Featured Songs Saturday 21 November 2009

Eddie Arnold
THE CATTLE CALL US#69, 1 week on Top 100, 19 November 1955, a Country #1 in 1955 and originally released in 1947. Written in 1934 by Tex Owens Moderate Hit in N.Z. With 146 songs on the country charts -- including 28 number one hits -- Arnold ranks among the most popular country singers in U.S. history. Only George Jones had more individual hits on the country charts but, according to a formula derived by Joel Whitburn, Arnold is the all-time leader in an overall rankings for hits and their time on the charts. He became popular on Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry as a singer with Pee Wee King (1940-43) and died 8 May 2008

*The Supremes - YOU KEEP ME HANGING ON, US#1(2) from 19 November 1966 and a Monster Hit in N.Z.
*The Supremes - I HEAR A SYMPHONY, US#1(2) from 20 November 1965 Big Hit in N.Z.

Isaac Hayes
Theme From Shaft US#1(2) from 20 November a UK#4 (In Top 20 from 4 December) 1971 and NZ#7 from early 1972.
Written and produced by Isaac Hayes it was released in the US 29 September and in the UK November 1971 and peaking there at #2* (12 weeks in the Top 50). The ‘Shaft’ theme from the film soundtrack passed the million and half in the US and in Britain sold over 250,000. It won the Oscar for Best Film Song of 1971 and Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement and for Best Engineered Recording in 1971. Along with Isaac Hayes (vocal/organ) there were Lester Snell (electric piano), James Alexander (bass guitar), Michael Toles (lead/rhythm guitar), Charles Pitts (lead/rhythm guitar), Willie Hall (drums/tambourine), Gary Jones (bongos/congos), The Memphis Strings & Horns (arranged by Isaac Hayes & Johnny Allen). *according to the Encyclopedia of Million Sellers. However both everyHit.com and Rock File 4 say the peak was #4.


Del Shannon
KEEP SEARCHIN' His own composition and 3rd million-seller (globally) - US#9, 14 weeks in Top 100 from 21 November 1964 and UK#3, 8 weeks in Top 20 from 21 January 1965. MONSTER HIT

The Partridge Family
I Think I Love You US#1(3) from 21 November 1970 and UK#18 and NZ#3 in 1970
The Partridge Family was created for a popular TV show in the US, as were the Monkees. The show describes the humorous adventures of a widow and her five children and proved to be a top-rating TV series, networked weekly by ABC-TV.
The Partridge Family were David Cassidy, lead singer, (son of Jack Cassidy) with his real life step-mother, Shirley Jones. Shirley Jones, was an actress and former star of films (Oklahoma and Carousel) and stage (Call Me Madam, South Pacific). Other members were Susan Dey, Jeremy Gelbwaks, Danny Bonaduce and Suzane Crough.
Bell Records mounted a huge promotion campaign around the TV series, single, album and music from the show. “I Think I Love You”, written by Tony Romeo was the first single release and achieved the R.I.A.A. Gold Disc award by December. In Britain the song was released in November with 9 weeks in the Top 50

Jimi Hendrix – Voodoo Chile. UK#1, 21 November 1970

Long John Baldry
Let The Heartaches Begin. UK#(2) from 22 November 1967 and US#88, and NZ#20 in early 1968. The song was #1 when the first heart transplant was performed by Dr. Christiaan Barnard in South Africa on 3 December 1967.
The song also had a claim to fame in being one of the few occasions when song writers have ousted another of their songs from the top. Tony McAuley and John McLeod had written the charts previous #1 by The Foundations - Baby Now That I've Found You.
Long John Baldry himself, was born 12 January 1941 and is/was probably the tallest act to make UK#1. He sang with various blues groups in the sixties, including the Hoochie Coochie Men, Steampacket and Bluesology, whose pianist, Elton John, took his second name from Baldry’s first. None of Baldry’s blues recordings made the charts and it was a switch to tear-jerking ballads such as this one, that brought him to national attention. He eventually went back to his musical roots but no more chart records followed.

Billy Connolly – D.I.V.O.R.C.E. UK#1, 22 November 1975

KC & The Sunshine Band – That’s The Way (I Like It) US#1(2) from 22 November 1975

Dale & Grace
I'm Leaving It Up To You US#1(2) from *23 November 1963 (15 weeks in US Top 100) *the day after JFK assassination
Two 19 years olds, Dale Houston and Grace Broussard updated a 1957 song which sold a million for them globally. Dale and Grace had sung in local Baton Rouge Louisiana bistros for several years before teaming up. Grace first sung with her brother Van, while Dale worked as a soloist. It was at producer Sam Montel's studio where they met and did an impromptu session -Montel was greatly impressed with their version of "I'm Leaving It Up To You" and it became a local success in the southern states before becoming a national then international hit. Not a million seller

Featured Songs Saturday 14 November 2009

missed from before
The Monkees
LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE, US#1(1), 5 November 1966, a UK#23 in early 1967 and a Monster Hit in N.Z.
The group's first million seller written by Tommy Boyce/Bobby Hart (as was a lot of their material). Their TV show was partly inspired by The Beatles 'Hard Day's Night film and this track was considered a knock-off of the Beatles' "Paperback Writer"

*Hugo Montenegro & Orch. – The Good The Bad And The Ugly. UK#1(4) from 13 November 1968
Bachman-Turner Overdrive – You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet US#1, 9 November 1974
Eagles – Heartache Tonight. US#1, 10 November 1979

Gilbert O’Sullivan
Clair. UK#1(2) from 11 November 1972. ‘Clair’ was not an obvious love story but was inspired by the young daughter of O’Sullivan’s manager, Gordon Mills, for whom Gilbert babysat. The angle gave the song a wider audience than it would have received had it been a traditional romance. Irish man O’Sullivan’s first No 1, almost two years after his record debut with his UK Top 10, “Nothing Rhymed”.


Donna Summer
MacArthur Park. US#1(3) from 11 November 1978. Donna Summer is an American singer and songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of music, earning the title "The Queen of Disco". Summer trained as a gospel singer before her introduction to the music industry and has always been known for her "powerhouse" vocal delivery. A cover of the Jimmy Webb-penned "MacArthur Park", originally made famous by the late actor-singer Richard Harris. Summer's recording, which was included as part of the "MacArthur Park Suite" on her double album Live and More, ran to 8:40 in its full-length version. The shorter single edit of the song was Summer's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The 17:47 long medley "MacArthur Park Suite", which incorporates the songs "One of a Kind" and "Heaven Knows", was also issued as a 12" (30 cm) promo, which stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart for five weeks in 1978.

*Johnny Rivers - Poor Side Of Town, US#1(1), 12 November 1966 didn't sell a million.
*Hugo Montenegro & Orch. – The Good The Bad And The Ugly. UK#1(4) from 13 November 1968
Slade – Coz I Love You. UK#1(4) from 13 November 1971
(not really suitable for Coast)
*Chicago – If You Leave Me Now. UK#1(3) from 13 November 1976

Rod Stewart
Tonight’s The Night. US#1(8) from 13 November 1976
The song features whispers from Britt Ekland who was Stewart's girlfriend at the time. From his 1976 album 'A Night On The Town'

*Nino Tempo & April Stevens - Deep Purple US#1, 16 November 1963, (15 weeks in Top 100) A famous oldie from 1939 originally composed by Peter de Rose for piano solo, then with words added by Mitchell Parish, became a great favourite for over 30 years with orchestras. A million-seller for this brother and sister from Niagara Falls, New York.
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – Whatever Gets You Thru The Night US#1, 16 November 1974
David Essex – Gonna Make You A Star. UK#1(3) from 16 November 1974 (didn’t make the US Top 100 – “Rock On” and “Lamplight” did in 1973/74) N/A
*The 4 Seasons - Big Girls Don't Cry, US#1(5) from 17 November 1962 (16 weeks in Top 100), Au#1(1) 5 Jan 1963 and a MONSTER HIT in N.Z.
*Beach Boys – Good Vibrations. UK#1(2) from 17 November, US#1, 10 December 1966 and NZ#1(2) from 12 January 1967 and from the Pet Sounds album.
Gary Glitter – I Love You Love Me Love. UK#1(4) from 17 November 1973. His second UK No 1 and a million seller. N/A

Commodores
Still. US#1, 17 November 1979. The group is best known for their ballads, such as "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady", but, for the most part, the group mainly recorded funky, driven dance-floor hits which include "Slippery When Wet" and "Brick House". This song came from their hit album Midnight Magic and reached the top of both the pop and R&B charts. It is one of the group's most popular singles and is also notable for being their last big hit before Lionel Richie went solo.

Featured Songs Saturday 7 November 2009

* - songs played in regular Coast playlist
*Elvis Presley – Suspicious Minds US#1, 1 November 1969

Stevie Wonder – You Haven’t Done Nothin US#1, 2 November 1974


Abba
The Name Of The Game. UK#1(4) from 5 November 1974 and Aust #13 from 2 November 1977
Polydor 847 365 Abba The Songbook, Australian Chart Hits

The Rolling Stones * more a 'Hauraki' song
GET OFF OF MY CLOUD, UK#1(3) from 4 November and US#1(2) from 6 November 1965 Big Hit in N.Z.
The 2nd successive #1 recorded by the boys in Hollywood a number one on both sides of the Atlantic.

*Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now US#1(4) from 4 November 1972
*Anne Murray – You Needed Me. US#1, 4 November 1978

Jimmy Dean
Big Bad John US#1(5) from 6 November 1961 (16 weeks in Top 100), 2nd Top No 1 of 1961 and a HUGE HIT in N.Z.
The 1st million-seller for country and western artist, Jimmy Dean, with his own composition. Signed to Columbia Records in 1957, this was his first pop success and became the winner of the N.A.R.A.S Award for Best Country-and-Western Recording for 1961.



Joe Cocker (Not sure this suits the 'Coast sound')
*With A Little Help From My Friends. UK#1, 6 November 1968, US#68 (6 wks in Top 100 from 16 November) 1968 and NZ#12 in early 1969. Ex gas fitter John Cocker (b. Sheffield 20 May 1944) had formed his first band, an R&B outfit called Vance Arnold & The Avengers, 1963. The following year he cut his first single, a Beatles song, “I’ll Cry Instead” using the name Joe Cocker. Working with numerous musicians he became well known on the London club circuit, gaining the attention of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. Having a mildly successful single with “Marjorine”, Cocker decided to record the stage favourite “With a Little Help From My Friends”. As the Guiness book of UK No 1 Hits said, “Few could have turned this singalong track from the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper LP into a souful ballad.”

The 5th Dimension
WEDDING BELL BLUES Soul City [USA] US#1(3) from 6 November 1969 Monster Hit in N.Z. at NZ#3 and UK#16 in 1969
Released in September 1969 and taken from the group’s enormously successful album ‘Age of Aquarius’, this lovely soft song by Laura Nyro not only made US#1 (with 15 weeks in the Top 100) but sold a million by 5 December 1969 with Gold Disc award from R.I.A.A.

Cher
Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves US#1(2) from 6 November 1971 * in NexGen
Written by Bob Stone (or Wikipedia suggests it was, Shel Silverstein) and released in the US September and in Britain in November 1971, where it peaked at #3 and spent 12 weeks in the UK Top 50. It was the first big hit as a solo artist for Cher, with a million sale in the US, earning the R.I.A.A. Gold Disc award, 19 November 1971. It sold 250,000 in the UK.
After Sonny & Cher initial success in the mid sixties, the duo became somewhat quiet in the acid rock period, making an anti dope film for children in 1968. From 1969 to 1970 there was a lull in their fortunes, but in 1970 they went into nightclubs and cabaret circuit. In 1971, they got a CBS TV show and were back in popularity, with the success of the one-hour TV series. Cher subsequently divorced Sonny in 1974 and started a solo career with Kapp Records, and became a fashion queen working for Vogue etc. In 1975 Cher embarked on a stormy, on-off marriage to Greg Allman (of the Allman Brothers) and recorded with him (Allman and Woman, 1977).
The video for "Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves" was Cher's first music video and was a recorded performance of the song on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour in 1971. Throughout the video Cher is singing in front of a house wagon and in front of a fire. A second video was made, but it was very similar to the original. In the second video, clips of dancing female gypsies were shown.

Steve Miller – Rock’n Me. US#1, 6 November 1976

*The Foundations - Baby Now That I’ve Found You. UK#1(2) from 8 November 1967 and US#11 early 1968 (13 weeks in Top 100 from 23 December 1967)

David Bowie – Space Oddity. UK#1(2) from 8 November 1975


Conway Twitty
IT’S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE
US#1(2) from 10 November 1958 and a MONSTER HIT in N.Z.
Superstar Country singer who charted 40 #1 Country hits. Born Harold Lloyd Jenkins 1 September 1933 in Friars Point, Mississippi and raised in Helena, Arkansas. Died of an abdominal aneurysm on 5 June 1993.