The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's: #50 through #41

We've heard 50 of The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's*.  Here are numbers 50 through 41:

50.    "I Just Called To Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder


49.    "What Kind of Fool" by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb


48.    "Suddenly" by Billy Ocean


47.    "Finer Things" by Steve Winwood




46.    "I Wanna' Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston




45.    "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston




44.    "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin




43.    "This is the Time" by Billy Joel




42.    "We've Got Tonight" by Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton




41.    "That's What Friends Are For" by Dionne Warwick & Friends

The Hottest Acts in Rock Over a Three-Year Period

There are 56 artists that have been so red-hot over a three-year time frame that they have generated six or more Top 10 songs.  How many can you name?  The answer after the break...

Read more »

Discography: Doors

The Doors still have a huge following and pick up new converts despite not putting out any new music since 1978.  I was in Paris recently and regret that I didn't get to Jim Morrison's grave.  I have it on my list of "things to do" if I am fortunate enough to make it back to that great country.  Here is a review of the Doors' album catalog:

1967:  The Doors (#2)  Of course, one of the classics of all-time.
           Strange Days (#3)
1968:  Waiting for the Sun (#1)
1969:  The Soft Parade (#6)
1970:  Morrison Hotel (#4)
1971:  L.A. Woman (#1)
          Other Voices (#31)
1972:  Full Circle (#68)
1978:  An American Prayer (#54)

Live Albums:
1970:  Absolutely Live (#8)
1983:  Alive, She Cried (#32)
1987:  Live at the Hollywood Bowl (#154)
1991:  In Concert (#50)

Compilations:
1970:  13 (#25)
1972  Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine (#55)
1973:  The Best of the Doors (#158)
1980:  The Doors' Greatest Hits (#17)--This has everything that the album above has plus "L.A. Woman", "Back Door Man" and "Break On Through".
1985:  The Doors' Classics (#124)
           The Best of the Doors (#32)
1991:  The Doors:  Original Soundtrack Recording (#8)
1996:  The Doors' Greatest Hits
1997:  The Doors Box Set (#65), This has live songs and rarities, but doesn't contain all the great tracks by the group.
1999:  The Complete Studio Recordings--not complete!  Contains six albums and rarities; does not have "Riders on the Storm".
2000:  Essential Rarities
           The Best of the Doors
2001:  The Very Best of the Doors (#92)
2003:  Legacy:  The Absolute Best (#63)
2006:  Love/Death/Travel Box Set
           Perception
2007:  The Very Best of the Doors (#113)
2008:  The Future Starts Here:  The Essential Doors Hits (#161)
           The Platinum Collection
           The Doors Vinyl Box Set
2010:  When You're Strange:  Music from the Motion Picture

DVD's:
1985:  The Doors Collection - Collector's Edition
1991:  The Doors
1995:  The Doors Are Open
2000:  The Doors Live at the Hollywood Bowl
2001:  The Doors 30 Years Commemorative Edition
           No One Here Gets Out Alive
           VH1 Storytellers
2002:  The Doors Soundstage Performances
2003:  The Doors of the 21st Century:  L.A. Woman Live
2004:  The Doors Live in Europe 1968 DTS
2005:  The Doors' Collector's Edition (3 DVD's)
2008:  The Doors' Classic Albums:  The Doors
2010:  When You're Strange

Hits List: Righteous Brothers

This duo gave us three of the top songs in the rock era with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", (You're My) Soul and Inspiration" and "Unchained Melody".  Bobby Hatfield has gone to "Rock and Roll Heaven" but Bill Medley not only teamed with Jennifer Warnes for the Dirty Dancing hit (I've Had) the Time of my Life" but has a very good solo song called "Don't Know Much".  I'll be featuring it in a future version of the "Underrated Songs" series; it's a hard song to get.

1963:  "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (#49)
           "My Babe' (#75)
1964:  "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (#1 for two weeks)
1965:  "Bring Your Love To Me" (#83)
           "Just Once In My Life" (#9)
           "You Can Have Her" (#67)
           "Justine" (#85)
           "Unchained Melody" (#4)
           "Hung On You" (#47)
           "Ebb Tide" (#5)
1966:  "Georgia On My Mind" (#62)
           "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" (#1 for three weeks) 
           "He" (#18)
           "He Will Break Your Heart" (#91)
           "Go Ahead and Cry" (#30)
           "On This Side of Goodbye" (#47)
1967:  "Melancholy Music Man" (#43)
           "Stranded in the Middle of Noplace" (#72)
1974:  "Rock and Roll Heaven" (#3)
           "Give it to the People" (#20)
           "Dream On" (#32)
1990:  "Unchained Melody" (re-issue for the movie Ghost, #13, #1 Adult Contemporary)
           "Unchained Melody" (newly recorded, #19)

The Top 100 Songs From 1974

The Year 1974 was a good (if not great) year in the rock era.  As published in my Top 5000 Songs for the Rock Era in 2000, here are the Top 100 Songs of 1974 (Keep in mind that these are how the songs ranked in 2000, not in 1974):

1.   "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin
2.   "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John
3.   "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton-John
4.   "Seasons in the Sun" by Terry Jacks
5.   "Sunshine On My Shoulders" by John Denver
6.   "Best of My Love" by the Eagles
7.   "Annie's Song" by John Denver
8.   "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot
9.    "Rock Your Baby" by George McCrae
10.  "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney & Wings
11.  "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers

12.  "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
13.  "Piano Man" by Billy Joel
14.  "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John
15.  "(I've Been) Searchin' So Long" by Chicago
16.  "Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
17.  "The Loco-Motion" by Grand Funk
18.  "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
19.  "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt
20.  "I Shot the Sheriff" by Eric Clapton

21.  "Nothing From Nothing" by Billy Preston
22.  "Wishing You Were Here" by Chicago
23.  "Feel Like Making Love" by Roberta Flack
24.  "Laughter in the Rain" by Neil Sedaka
25.  "You Make Me Feel Brand New" by Stylistics
26.  "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" by MFSB
27.  "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd
28.  "Rock Me Gently" by Andy Kim

29.  "Radar Love" by Golden Earring
30.  "Mandy" by Barry Manilow
31.  "Lady" by Styx
32.  "I Can Help" by Billy Swan
33.  "The Bitch is Back" by Elton John

34.  "When Will I See You Again" by the Three Degrees
35.  "Tin Man" by America
36.  "Having My Baby" by Paul Anka
37.  "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace
38.  "My Eyes Adored You" by Frankie Valli
39.  "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Suede
40.  "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by Elton John
41.  "Can't Get Enough" by Bad Company
42.  "Please Come to Boston" by Dave Loggins
43.  "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" by Steely Dan
44.  "You Haven't Done Nothin'" by Stevie Wonder
45.  "Then Came You" by Dionne Warwick & the Spinners
46.  "Rock the Boat" by the Hues Corporation
47.  "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)" by Olivia Newton-John

48.  "Tell Me Something Good" by Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan
49.  "Please Mr. Postman" by the Carpenters
50.  "Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy
51.  "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" by Barry White
52.  "The Air That I Breathe" by the Hollies
53.  "The Show Must Go On" by Three Dog Night
54.  "Lonely People" by America
55.  "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Grand Funk
56.  "Jet" by Paul McCartney & Wings
57.  "Waterloo" by Abba

58.  "Eres Tu" by Mocedades
59.  "Carefree Highway" by Gordon Lightfoot
60.  "Life is a Rock" by Reunion
61.  "Rock and Roll Heaven" by the Righteous Brothers
62.  "Already Gone" by the Eagles
63.  "Help Me" by Joni Mitchell
64.  "Let It Ride" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive
65.  "Oh Very Young" by Cat Stevens"

66.  "Beach Baby" by First Class
67.  "Whatever Gets You Through the Night" by John Lennon
68.  "Jazzman" by Carole King
69.  "Boogie Down" by Eddie Kendricks
70.  "The Entertainer" by Marvin Hamlisch
71.  "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
72.  "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas
73.  "My Melody of Love" by Bobby Vinton
74.  "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band
75.  "Mockingbird" by Carly Simon & James Taylor
76.  "Dancing Machine" by Jackson 5
77.  "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone
78.  "Dark Lady" by Cher
79.  "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" by Barry White
80.  "Boogie On, Reggae Woman" by Stevie Wonder
81.  "I Won't Last a Day Without You" by the Carpenters
82.  "I'll Have To Say I Love You in a Song" by Jim Croce
83.  "Another Saturday Night" by Cat Stevens

84.  "The Lord's Prayer" by Sister Janet Mead
85.  "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield
86.  "Can't Get It Out of My Head" by Electric Light Orchestra
87.  "Sideshow" by Blue Magic
88.  "Everlasting Love" by Carl Carlton
89.  "Longfellow Serenade" by Neil Diamond
90.  "#9 Dream" by John Lennon
91.  "Junior's Farm" by Paul McCartney & Wings
92.  "Wildwood Weed" by Jim Stafford
93.  "Midnight at the Oasis" by Maria Muldaur

94.  "Hang On In There Baby" by Johnny Bristol
95.  "Clap for the Wolfman" by Guess Who
96.  "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing" by Stevie Wonder
97.  "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" by Carly Simon
98.  "Come Monday" by Jimmy Buffett
99.  "Back Home Again" by John Denver
100.  "Last Time I Saw Him" by Diana Ross       

History of Eurovision Song Contest Winners

The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the longest-running broadcast programs in the world.  The Contest has been held every year since 1956 and gives the winner an opportunity to capitalize on the publicity generated from winning the Eurovision Award.


Twenty-five countries have won the award, led by Ireland with seven.  The most famous award winners include ABBA, which used its win for "Waterloo" in 1974 to launch a career that made them one of the most successful acts of the rock era, and another immensely successful singer, Celine Dion, who represented Switzerland at the time (1988) with her winning son "Ne partez pas sans moi".


The Contest has utilized many different methods to judge participants; the most common are votes received from juries or televoters.  The 2011 competition will be May 14.  Here is the complete list of Eurovision Song Winners:

1956:  Lys Assia with the song "Refrain" from Switzerland
1957:  Corry Brokken of the Netherlands with the song "Net als toen"
1958:  Andrea Claveau from France with "Dors, mon amour"
1959:  Teddy Scholten of the Netherlands with "Een beetje"
1960:  Jacqueline Boyer of France with "Tom Pillibi"
1961:  Jean-Claude Pascal of Luxembourg with "Nous les amoureux"
1962:  Isabelle Aubret of France with "Un premier amour"
1963:  Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann of Denmark with "Dansevise"
1964:  Gigliola Cinquetti of Italy with the song "Non ho l'eta"
1965:  France Gall of Luxembourg with "Poupee de cire, poupee de son"
1966:  Udo Jurgens of Austria with the song "Merci Cherie"
1967:  Sandie Shaw of the United Kingdom with "Puppet on a String"
1968:  Massiel of Spain sang "La, la, la"
1969:  (four-way tie)--Salome of Span with the song "Vivo cantando", Lulu from the UK with "Boom Bang-a-Bang", Lenny Kuhr of the Netherlands with "De troubadour" and Frida Boccara of France with "Un jour, un enfant"
1970:  Dana of Ireland won with "All Kinds of Everything"
1971:  Severine from Monaco sang "Un banc, un arbre, une rue"
1972:  Vicky Leandros of Luxembourg won with "Apres toi"
1973:  Anne-Marie David made it two in a row for Luxembourg with "Tu te reconnaitras"
1974:  ABBA of Sweden with "Waterloo"
1975:  Teach-In of the Netherlands won with "Ding-A-Dong"
1976:  Brotherhood of Man of the UK won with "Save Your Kisses for Me", which was a huge international hit
1977:  Marie Myriam of France sang "L'oiseau et l'enfant"
1978:  Izhar Cohen and the Alphabeta of Israel won with "A-Ba-Ni-Bi"
1979:  Gali Atari and Milk and Honey of Israel won with "Hallelujah"
1980:  Johnny Logan of Ireland sang "What's Another Year?"
1981:  Bucks Fizz of the UK won with "Making Your Mind Up"
1982:  Nicole of Germany was the winner with "Ein biBchen Frieden"
1983:  Corinne Hermes of Luxembourg with "Si la vie est cadeau"
1984:  Herreys of Sweden was the winner with "Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley"
1985:  Bobbysocks of Norway won with "La det swinge"
1986:  Sandra Kim from Belgium won with "J'aime la vie"
1987:  Johnny Logan of Ireland was victorious with "Hold Me Now"
1988:  Celine Dion, representing Switzerland, won with "Ne partez pas sans moi"
1989:  Riva of Yugoslavia won with "Rock Me"
1990:  Toto Cutugno of Italy won with "Insieme:  1992"
1991:  Carola of Sweden sang "Fangad av en stormvind"
1992:  Linda Martin of Ireland was the winner singing "Why Me"
1993:  Niamh Kavanagh was another Irish winner with "In Your Eyes"
1994:  Ireland set a record with three straight winners as Paul Harrington and Charlie McGettigan won with "Rock 'n' Roll Kids"
1995:  Secret Garden of Norway won with "Nocturne"
1996:  Eimear Quinn of Ireland won with "The Voice"
1997:  Katrina and the Waves of the UK sang "Love Shine a Light"
1998:  Dana International of Israel won with "Diva"
1999:  Charlotte Nilsson of Sweden was the winner with "Take Me to Your Heaven"
2000:  The Olsen Brothers of Denmark won with "Fly on the Wings of Love"
2001:  Tanel Padar, Dave Benton and 2XL of Estonia sang "Everybody"
2002:  Marie N of Latvia won with "I Wanna"
2003:  Sertab Erener became the first Turkish winner with "Everyway That I Can"
2004:  Ruslana of the Ukraine topped the competition with "Wild Dances"
2005:  Helena Paparizou of Greece sang "My Number One"
2006:  Lordi of Finland won with "Hard Rock Hallelujah"
2007:  Marija Serifovic of Serbia won with "Molitva"
2008:  Dima Bilan of Russia was the winner with the song "Belive"
2009:  Alexander Rybak of Norway sang "Fairytale"
2010:  Lena Meyer-Landrut of Germany won with "Satellite" 

This Date in Rock History: April 9

1958:  Bill Haley & the Comets performed in Buenes Aires, South America.
1963:  Henry Mancini won the Oscar for Best Original Song (for "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's) at the Academy Awards.
1964:  Capitol Records won the rights to distribute music by the Beatles in the U.S.

1965:  Bruce Johnston permanently replaced Brian Wilson in the Beach Boys.
1965:  The Rolling Stones made their first live performance on the British TV show Ready Steady Go!
1966:  Guitarist Jeff Beck collapsed onstage during a Yardbirds concert in France.

1966:  The Righteous Brothers began a three-week stay at #1 with "You're My Soul and Inspiration".  Here is the rest of the Top Ten:  #2 "Daydream" by Lovin' Spoonful, #3 "19th Nervous Breakdown" by the Rolling Stones, "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" by Cher, SSsgt. Barry Sadler fell from #1 to #5 with "The Ballad of the Green Berets", the Beatles had #6 with "Nowhere Man", Johnny Rivers was #7 with a fast-climbing "Secret Agent Man", #8 was "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by B.J. Thomas, Gary Lewis & the Playboys had #9 with "Sure Gonna' Miss Her" and the Mamas & Papas were at #10 with their former #4 song "California Dreamin'".
1967:  The Doors and Jefferson Airplane appeared in concert at Cheetah on the Santa Monica Pier in Venice, California.
1968:  Gene Pitney and Status Quo ("Pictures of Matchstick Men") gave a concert at the Odeon in Glasgow, Scotland.
 

1969:  King Crimson made their debut at the Speakeasy in London.
1970:  Pink Floyd began their second tour of North America at the Fillmore East in Manhattan, New York.
1970:  Paul McCartney quit the Beatles.  The news was announced the following day.
1973:  Queen played at the Marquee Club in London.
1973:  Paul McCartney and Wings released the single "My Love".

1974:  Terry Jacks became the first Canadian to hit #1 on the UK singles chart since Paul Anka in 1957 with the smash "Seasons in the Sun".
1974:  The Jackson 5 played the first of 15 concerts at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.
1974:  Bruce Springsteen met Jon Landau, who would become his manager and producer.
 

1977:  Shaun Cassidy performed his cover of "Da Doo Ron Ron" on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
1977:  Guitarist Jimmy Page collapsed onstage an hour into Led Zeppelin's concert in Chicago.   

1977:  David Soul had the #1 Adult Contemporary song with "Don't Give Up On Us".
1977:  The top mover on this date?  "Sir Duke" from Stevie Wonder, which moved up nicely from 74 to 48.

1977:  The new singles chart was out on this date and ABBA had their first American #1 with "Dancing Queen".  "Don't Give Up On Us" by David Soul was #2, "Don't Leave Me This Way", the great song from Thelma Houston, was third, Hall & Oates fell from #1 to #4 with "Rich Girl" and Glen Campbell had #5 with "Southern Nights".  The rest of the Top 10:  10cc with "The Things They Do for Love" (don't throw me in there...), the Eagles edged up with "Hotel California", Natalie Cole positioned herself at #8, Barbra Streisand's former #1 "Evergreen" and the Atlanta Rhythm Section celebrated their first career Top 10 with "So Into You".
1979:  Donna Summer took home the honor of "Best Original Song" at the Academy Awards for "Last Dance".


1979:  Producer Georgio Moroder also won an Oscar for the score to Midnight Express.
1981:  Not Goody Two Shoes.......the Sam Goody record chain was convicted of selling pirated music.
1982:  Wierd Al Yankovic opened for Missing Persons at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in California.

1982:  Tina Turner began her comeback tour in London.
1983:  David Bowie reached #1 on the UK singles chart with "Let's Dance", featuring blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan.
1983:  Dan Fogelberg reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Make Love Stay".

   San Francisco's Greg Kihn Band with their biggest hit...

1983:  Michael Jackson spent a sixth week at #1 with "Billie Jean".  Culture Club had to settle for #2 with "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" and Duran Duran was stationary with "Hungry Like the Wolf".  Dexy's Midnight Runners blew in from 11 to 4 with "Come On Eileen".  The rest of the Top 10:  "We've Got Tonight" from Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton, Hall & Oates and "One on One", Journey held steady with "Separate Ways", the Greg Kihn Band had their only Top 10 hit with "Jeopardy" and Michael Jackson's follow-up wasted no time getting in as "Beat It" was #10 after just seven weeks.

            "Foolin", one of the early Def Leppard greats...

1983:  The Michael Jackson album Thriller was #1 for the seventh straight week.  Frontiers from Journey came in second with H2O by Hall & Oates behind them.  Men At Work were still in the Top 10 after 41 weeks of release with Business As Usual.  The rest of the Top 10:  Kilroy Was Here from Styx, Duran Duran's Rio, Lionel Richie at #7, the amazing Toto IV, Def Leppard held steady at #9 with Pyromania and Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band held down #10 with The Distance.
1984:  R.E.M. released their second album Reckoning.
1984:  Cyndi Lauper released the single "Time After Time".

"Take your passion......and Make it happen!"


1984:  Irene Cara won the Oscar for Best Original Song From a Motion Picture with her phenomenal "Flashdance".
1988:  The Pet Shop Boys began three weeks on top in the UK with "Heart".
1988:  Whitney Houston spent a second week atop the Adult Contemporary chart with "Where Do Broken Hearts Go".

1988:  Dave Prater of Sam & Dave ("Soul Man") died in a traffic accident when his car hit a tree in Syracuse, Georgia on the way to his mother's house.
 

1988:  Brook Benton ("It's Just a Matter of Time" and "Rainy Night in Georgia" died at the age of 56.
1989:  Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones announced he was getting married to 19-year old Mandy Smith, saying the two had been dating for six years.

1988:  Billy Ocean roared into #1 with "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car".
1990:  Billy Idol released "Cradle of Love".
1994:  Pantera debuted at #1 on the album chart with Far Beyond Driven.  Bonnie Raitt almost matched that with a debut at #2 with Longing in Their Hearts.

1994:  Bruce Springsteen had one of his only Top 10 songs not on the Born in the U.S.A. album, "Streets of Philadelphia", which moved in on this date.
1997:  The members of Soundgarden announced that they were breaking up.
1997:  A Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded Michael Jackson $2.7 million in damages from Victor Gutierrez of the television show Hard Copy for defamation of character.
 

1997:  Songwriter Mae Boren Axton drowned in her bathtub at the age of 82 in Hendersonville, Tennessee after an apparent heart attack.  Axton wrote over 200 songs including co-writing "Heartbreak Hotel" for Elvis.
1999:  Faith Hill kicked off her first solo tour in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2000:  Craig David topped the UK singles chart with "Fill Me In".
2000:  Moby began five weeks at the top of the UK album chart with Play.

2000:  'N SYNC was #1 on the other side of the Atlantic with No Strings Attached.
2003:  Paul McCartney performed in Manchester, England for the first time in 24 years at the MEN Arena.
2004:  There comes a point when you think "It doesn't matter how much I like their music....."  Motley Crue's Vince Neil pleaded no contest to assault charges against a prostitute in Nevada.
2006:  Former Smiths vocalist Morrissey reached #1 on the UK album chart with Ringleader of the Tormentors.
2009:  Randy Cain, founding member of the Delfonics, died at the age of 63.


Born This Day:

1932:  Carl Perkins was born in Tiptonville, Tennessee; died January 19, 1998 in Jackson, Tennessee from throat cancer after suffering several strokes.
 

1944:  Gene Parsons, singer-songwriter and drummer of the Byrds, was born in Morongo Valley in the Mojave Desert, California.
1948:  Phillip Wright, vocalist and drummer for Paper Lace ("The Night Chicago Died")
1977:  Gerard Way, lead vocalist and co-founder of My Chemical Romance, was born in Summit, New Jersey.
1978:  Rachel Stevens, vocalist with S Club 7, was born in London.
1980:  Albert Hammond Jr., guitarist of the Strokes ("Last Night"), and son of Albert Hammond Sr. ("It Never Rains in Southern California"), was born in Los Angeles.
1987:  Jesse McCartney, actor and singer ("Leavin'" from 2008), was born in Ardsley, New York.

The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's: #60 through #51

We're just getting started in Inside the Rock Era's presentation of The Top 100 Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's.  There are a lot of great AC songs in here:

60.    "Never Gonna' Give You Up" by Rick Astley



59.    "No Night So Long" by Dionne Warwick



58.    "Got a Hold on Me" by Christine McVie



57.    "Drive" by the Cars



56.    "Anything for You" by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine



55.    "Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton



54.    "Heartlight" by Neil Diamond





53.    "My Love" by Lionel Richie





52.    "More Than I Can Say" by Leo Sayer



51.    "Endless Love" by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie

Lineup Changes in the Kinks

Brothers Ray (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) and Dave (lead guitar and vocals) Davies formed the group in North London's Muswell Hill area.  Bassist Pete Quaife and drummer Mick Avory completed the lineup in 1964.  The group was known as the Pete Quaife Band, the Bo Weevils, the Ramrods and the Ravens before settling on the Kinks.

In 1969, John Dalton (Bluejacks and Mark Four) took over for Quaife on bass.  Dalton had been a temporary replacement in 1966 when Quaife broke his leg and was with the group through 1978 when Jim Rodford (Bluetones, Mike Cotton Sound and a founding member of Argent with his cousin Rod Argent) joined.  Drummer Bob Henrit (Buster Meikle & The Day Breakers, the Roulettes, Unit 4 + 2 ("Conrete and Clay") and Argent) was brought in to replace Avory in 1984.  The group was relatively stable through 1996 except for keyboards, where a number of players were part of the lineup.  Andy Pyle (Blodwyn Pig and Savoy Brown) started in 1977.  He was with the group a short time, replaced by Gordon John Edwards (Pretty Things).  But Edwards left in 1978 and was replaced by Ian Gibbons (Moonstone, Love Affair, the Nashville Teens).  Gibbons stayed for eight years and was replaced by Mark Haley until the breakup of the Kinks in 1996.

Tribute to Laura Nyro

Laura died on this date (April 8) 14 years ago at the age of 50.  She was a performer but very successful and influential songwriter.  She was born with the name Laura Nigro in the Bronx, New York.  She taught herself how to play piano and wrote her first songs at the eight of eight.


Laura graduated from Manhattan's High School of Music and Art.  She was very interested in Nina Simone, Pete Seeger, Curis Mayfield and Van Morrison and socially conscious songs attracted her attention.  She appeared at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 which was only her second major live appearance.  Rock industry giant David Geffen took over as Nyro's manager shortly afterwards.  He negotiated with Clive Davis at Columbia Records for her new contract. 

Nyro's album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession is widely regarded as one of her best albums for its complex arrangements and rich vocals.  Her fourth album Christmas and the Beads of Sweat in 1970 featured Duane Allman on guitar.  The top tracks on that album are "Upstairs By a Chinese Lamp" and "When I Was a Freeport and You Were the Main Drag".


In 1971, she married and resented attempts to make her a celebrity and thus retired from the music business at the age of 24.  She did return for a few albums in the late 70's but made few public appearances after that. 


She wrote several songs for the 5th Dimension, including the #1 song "Wedding Bell Blues", as well as "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Blowing Away".  Nyro also wrote "Eli's Coming" for Three Dog Night, "And When I Die" for Blood, Sweat & Tears and "Stoney End" for Barbra Streisand.  Several artists acknowledge Nyro's influence on them, including Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Melissa Manchester, Steely Dan and Rickie Lee Jones. 


Laura had great insight into the human condition and was a bright light for the world.  She is missed.

The Top Rock Artists from Sweden

Everyone knows that ABBA is one of the most successful artists of the rock era, but let's see what else the great country of Sweden has given us in rock music:

ABBA

 Had huge hits with "The Sign" and "All That She Wants"


Ace of Base
A*Teens
Cardigans ("Lovefool")

Neneh Cherry
Eagle-Eye Cherry ("Save Tonight")



Europe ("The Final Countdown")
Robyn ("Show Me Love"



Roxette

Discography: Billy Joel

As I've said before, I try to be open as far as my musical tastes although it's very hard me to like rap, hard rock that doesn't have a melody and twangy country.  On this blog, I'll try to be as unbiased as possible but let's face it, we all have our own favorites and opinions and a blog would be pretty bland without giving some idea of what music I like.  As time goes by, you'll probably be able to pick up on songs or artists that I don't like and those that I do...

I listen to 107.1 K-Hits (KTHI) in Boise.  They used to play great songs from the 60's and 70's and I'm a little perturbed that they recently switched to 70's and 80's.  The two greatest decades without question are the 60's and 70's, when you go out to the 50's or up to the 80's, you lose a lot of quality.  However....this morning I heard "My Life" by Billy Joel.  I had just watched the Biography feature on him last night.  I'm struck by how many times he has bounced back from adversity (you know he started out as a boxer; a pretty good one actually, going 22-4).  To use the analogy, he gets knocked down and just keeps getting up again.  One thing I didn't know about him--his manager, who was his ex-wife's brother, mismanaged his accounts to the point where Billy lost 90 million dollars!  A staggering figure.


Another observation about Joel:  Most artists, even though the songs are different, they sound similiar.  With Billy Joel, however, you can't corner him into a category or say that his songs sound the same because they don't.  He always has a new sound or a new feel for each song that he comes out with.  I've always been impressed by that.

Here is the Discography from one of rock's biggest all-time stars:


1971:  Cold Spring Harbor (#158)
1973:  Piano Man (#27)
1974:  Streetlife Serenade (#35)
1976:  Turnstiles (#122)
1977:  Stranger (#2)
1978:  52nd Street (#1)
1980:  Glass Houses (#1)
1982:  The Nylon Curtain (#7)
1983:  An Innocent Man (#4)
1986:  The Bridge (#7)
1989:  Storm Front (#1)
1993:  River of Dreams (#1)
2001:  Fantasies and Delusions (#83)--a classical music collaboration with his father and half-brother





Live Albums:
1981:  Songs in the Attic (#8)
1987:  KOHUEPT (#38)
2000:  2000 Years:  The Millenium Concert (#40)
2006:  12 Gardens Live (#14)
2011:  Live at Shea Stadium:  The Concert


Compilations:
1980:  Billy Joel Box Set
1985:  Greatest Hits Volume I & II (#6)--If all you want is a GH package, this is the one to get.  But I strongly recommend his "Stranger" and "52nd Street" albums at the very least.
1988:  Starbox
1989:  Souvenir:  The Ultimate Collection
1994:  A Voyage on the River of Dreams
1997:  Greatest Hits Volume III (#9)
           The Complete Greatest Hits Collection:  1973-1997/ Greatest Hits Volumes I, II and III
2000:  The Ultimate Collection
2001:  The Essential Billy Joel (#29)
2004:  Piano Man:  The Very Best of Billy Joel
2005:  My Lives Box Set (#171)
2010:  The Hits
2011:  She's Always a Woman - Lovesongs

Hits List: Herman's Hermits

1964:  "I'm Into Something Good" (#13, #1 UK)
           "Show Me Girl" (#19 UK)
1965:  "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" (#2)
           "Silhouettes" (#5, #3 UK)
           "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (#1)
           "Wonderful World" (#4, #7 UK)
           "I'm Henry VIII, I Am" (#1)
           "Just a Little Bit Better" (#7, #15 UK)
           "A Must to Avoid" (#8, #6 UK)

1966:  "Listen People" (#3)
           "Leaning on the Lamp Post" (#9)
           "You Won't Be Leaving" (#20 UK)
           "This Door Swings Both Ways" (#12, #18 UK)
           "Dandy" (#5)
           "No Milk Today" (#35, #7 UK)
           "East West" (#27, #37 UK
1967:  "There's a Kind Of Hush" (#4, #7 UK)
           "Don't Go Out Into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)"--#18
           "Museum" (#39)
1968:  "I Can Take or Leave Your Loving" (#22, #11 UK)
           "Sleepy Joe" (#61, #12 UK)
           "Sunshine Girl" (#8 UK)
           "The Most Beautiful Thing in My Life"
           "Something's Happening" (#6 UK)
1969:  "My Sentimental Friend" (#2 UK)
           "Here Comes the Star" (#33 UK)
1970:  "Years May Come, Years May Go" (#7 UK)
           "Bet Yer Life I Do" (#22 UK)
           "Lady Barbara" (#13 UK)
1971:  "Oh!  You Pretty Things" (#12 UK)
1972:  "Walnut Whirl"
1973:  "You Gotta' Love Me, Baby"
1975:  "Ginny Go Softly"
1976:  "I'm in a Lonely Situation (Love is All I Need)"
           "Train"
1978:  "Heart (Get Ready for Love)"

This Date in Rock History: April 8

1956:  Elvis Presley played two shows at the Denver Coliseum in Colorado.

1957:  Elvis owned #1 with "All Shook Up".

1959:  Wilbert Harrison released the single "Kansas City".
1962:  Connie Francis continued to lead the way on the Easy Listening chart for a third week with "Don't Break the Heart That Loves You".
1964:  The Supremes recorded "Where Did Our Love Go" at Motown Studios in Detroit, Michigan.  The song would become their first #1 song.
1965:  Unit Four Plus Two topped the UK singles chart with "Concrete and Clay".
1967:  Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Booker T and the MG's, Eddie Floyd and Arthur Conley joined for a concert at Hammersmith Odeon in London.
1967:  Aretha Franklin had the #1 R&B song for a third week with "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)".
 

1967:  Monkee Mania--The Monkees enjoyed their 22nd straight week with the #1 album, 13 with The Monkees and the last 9 with their follow-up, More of the Monkees.

1967:  "Happy Together" by the Turtles was the top song for a third week, followed by "Dedicated to the One I Love" by Mamas & Papas and "Somethin' Stupid" by Frank & Nancy Sinatra.  The Four Tops moved up with "Bernadette"  and Petula Clark had #5 with "This Is My Song".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Penny Lane" from the Beatles, the Five American moved up with "Western Union", Tommy James & the Shondells continued their hot streak with "I Think We're Alone Now", the Monkees jumped from 19 to 9 with "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" and Herman's Hermits fell with "There's a Kind of Hush". 

1968:  The Rascals released the single "A Beautiful Morning".


1968:  The Petula Clark special Petula aired on NBC-TV.
1969:  Neil Diamond set a record by selling out the Los Angeles Forum for nine concerts in a row.
1970:  The UK premiere of the movie Woodstock was in London.  The film was a documentary of the landmark festival in August of 1969 in Bethel, New York.
 

1971:  Chicago became the first rock group to ever sell out a week of shows at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
1972:  Paul McCartney and Wings released the song "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" to protest the Bloody Sunday Massacre in Northern Ireland.  The song was banned by the BBC.
1972:  America's self-titled debut album was #1 for a third week.  

1972:  For the third straight week, the Dramatics owned the #1 R&B song with "In the Rain".  
1972:  A brand new singles chart was released on this date and America continued to hold on to #1 with their debut song "A Horse With No Name" for the third week in a row.  The rest of the Top Five--#2 "Heart Of Gold" by Neil Young (a former #1), #3 "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack (on its way to #1), "I Gotcha'" by Joe Tex and "Rockin' Robin" by Michael Jackson.

1974:  The Carpenters released the single "I Won't Last a Day Without You".
1974:  Gordon Lightfoot released the single "Sundown".
1975:  Aerosmith released Toys in the Attic.
1977:  Fleetwood Mac played the first of three sold-out concerts at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

             Journey was off and running


1978:  Journey debuted with their first hit "Wheel in the Sky" (and a Top Underrated Song) on this date.

                Raydio broke it down into simple terms...

1978:  The new chart came out on this date and the Bee Gees dominated #1 for the fourth week in a row with "Night Fever", which would stay at the top for another four weeks.  "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees (which was the previous #1), #3 "Lay Down Sally" by Eric Clapton, "Can't Smile Without You" by Barry Manilow and "If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman, another song written by the Brothers Gibb from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack followed.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Emotion" from Samantha Sang, Kansas moved from 10 to 7 with "Dust in the Wind", Andy Gibb was still in the Top 10 after 23 weeks with "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water", former Spirit member Jay Ferguson had song #9--"Thunder Island" and Raydio moved up with "Jack and Jill".
1978:  England Dan & John Ford Coley remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the third week in a row (out of six) with "We'll Never Have To Say Goodbye Again".

                 "Runaway" from Jefferson Starship...

1978:  The Soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" spent its 12th consecutive week at #1.  Eric Clapton was #2 with Slowhand, while Barry Manilow (Even Now) and Billy Joel (The Stranger) swapped places.  Aja from Steely Dan was #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Weekend in L.A. from George Benson, Kansas edged up with Point of Know Return, Jackson Browne's excellent Running On Empty, Earth from Jefferson Starship moved into the Top 10 and Styx remained at #10 with The Grand Illusion.
1979:  Aerosmith was featured in concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
1979:  Van Halen began their first world tour.

1983:  Danny Rapp of Danny & the Juniors ("At the Hop") was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gun wound.  He was 41.
1985:  'Til Tuesday released the single "Voices Carry".
1985:  Leader of the Pack:  The Songs of Ellie Greenwich opened on Broadway in New York City.

 

1985:  Songwriter J. Fred Coots died at the age of 87.  He wrote over 700 songs, including Pat Boone's #1 "Love Letters in the Sand" and the Christmas favorite "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".
1988:  R.E.M. changed recording labels from IRS Records to Warner Brothers.
1989:  Lol Tolhurst, founding member of the Cure, left his group.
1989:  Tone Loc entered the Top 10 with "Funky Cold Medina".
1989:  "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1991:  EMF released the single "Unbelievable".
1993:  Bruce Springsteen played the second of two sellouts at the Hallen Stadion in Zurich, Switzerland.
1994:  Electrician Gary Smith discovered the dead body of Kurt Cobain three days after he had killed himself at his house in Seattle.  KXRX of Seattle broke the story at 9:40 a.m. that the Nirvana lead singer and guitarist was dead from suicide at the age of 27.  A high concentration of heroin was found in Cobain's body.
 

1995:  The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that Pink Floyd had taken over the fourth spot on the all-time list of best-selling albums with Dark Side of the Moon, which had passed 13 million sales in the U.S.
1995:  Take That scored their sixth #1 in the UK with "Back For Good".  The single topped 300,000 in sales its first week and won Best British Single at the 1996 Brit Awards.

 

Crow  was "Strong Enough" to reach the Top 5...

1995:  Madonna had the #1 song for a seventh and final week with "Take a Bow".  "Candy Rain" from Soul for Real had to settle for second with "Run Away" from Real McCoy, TLC's "Red Light Special" and "Strong Enough" from Sheryl Crow giving pursuit.

                               We miss you, Laura


1997:  Accomplished songwriter Laura Nyro died from ovarian cancer.  Nyro wrote "And When I Die" for Blood, Sweat & Tears, "Eli's Coming" for Three Dog Night, "Stoned Soul Picnic" for the 5th Dimension and "Stoney End" for Barbra Streisand.  
1998:  Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood was rescued along with 11 others from a boat off the coast of Brazil after the engine had caught fire.  Nearby journalists rescued the dozen passengers shortly before the boat exploded.
1998:  Maybe their band should be called the Jailbirds?  Tommy Lee of Motley Crue was ordered to serve six months in jail for breaking probation.
 

2000:  Rage Against the Machine won five California Music Awards for their album The Battle of Los Angeles.
Until the End of Time.
2001:  Emma Bunton found success away from the Spice Girls with her #1 song "What Took You So Long". Bunton was the fourth of the Spice Girls to record a solo #1.
2003:  The debut of Cher's special Cher:  The Farewell Tour aired on NBC.
2006:  Prince proved he could still do it with his album 3121, which reached #1.
2008:  Mariah Carey was all obsessed with "Touch My Body", her new #1.

2009:  A street in Camden, New Jersey was named after songwriter and producer Leon Huff.

Born This Day:
1929:  Jacques Brel, singer and songwriter, was born in Schaarbeek, Belgium; died October 9 in Bobigny, France.  Dusty Springfield, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, David Bowie and the Kingston Trio are among those who have recorded Brel's songs.
1934:  Dave Somerville of the Diamonds ("Little Darlin'") was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

1941:  Peggy Lennon of the famous Lennon Sisters was born in Los Angeles.
1944:  Deke Richards (Dennis Lussier), sho wrote "ABC" for the Jackson 5 and "Love Child" for the Supremes and produced the Supremes, the Jackson 5, Bobby Darin and Martha and the Vandellas, was born in Los Angeles; died March 24, 2013 in Bellingham, Washington of esophageal cancer.

1947:  Steve Howe, elite guitarist of Yes and Asia, was born in Holloway, North London.   
1962:  Izzy Stradlin (real name Jeffrey Dean Isbell), guitarist for Guns N' Roses, was born in Lafayette, Indiana.
1963:  Julian Lennon, first son of John and Cynthia Lennon, who had hits himself with "Valotte" and "Too Late For Goodbyes", was born in Liverpool, England.
1964:  Marcel Hall (Biz Markie) was born in Harlem, New York.
1971:  Darren Jessee, drummer of Ben Folds Five
1972:  Paul Gray, bassist with Slipknot, was born in Los Angeles.