the acts that had the pre-Beatles number ones besides me, and let the fans guess which act hit twice with the same song, and which one hit with two different songs!
Yep, and if you know your early sixties music trivia, it won't be hard to guess. Here are the three acts from the five charts:
Gerry and the Pacemakers
Jimmy Soul
and the Kingsmen!
BV: Hmm, I see what you mean! What else do you have for us?
Well, we have just the one debut on the M10 this week, and dumb me, I didn't even realize that it's another single from that massive Metallica Blacklist box set! With their third trip onto the M10, at #9, here's White Reaper....
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And now, because he'll need a little time to warm up, here's barrister extraordinaire Horace Bellbottom and a LIVE 6D!
I do wish you'd give me a little more warning on these events! Ah, well, I guess I should be prepared for such things. So let me see what our victim is... ah, all right... So we start our story with Clint Eastwood-
Eastwood, you say, what has he to do with music? As a matter of fact, in 1969, he starred in a movie adaptation of the musical Paint Your Wagon. This movie featured the song They Call The Wind Maria, and the story on wikipedia claimed that it was released as a promotional for the movie by seven different acts. My research finds six- Harve Presnell, who sang it in the movie; the Marquettes, the Baja Marimba Band, Jim Nabors, the Young Brass (an instrumental version) and Ed Ames (currently at the time finding more success playing Cherokee warrior Mingo on the Daniel Boone tv show). By my accounting, none of these versions hit the hot 100.
One song in the movie, called, "Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans", was done by a chorus featuring the early Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. This band included a drummer by the name of Russ Kunkel, and he was also the drummer on our victim this week- Carole King's So Far Away, which was #17 this week in 1971, but did not make the years top 100.
By the by, the name Maria (pronounced ma-RYE-a) was taken from a book called The Storm, in which the author supplies a name to the storm- and inspires what became our current Hurricane naming system!
Impressive job, Horace! Okay, Bobby, lay the songs that don't make the features on us!
BV: Groovy! So alphabetically, these were the songs we... I mean, Chris, pulled out of the top twenties this week, that are not finalists- or the Overseas If You Please song.
From 1974, the Guess Who and Clap For The Wolfman...
From 1964, Martha and the Vandellas Dancing In The Street...
Also from 1964, Gene Pitney's It Hurts To Be In Love...
From 1971, it's the Guess Who again with Rain Dance...
From 1974, Dionne Warwick and the Spinners with Then Came You...
From 1971, the Moody Blues and The Story In Your Eyes...
And also from 1971, Paul McCartney and Uncle Albert...
And from 1955, a big fat ZERO!
Nice job! Say, I noticed that your article on wiki begins with the disclaimer, "Not to be confused with Bobby Vee..."
BV: Are you TRYING to piss me off?
No... sorry, I was just wondering how someone COULD mix you up... at least from OUR ages...
BV: So now I'm old? Pete's sake, I'm only 29!
Yeah, from where we picked you up... in my right time... let's just say you are substantially older...
BV: How MUCH older? Say, how old were you from where you picked me up?
Uh, 2...
BV: Blessed Virgin! (Crosses himself) Then I must be...
...Our ages! Anyhow, why don't you take your mind off it by giving us the finalists this week!
BV: Yes... yes, that's probably a good idea.
Your 4 finalists this week:
From 1959, Bobby Darin and Mack The Knife...
Also 1959, Paul Anka and Put Your Head On My Shoulders...
And AGAIN 1959, Santo and Johnny with Sleepwalk....
And for variety, John Denver from 1971 and Take Me Home Country Roads.
So does JD come in and upset the power of 1959- or do one of them take home the cup? Think it over, while we bring in good ol' Nardole to do the Overseas If You Please!
N: Me? Well, if you're certain... this week, our target year is 1974, because one of Chris's picks that missed its year's hot 100 was the Rolling Stones with It's Only Rock And Roll. So this week in 1974, these songs were #1...
In the UK, it was Carl Douglas and Kung Fu Fighting. Fighting who?
It's a fighting style, homey.
They have styles? Dear me!
In Australia, it was Paper Lace and The Night Chicago Died. This is getting uncomfortably violent...
In South Africa it was Kris Kristofferson with his gospel song Why Me...
In New Zealand, it was also The Night Chicago Died...
...and in Canada it was Johnny Rodriguez with Dance With Me (Just One More Time).
That last one was a #2 country hit here, and hit the top both pop and country in Canada. So now, Bobby, why don't you tell us the story about which of the pre-Beatles claims to fame goes to which act.
BV: Oh, sure, rub that in, too! It's not bad enough that...
Elvis: Hey, pizza's here, let's eat!
(Several minutes later...)
BV: Ugh, I'm stuffed! Chris, I'm sorry if I was out of line...
No worries, pal. I wasn't getting things to come out right, either...
EP: Y'all were hangry, that's all! Nothing a good Hungry Howies can't cure...
BV: That's why you're the King, Elvis!
Can't argue that! You ready to do that feature now?
BV: You bet! So it was the Kingsmen's one big hit, Louie Louie, which had the honors in Canada and on Cashbox; and Gerry and the Pacemakers had the spot in England with How Do You Do It, and in Australia with You'll Never Walk Alone! In the meantime, it was Jimmy Soul's If You Want To Be Happy standing alone in New Zealand. BRRRP Excuse me!
EP: Haw haw!
Horace Bellbottom: Gentlemen, we ARE live! A little decorum...
Horace is right. And we also have three last things to finish up, if you all could wipe your faces and return to the mikes!
BV: What's my job, friend?
You get the big mover...
BV: The biggest mover across our five years this week comes from 1964 and the Beach Boys- When I Grow Up To Be A Man went up 36 from #78 to 42! Next?
EP: I get the new M10 this week. Say Boss, whatcha gonna do about the M10 when we finish this all out?
Hard to say... I've thought about shutting it down, I've thought about expanding it to 15... ask me in November.
EP: Fair enuff. Here's the rest of the list:
10- falling 5, the Black Pumas an' Wichita Lineman...
8- up 2, Duran Duran and Anniversary...
7- down 3, Weezer an' Enter Sandman...
6- up 3, Moon Taxi an' Mission...
5- up 3, Alkonost an' Solntse... which means, "sun", btw...
4- up 3, Gerry Rafferty an' Sign Of The Times....
3- an' stuck there, Duran Duran an' More Joy...
2- slipping a spot after 4 weeks a' bein' #1, illuminatti hotties an' u.v.v.p.....
An.. the new #1....
...Tom Morello with Phantogram, an' Driving To Texas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And I get the Final Four...
Sadly, John Denver came in last against the 1959 bullies, charting 10 in 1971...
Not a good day for Johns overall, with Santo and Johnny coming in third at #9 in'59...
Paul Anka crapped out as well, finishing #8...
But the #1 song of 1959....
.....Bobby Darin and Mack The Knife!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next week the question will be- did illuminatti hotties hang on high enough to crack the all time top 20? It will take at least a #5 slot, and they are going to be in week #9 on the M10! Stay tuned....
Some pretty good artists here
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