Tilting at Windmills: Time Machine co-ordinates VII-XIV697DBT

Elvis: Hey, Boss, what's with the co-ordinates? "DBT"?

Yep, I wanted a new wrinkle and decided to go to ALL the years of the Martin Era 2.0 and pick off my favorite songs that debuted this week on Cashbox for each year! I ended up with 28 songs- and 15 of them ended up in the top 10! Five went all the way to #1, and that's where this week's challenge #1 will be- I'll give you, at some point, the 11 of them that made top five- and from that list, you pick out the 5 that hit #1!

EP: "Challenge # 1"? That means there's a challenge #2...

Yep, and we'll get to that in a while... but first, let me try and strike a blow against Cancel Culture. This week, a moment I figured would have to come someday finally came... as the Rolling Stones had to drop the third most played song in concert of all their hits off their setlist. And if I can find it, I'm-a gonna play it...

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EP: Boss, that there's a classic! I'm kinda glad I didn't live to see that day...

I know what you mean. And maybe here someday we'll do a show on "Cancel Culture Classics"... just as soon as some "woker" decides that perhaps we should ban Sweet Home Alabama for celebrating one of the great fighters against civil rights, George Wallace. Anyway, here's a face I hope we never have to cancel, Lulu!

Lulu: Hi, boys!

Lulu, we have celebrated your fame, your Eurovision record, etc, on here before. One thing I noticed was that your first single was covering the Isleys on Shout...

Yes, that was when we were Lulu and the Luvvers... of course, we started out as the Gleneagles...

And you started out as Marie... why Lulu?

My first manager gave me that name when I was 14- she thought I was 'a real lulu', because I had such a strong voice even then.

Well, before we get started on anything else, how about we let the world in on the other debuts not in that final group, that I picked? Leaving off the top 11, and the bottom two, give us the remaining 15...

Sure! In chronological order, they would be...

Herman's Hermits, I'm Into Something Good, which would peak in 1964 at #13...

The next year had 2 more, the Newbeats with Run Baby Run, which stopped at #12, and the Walker Brothers with Make It Easy On Yourself, which topped at #16.

1966 had the Lovin' Spoonful doing Rain On The Roof, at #10, and then 1967 had Neil Diamond's Kentucky Woman at #22, and Spanky and Our Gang and Lazy Day at #14...

At this point, I should interject that Kentucky Woman was tied with another song for the second-lowest peak, but I made an executive decision and named the other the pick for the Overseas If You Please later on....

EP: Like anyone woulda noticed if ya didn't...

L: Now, now, let's all be nice to each other! Next would be 1970 with The Guess Who and Share The Land at #10 and Badfinger's No Matter What at #8...

In 1971 it was the Grass Roots and Two Divided By Love at #16...

1972 gave us Operator by Jim Croce at #17, and Ventura Highway by America at #8...

1974 had Chicago and Wishing You Were Here at #11...

And finally, 1977 chipped in England Dan and John Ford Coley with Nights Are Forever Without You at #10, and Steve Miller's Swingtown at #17.

EP: Hey, everyone, dinner break! Laurie went and ordered us some Kentucky Fried Chicken!

Whatever else happens, she's the big winner! And to celebrate, let's bring on our special surprise guest, Col. Harlan Sanders!

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CS: Hello, everybody!

Colonel, have you met Lulu?

CS: It's an honor, beautiful lady! (kisses hand)

L: Why, what a gentleman!

CS: Tell me, my dear, have you tried my chicken?

L: No, I don't believe I have...

CS: It's finger lickin' good! At least it used to be.. God only knows what they've done to my recipe. It might taste almost the same, but...

They say it's still the same, I believe...

CS: Well, you're gullible! These knotheads running my stores these days don't know a pressure cooker from a Packard! Why, in my day, the only clown in the food industry was Ronald McDonald!

L: I like Ronald... that whole charming 'McDonaldland' thing for the wee tykes...

CS: Yeah, but what in tarnation is that big purple thing supposed to be? Whatsis, 'the Grimace'?

Someone claimed a while back he was supposed to originally be a giant taste bud...

EP: Haw! A taste bud with four arms and pockets!

We should get back to the show! Colonel, would you honor us with a LIVE 6D?

CS: Sam Hell, I don' know how to...

EP: Here, Grandpa, just put this headset on, it'll practically do itself!

CS: All righty... Well here's something, a musical version of the ol' Mason-Dixon Line, just a good deal more civil. So it wasn't a line, but James Mason and Dave Dixon who co-wrote I Dig Rock And Roll Music with Paul Stookey and hitting the charts by Peter Paul and Mary. Apparently Paul and Mary hated it, and they never played it in concert. Fans loved it, though. One member of their backing band was drummer Skip Prokop, and he was a co-founder of the jazz-fusion type ensemble from Canada called Lighthouse. They had a bigger hit called One Fine Morning, but the debut this week was another one that Chris loved an' you should check out, called Pretty Lady. It was top ten in Canada, but only got to #53 here. Howsat?

Pretty good, Colonel! Right now, it's almost time to let you in on game #2... and for that we need this week's M10 debut. Blundering into my playlist last week, it is from the 2010 lp The Grand Theatre, and this is, returning for their second time on the M10, the Old 97's... at # 5...

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EP: Say, that's 2 weeks inna row we had a debut at #5!

You are correct, and I got looking into that very thing. The Old 97's and Jason Isbell's Midnight Train To Georgia were the 16th and 17th songs to debut on my chart at #5... which works out to 2.6% of all M10 songs ever. The list included 3 songs in the all time top 20- Beach House and The Traveller, Brooke Annibale's Collided, and the Shacks with El Michels Affair and Strange Boy. But here's the question- have we ever had it happen in consecutive weeks before? This is a simple guess it off; is this the only time, was there another time, or maybe multiple times? Take your guess while Ms Lulu gives us your choices to choose the #1s from!

L: All right, as I understand it, 5 of these 11 songs went to #1 at some point, after debuting this week in their years. I'm going to read the 11 top 5 or better songs on the list, again in chronological order- and you pick five that hit the top of the American Cashbox chart. Ready?

From 1955, Frank Sinatra's Love And Marriage...

From 1956, our friend with the chicken leg in his mouth over there with Love Me Tender...

EP: Gbbblmm ggrgglmm...

L: What was that?

EP: ...i think i need the heimlich maneuver...

L: Oh, Elvis, such a kidder! Let me move on while the EMTs tend to him.

From 1958, the Teddy Bears and To Know Him Is To Love Him...

From 1959, Johnny Preston and Running Bear...

From 1962, the Orlons and Don't Hang Up, as well as Marcie Blaine and Bobby's Girl...

From 1968, Steppenwolf and Magic Carpet Ride...

From 1970, the Fifth Dimension and One Less Bell To Answer...

From 1972, Albert Hammond, Sr, with It Never Rains In Southern California and the Temptations with Papa Was A Rolling Stone...

And from 1975, Elton John's Island Girl and John Denver's Calypso!

Okay, so five of those hit #1 at some point. Bonus if you can name the one who stayed there the longest. Colonel, would you honor us with the Overseas If You Please...

CS: Why not, you all are already used to one old curmudgeon doing it, why not another? So because the next lowest peak belonged to the Guess Who and Undun at #22, it's that song's year- 1969, we'll get the #1s on our other charts from!

The massive autumn hit in New Zealand was Shane with St Paul....

In Canada, it was Nilsson and Eyerybody's Talkin'...

In the UK, it was that pretty bird Jane Birkin with Serge Gainsbourg with Je t'aime... Moi Non Plus... oooh la la!

In Australia, Russell Morris and Part Three Into Paper Walls, probably the strangest name for a song since Goo Goo Barabajagal....

And in South Africa, Jackie DeShannon with Put A Little Love In Your Heart!

Nice job. So, did you live, buddy?

EP: I lived...

You want the M10?

EP: I got the M10...

10- Duran Duran drops from 4 with Anniversary...

9- Illuminati hotties and Buck Meek squeeze out an 11th week with u.v.v.p.- givin' it a probable stopping point of 6th all time...

8- Styx up 2 with Age Of Entropia...

7- Geowulf an' I've Been Over It...

6- The Beths up 3 with Dying To Believe...

4- Last week's #1, Morello an' Phantogram with Driving To Texas...

3- An' holdin', Moon Taxi an' Mission...

2- Jason Isbell an' the 400 Unit with Brittney Spencer an' Midnight Train To Georgia...

An' new at numero uno...

...Gerry Rafferty's Sign Of The Times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All right, here are your winners:

Game #2: Debuts at #5 in consecutive weeks happened just one other time- when Billy Stewart's Strange Feeling was followed up by an all timer- The Shacks and Strange Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was one month shy of 5 years ago!

And the 5 #1s?

Papa Was A Rolling Stone for one week...

To Know Him Is To Love Him, Running Bear, and Island Girl, 3 weeks....

And last but certainly not least, with 5 weeks...