My friends from Italy ranked in the top five countries for visitors today--the first time Italy has appeared in the top five. I spent some time there a few years back in Rome, Florence and Venice. Recommend all three but we loved Venice and would go back there in a heartbeat. Just don't go in the middle of summer when it's hot--the algae accumulates and I'm told the smell is not great. But any other time--we went in early May and loved it! Also recommend going to nearby Lido and go to the edge of the Adriatic Sea. Rome of course is legendary--to think you're walking where Caesar did is pretty humbling. Definitely take the "Scavi Tour" in the Vatican--very hard to get in but well worth it. There, you are walking on paths of the 1st century and on the footsteps that St. Peter made. Florence too has tons of history and is the home of renaissance art. The Uffizi Gallery and the Academia are superb. We marveled at the talent displayed before us. Spend a lot of time observing Michelangelo's masterpiece "David"--the craftsmanship is unparalleled and you're standing before history. One note of caution: be aware of the shysters and scammers, especially in Rome and on Trenitalia, the train service within Italy.
Here is the list of Top Five Visitors from today:
1. United States 57
2. Denmark 24
3. Germany 20
4. Italy 6
4. United Kingdom 6
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Retro Look Back
In 1981, the "M" in "MTV" actually stood for Music Television, as opposed to "Mundane". They actually played music videos 24 hours a day back when they had enough good music to last that long. To make up for the lack of quality songs, the station now uses considerable filler.
Hits of Paul Revere & the Raiders
I can't go too long after starting without including the hits list for our hometown band. Paul Revere & the Raiders started in Boise, Idaho (some were from Caldwell, about 20 miles from Boise) in 1960. The radio station I worked for (KFXD) was the one that broke the group. Nearly every one of their releases in the 60's and early 70's was a huge hit in Boise. And yes, Paul Revere is every bit as nice in person as he seems.
1960: "Beatnik Sticks"
1961: "Paul Revere's Ride"
"Like, Long Hair" (#38)
"Like Charleston"
"All Night Long"
1962: "Like Bluegrass"
"Shake It Up - Part 1"
"Tall Cool One"
1963: "So Fine"
"Louie, Louie" (the best version of the song)
1964: "Louie, Louie Go Home"
"Over You"
"Ooh Poo Pah Doo" (I'm going to have to ask him about this one!)
1965: "Steppin' Out" (#46, #8 in Canada)
"Just Like Me" (#11, #28 in Canada)
1966: "Kicks" (#4, #1 in Canada)
"Hungry" (#6, #3 in Canada)
"The Great Airplane Strike" (#20, #45 in Canada)
"Good Thing" (#4)
1967: "Ups and Downs" (#22)
"Him or Me, What's It Gonna' Be" (#5)
"I Had a Dream" (#17)
"Peace of Mind/Do Unto Others" (#42)
1968: "Too Much Talk" (#19)
"Don't Take It So Hard" (#27, #11 Canada)
"Cinderella Sunshine" (#58, #38 Canada)
1969: "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" (#18, #8 Canada)
"Let Me" (#20, #12 Canada)
"We Gotta' All Get Together" (#50, #6 Canada)
1970: "Just Seventeen" (#82)
"Gone Movin' On"
1971: "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) --#1
"Birds of a Feather" (#23)
1972: "Country Wine" (#51)
"Powder Blue Mercedes Queen" (#54)
"Song Seller" (#96)
1973: "Love Music" (#97)
1974: "All Over You"
1975: "Your Love (Is the Only Love)"
1976: "Ain't Nothin' Wrong"
The Raiders on The Smothers Brothers television show
1960: "Beatnik Sticks"
1961: "Paul Revere's Ride"
"Like, Long Hair" (#38)
"Like Charleston"
"All Night Long"
1962: "Like Bluegrass"
"Shake It Up - Part 1"
"Tall Cool One"
1963: "So Fine"
"Louie, Louie" (the best version of the song)
1964: "Louie, Louie Go Home"
"Over You"
"Ooh Poo Pah Doo" (I'm going to have to ask him about this one!)
1965: "Steppin' Out" (#46, #8 in Canada)
"Just Like Me" (#11, #28 in Canada)
1966: "Kicks" (#4, #1 in Canada)
"Hungry" (#6, #3 in Canada)
"The Great Airplane Strike" (#20, #45 in Canada)
"Good Thing" (#4)
1967: "Ups and Downs" (#22)
"Him or Me, What's It Gonna' Be" (#5)
"I Had a Dream" (#17)
"Peace of Mind/Do Unto Others" (#42)
1968: "Too Much Talk" (#19)
"Don't Take It So Hard" (#27, #11 Canada)
"Cinderella Sunshine" (#58, #38 Canada)
1969: "Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon" (#18, #8 Canada)
"Let Me" (#20, #12 Canada)
"We Gotta' All Get Together" (#50, #6 Canada)
1970: "Just Seventeen" (#82)
"Gone Movin' On"
1971: "Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian) --#1
"Birds of a Feather" (#23)
1972: "Country Wine" (#51)
"Powder Blue Mercedes Queen" (#54)
"Song Seller" (#96)
1973: "Love Music" (#97)
1974: "All Over You"
1975: "Your Love (Is the Only Love)"
1976: "Ain't Nothin' Wrong"
The Raiders on The Smothers Brothers television show
The #81 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Different Light" by the Bangles
If you don't own the album, this next entry would probably be the only "surprise" in the Top 100 Albums. It has plenty of statistics to support it, but many of the so-called "experts" that come up with these lists do not include this album. That's a disservice to the public.
I've posted how the Go-Go's were the first self-contained, all-girl group to make it big in rock (or music in general for that matter). And by self-contained, I mean a group that writes their own songs, plays their own instruments, and decides their own fate. The Bangles were the second such group, and you can argue which was "better"; the two both had great success. The group's debut album is also very good and was critically acclaimed as well, but it did not make the Top 100.
The biggest strength of the album is its Track Rating*, and again that is a measure of consistency of an album, 10 being the highest rating an album can attain. Different Light has a Track Rating of 9.18, not the highest in the Top 100 but certainly up there. There is not a bad song on the album; it can be tracked through in its entirety, and few people would say there is even an "average" song on the album. Another strength is the album's airplay. Different Light features four smash hits, led by the monster hit "Walk Like an Egyptian", which is one of the Top Songs in the Rock Era*. "Manic Monday", a song written for them by Prince under the pseudonym "Christopher", was another of the singles, along with "If She Knew What She Wants" and "Walking Down Your Street". Those four singles gave the Bangles a presence on the radio for an extended time, both on popular music and Adult Contemporary stations. Since AC was beginning to take over as the most popular format at the time, millions of people were turned on to the Bangles' sound.
There's one track that wasn't a hit that is especially worth checking out--"Following" is truly one of the great "undiscovered" songs of the rock era. The title track, "Angels Don't Fall In Love", "Not Like You" and "Return Post" are also solid and display the group's great harmonies. But again, there isn't a bad song on the album and your favorites may be different than the ones I've listed.
Airplay and consumer satisfaction quite naturally lead to chart success and album sales. Different Light reached #2, spent nine weeks in the Top 10 and 82 weeks (over a year and a half) on the chart. The album has sold three million copies in the United States.
Different Light:
1. "Manic Monday" ("Christopher" (Prince))--3:06
2. "In a Different Light" (Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson)--2:52
3. "Walking Down Your Street" (Louis Gutierrez, Hoffs, David Kahne)--3:04
4. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (Liam Sternberg)--3:24
5. "Standing in the Hallway" (Hoffs, Kahne, Debbi Peterson, V. Peterson)--2:56
6. "Return Post" (Hoffs, V. Peterson)--4:22
7. "If She Knew What She Wants" (Jules Shear)--3:49
8. "Let It Go" (Hoffs, D. Peterson, V. Peterson, Michael Steele)--2:32
9. "September Gurls" (Alex Chilton)--2:45
10. "Angels Don't Fall In Love" (Hoffs, V. Peterson)--3:23
11. "Following" (Steele)--3:21
12. "Not Like You" (Hoffs, Kahne, D. Peterson)--3:06
The Bangles are:
Susanna Hoffs, Vocals and guitars
Vicki Peterson: Vocals and guitars
Michael Steele: Vocals, guitars and bass
Debbi Peterson: Vocals, drums and percussion
Rusty Anderson and Barbara Chapman Harp contributed guitar work on the album, Mitchell Froom and David Kahne help out with keyboards and synthesizers and Carlos Vega added drums to the project. Other than that, it's all Bangles.
This album was recorded in the summer and autumn of 1985. David Kahne produced the album. The Engineers were Tchad Blake, David Leonard and Peggy McLeonard. Leonard also did the mixing for Different Light. The album was released in January of 1986 on Columbia Records.
Coming in at #81--Different Light by the Bangles.
I've posted how the Go-Go's were the first self-contained, all-girl group to make it big in rock (or music in general for that matter). And by self-contained, I mean a group that writes their own songs, plays their own instruments, and decides their own fate. The Bangles were the second such group, and you can argue which was "better"; the two both had great success. The group's debut album is also very good and was critically acclaimed as well, but it did not make the Top 100.
The biggest strength of the album is its Track Rating*, and again that is a measure of consistency of an album, 10 being the highest rating an album can attain. Different Light has a Track Rating of 9.18, not the highest in the Top 100 but certainly up there. There is not a bad song on the album; it can be tracked through in its entirety, and few people would say there is even an "average" song on the album. Another strength is the album's airplay. Different Light features four smash hits, led by the monster hit "Walk Like an Egyptian", which is one of the Top Songs in the Rock Era*. "Manic Monday", a song written for them by Prince under the pseudonym "Christopher", was another of the singles, along with "If She Knew What She Wants" and "Walking Down Your Street". Those four singles gave the Bangles a presence on the radio for an extended time, both on popular music and Adult Contemporary stations. Since AC was beginning to take over as the most popular format at the time, millions of people were turned on to the Bangles' sound.
There's one track that wasn't a hit that is especially worth checking out--"Following" is truly one of the great "undiscovered" songs of the rock era. The title track, "Angels Don't Fall In Love", "Not Like You" and "Return Post" are also solid and display the group's great harmonies. But again, there isn't a bad song on the album and your favorites may be different than the ones I've listed.
Airplay and consumer satisfaction quite naturally lead to chart success and album sales. Different Light reached #2, spent nine weeks in the Top 10 and 82 weeks (over a year and a half) on the chart. The album has sold three million copies in the United States.
Different Light:
1. "Manic Monday" ("Christopher" (Prince))--3:06
2. "In a Different Light" (Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson)--2:52
3. "Walking Down Your Street" (Louis Gutierrez, Hoffs, David Kahne)--3:04
4. "Walk Like an Egyptian" (Liam Sternberg)--3:24
5. "Standing in the Hallway" (Hoffs, Kahne, Debbi Peterson, V. Peterson)--2:56
6. "Return Post" (Hoffs, V. Peterson)--4:22
7. "If She Knew What She Wants" (Jules Shear)--3:49
8. "Let It Go" (Hoffs, D. Peterson, V. Peterson, Michael Steele)--2:32
9. "September Gurls" (Alex Chilton)--2:45
10. "Angels Don't Fall In Love" (Hoffs, V. Peterson)--3:23
11. "Following" (Steele)--3:21
12. "Not Like You" (Hoffs, Kahne, D. Peterson)--3:06
The Bangles are:
Susanna Hoffs, Vocals and guitars
Vicki Peterson: Vocals and guitars
Michael Steele: Vocals, guitars and bass
Debbi Peterson: Vocals, drums and percussion
Rusty Anderson and Barbara Chapman Harp contributed guitar work on the album, Mitchell Froom and David Kahne help out with keyboards and synthesizers and Carlos Vega added drums to the project. Other than that, it's all Bangles.
This album was recorded in the summer and autumn of 1985. David Kahne produced the album. The Engineers were Tchad Blake, David Leonard and Peggy McLeonard. Leonard also did the mixing for Different Light. The album was released in January of 1986 on Columbia Records.
Coming in at #81--Different Light by the Bangles.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Five Best Songs: Paul Anka
Since it's the anniversary of the Canadian crooner's recording of "Diana" (May 21), a good time to feature him in this segment.
1. "Diana"
2. "Put Your Head On My Shoulder"
3. "Having My Baby"
4. "Puppy Love"
5. "Lonely Boy"
This Date in Rock Music History: May 21
1957: Paul Anka recorded "Diana".
1962: Stevie Wonder recorded "Fingertips" live at the Regal Theater in Chicago.
1963: The Beatles recorded five songs for the BBC radio show Saturday Club and six for Steppin' Out at the Playhouse Theatre in London.
1964: The Drifters recorded "Under the Boardwalk" with Johnny Moore singing lead after Rudy Lewis had died the night before.
1965: The Four Tops appeared on the U.K. television show Ready Steady Goes Live!
1966: Mel Carter's "Band of Gold" was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1966: A hot new song was moving up the chart. It was called "Paint It Black" from the Rolling Stones.
1966: "Monday, Monday" spent a third week at #1 for the Mamas & Papas, just ahead of "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" from Bob Dylan. The Rascals' former #1 "Good Lovin'" was at 3, followed by the relentless "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge. The rest of the Top Ten: The Mindbenders moved from 13 to 5 with "A Groovy Kind of Love", Paul Revere & the Raiders' great song Kicks was #6, Nancy Sinatra was stuck on seven with "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?", Dionne Warwick's "Message To Michael" was #8, the Beach Boys slipped to #9 with "Sloop John B" and the Supremes had their eighth top ten song with "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart", which moved from 15-10.
1966: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears from the Mamas and Papas was the new #1 album on this date. Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass climbed from 60 to 2 with What Now My Love. Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), the greatest hits package by the Rolling Stones was at 3 with Alpert & the Tijuana Brass's album Going Places finally falling from #1. The great sound of the Brass enabled the group to be on top of the album charts for 15 weeks that year; they were about the artist that could compete with the Beatles. Color Me Barbra from Streisand was #6, followed by Soul & Inspiration by the Righteous Brothers, another Alpert & the Tijuana Brass album (Whipped Cream & Other Delights) falling to #8 in its 54th week, I Hear a Symphony from the Supremes at #9 and The Best of the Animals at #10.
1966: We were introduced to a new artist on this date, and not just an ordinary artist. Neil Diamond's first hit debuted on this date, as the highly Underrated song "Solitary Man" first hit the chart. It only reached #55. Columbia Records would re-release the song in 1970 but even then it only hit #21.
1968: Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones once again was arrested for possession of cannabis in his apartment in London.
1968: The Monkees appeared at Olympia Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1969: John Lennon and Yoko Ono began their famous "bed-in" for peace at Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec.
1971: Paul McCartney released the album Ram.
1971: Marvin Gaye released the landmark album What's Going On.
1971: The group Free ("All Right Now") announced they were breaking up.
1973: Deep Purple released the single "Smoke on the Water".
1976: The Rolling Stones performed at Earl's Court in London, but reviews were already calling them "dinosaurs".
1977: Tavares owned the #1 R&B song with "Whodunit".
1977: "Hello Stranger" by Yvonne Elliman held off all challengers in a fourth week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Climax Blues band was, well, climaxing
1977: "Sir Duke" was the new #1 song in the land from Stevie Wonder, his tribute to jazz great Duke Ellington. Leo Sayer fell to #2 after a short stay at the top with "When I Need You". The Climax Blues Band had the biggest hit of their career with "Couldn't Get It Right" at #3. K.C. & the Sunshine Band moved to 4 with "I'm Your Boogie Man", Marvin Gaye moved up to 5 with "Got To Give It Up" and Fleetwood Mac jumped from 14-6 with "Dreams". The rest of the Top Ten: Bill Conti had #7 with "Gonna' Fly Now (Theme From "Rocky")", even though the Maynard Ferguson version was much more popular, the Eagles' former #1 "Hotel California" was now #8, Glen Campbell tumbled to #9 with "Southern Nights" and Kenny Rogers moved into the Top Ten with "Lucille".
1977: The Fleetwood Mac album Rumours regained the #1 spot after a tussle with Hotel California from the Eagles, which was able to hold on to #1 for seven weeks. Rumours would go on to spend 27 more weeks at #1.
1979: Donna Summer released the single "Bad Girls".
1980: How's this for ignoring the adage "The customer is always right"? Joe Strummer of the Clash was arrested in Hamburg, West Germany after he smashed his guitar over the head of an audience member.
1982: The Hacienda Club opened in Manchester England. It would house concerts by U2, the Smiths, Oasis, Madonna and others.
1983: Michael McDonald married singer Amy Holland.
1983: "Beat It" by Michael Jackson was #1 on the R&B chart.
1983: "My Love" from Lionel Richie was the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1983: Thriller maintained a lock on the #1 position on the album chart for the 13th consecutive week out of 36 that it would spend at the top.
1984: Bruce Springsteen released the single "Dancing in the Dark".
1985: Marvin Gaye released what was to be his last album, Dream of a Lifetime.
1988: "Mercedes Boy" from Pebbles topped all songs on the R&B chart.
1988: "Shattered Dreams" from Johnny Hates Jazz may not have been able to reach #1 on the regular chart but it was the #1 song in Adult Contemporary radio, which was beginning to be the most reliable chart of popular music tastes.
1992: Icon Johnny Carson chose Bette Midler to be the one and only guest on his last episode of The Tonight Show on NBC-TV.
1994: Aaliyah moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "Back & Forth", where she would stay for three weeks.
1994: All-4-One jumped from 8 to 1 with "I Swear" to take over the top spot from "The Sign" by Ace of Base". The group would spend the next 11 weeks at the top.
2000: Whitney Houston led the way on the U.K. album chart with her Greatest Hits package.
2003: Pearl Jam ended their recording arrangement with Sony Records.
2003: Ike Turner was refused entry into Japan because of a past drug conviction for cocaine. Hopefully wife-beating also qualifies for denial of entry.
2003: Sir Paul McCartney received an honorary degree from St. Petersburg State University in Russia.
2004: The Eagles appeared in concert at the Journal Pavilion in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
2007: Scott Stapp, former lead singer of Creed, was arrested and charged with domestic assault.
2008: Steven Tyler of Aerosmith checked into a rehab facility in California.
2008: Lou Pearlman, the music executive responsible for creating both the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for a long-running scam that swindled thousands of people out of their life savings. Many victims were in their 70's and 80's and lost everything.
2009: Natalie Cole underwent a kidney transplant.
2010: Bono of U2 underwent emergency spinal surgery after being injured prior to a tour.
Born This Day:
1940: Tony Sheridan, who once worked with the Beatles ("My Bonnie"), Gene Vincent and others, was born in Norwich, England; died February 16, 2013 in Hamburg, Germany after undergoing heart surgery.
1941: Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.
1943: Vincent Crane, keyboard player for The Crazy World of Arthur Brown ("Fire" in 1968)
1943: John Dalton of the Kinks was born in Enfield, Middlesex, England.
1943: Hilton Valentine of the Animals was born in North Shields, North Tyneside, England.
1944: Marcie Blane ("Bobby's Girl") was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1947: Bill Champlin of Chicago was born in Oakland, California.
1948: Leo Sayer was born in Shoreham, England.
1954: Marc Ribot, songwriter and guitarist for Norah Jones, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello, was born in Newark, New Jersey.
1955: Stan Lynch, drummer for Tom Petty and producer of Don Henley, was born in Gainesville, Florida.
1958: Mike Barson, founding member and keyboardist with Madness ("Our House"), was born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
1963: Tim Lever of Dead or Alive ("You Spin Me 'Round")
1972: The Notorious B.I.G. (Biggie Smalls, aka Christopher G. Wallace), was born in New York City; shot in Los Angeles March 9, 1997 at age 24.
1975: Lee Gaze, guitarist of Lostprophets
1978: Adam Wade Gontier, lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist for Three Days Grace, was born in Norwood, Ontario, Canada.
1985: Mutya Buene of the Sugababes was born in London.
Lyrics to "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" by Tracy Chapman
Here are the lyrics to the featured Unknown/Underrated Song of the Rock Era*--"Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" by Tracy Chapman.
Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Don't you know they're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion
Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Poor people are gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people are gonna rise up
And take what's theirs
Don't you know you better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
Oh I said you better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no
While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion
Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
And finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no
Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Don't you know they're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion
Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Poor people are gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people are gonna rise up
And take what's theirs
Don't you know you better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
Oh I said you better run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run, run
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no
While they're standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion
Don't you know you're talking about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
And finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution
Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no
Talking about a revolution oh no
Featured Unknown/Underrated Song of the Rock Era: Talkin' Bout a Revolution" by Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman has the new featured song in the Underrated Songs of the Rock Era section.
Watch her live!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm1-jPEAe9s
Watch her live!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm1-jPEAe9s
The #82 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Cracked Rear View" by Hootie & the Blowfish
We began the Top 100 Albums on May 1 and here we are up to #82.
Cracked Rear View was the debut by Hootie & the Blowfish. The album dominated the music scene in 1995, selling an incredible 10.5 million copies that year alone! This is reflected in the incredible chart performance of the album. Not only was it #1 for 8 weeks; it was also #2 for 8 weeks and #3 for an additional 12 weeks. That's 28 weeks as one of the top three albums. Cracked Rear View went on to remain in the Top Ten for 55 weeks and remain on the chart for 129 weeks. The album has now reached 16 million copies; the only downside is that it has a particularly low Track Rating of 8.46. In other words, the hits you know are great but there isn't much else on the album.
Four singles generated huge airplay for this release, let by the monster hit "Hold My Hand". "Let Her Cry", "Only Wanna' Be With You" and "Time" were the other hits from Cracked Rear View.
Hootie & the Blowfish received a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for "Let Her Cry".
Cracked Rear View was the debut by Hootie & the Blowfish. The album dominated the music scene in 1995, selling an incredible 10.5 million copies that year alone! This is reflected in the incredible chart performance of the album. Not only was it #1 for 8 weeks; it was also #2 for 8 weeks and #3 for an additional 12 weeks. That's 28 weeks as one of the top three albums. Cracked Rear View went on to remain in the Top Ten for 55 weeks and remain on the chart for 129 weeks. The album has now reached 16 million copies; the only downside is that it has a particularly low Track Rating of 8.46. In other words, the hits you know are great but there isn't much else on the album.
Four singles generated huge airplay for this release, let by the monster hit "Hold My Hand". "Let Her Cry", "Only Wanna' Be With You" and "Time" were the other hits from Cracked Rear View.
Hootie & the Blowfish received a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal for "Let Her Cry".
All songs written by Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, Darius Rucker and Jim "Soni"Sonefeld.
1. "Hannah Jane" --3:33
2. "Hold My Hand" --4:15
3. "Let Her Cry" -- 5:08
4. "Only Wanna' Be with You" --3:46
5. "Running from an Angel" – 3:37
6. "I'm Goin' Home" – 4:11
7. "Drowning" – 5:01
8. "Time" – 4:53
9. "Look Away" – 2:38
10. "Not Even the Trees" – 4:37
11. "Goodbye" – 4:05
1. "Hannah Jane" --3:33
2. "Hold My Hand" --4:15
3. "Let Her Cry" -- 5:08
4. "Only Wanna' Be with You" --3:46
5. "Running from an Angel" – 3:37
6. "I'm Goin' Home" – 4:11
7. "Drowning" – 5:01
8. "Time" – 4:53
9. "Look Away" – 2:38
10. "Not Even the Trees" – 4:37
11. "Goodbye" – 4:05
Hootie & the Blowfish were: Darius Rucker, lead vocals, acoustic guitar and percussion, Mark Bryan played mandolin, piano, electric guitar, acoustic guitar and percussion, Den Felber played bass guitar, clavinet and piano and Jim Sonefeld played drums, percussion, piano and glasses! They got a lot out of each group member. David Crosby was a backup vocalist on "Hold My Hand", while Lili Haydn played violin and John Nau contributed piano and Hammond organ work on the album.
Don Gehman was largely responsible for the sound you hear on Cracked Rear View--he was the producer, engineer and the mixer for the album. Eddy Schreyer mastered it while Jean Cronin was the Art Director and Michael McLaughlin was the Photographer.
Hootie & the Blowfish recorded Cracked Rear View in 1994 at N.R.G. Recording Services in North Hollywood, California. It was released July 5, 1995 on Atlantic Records.
Cracked Rear View is next, at #82.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
This Date in Rock Music History: May 20
1954: The landmark single "Rock Around the Clock" was released by Bill Haley & the Comets. The song wouldn't officially begin the Rock Era until it first charted a year later after being featured in the movie The Blackboard Jungle.
1957: Frank Sinatra recorded "Witchcraft".
1957: Andy Williams had the #1 U.K. song with "Butterfly".
1957: A new duo began that would influence vocals for decades to come. The Everly Brothers debuted with the first hit of their careers and they picked a good song to start out with. "Bye Bye Love" was that song with gave the Brothers their start on this date, and it eventually reached #2 for four weeks.
1960: Johnny & the Moondogs changed their name to the Silver Beetles. The group toured Scotland. The lineup at that time was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe. The latter three used the pseudonyms Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison and Stuart de Stael.
1961: Cliff Richard made his first appearance on television on the U.K. ITV show Thank Your Lucky Stars.
1964: Rudy Lewis of the Drifters died of a brain seizure brought on by drugs.
1966: John Entwistle and Keith Moon were late arriving for a Who concert at the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England, so bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey began performing without them along with the bassist and drummer of the local group who opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle finally got there, a fight broke out and Townshend actually hit Moon over the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band but rejoined a week later.
1966: On a more peaceful front, George Harrison visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
1967: Jimi Hendrix signed a recording contract with Reprise Records.
1967: The Turtles moved nothing like their name--88 to 58 with "She'd Rather Be With Me".
1967: "Groovin'" from the Young Rascals took over #1 in only its fifth week on the chart. The Supremes fell with "The Happening" followed by Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music" and "Somethin' Stupid" from Frank & Nancy Sinatra. The rest of the Top Ten: Aretha Franklin shot up from 14 to 5 with her future #1 "Respect", the Happenings had #6 with "I Got Rhythm", Engelbert Humperdinck had #7 with "Release Me", Peaches & Herb were stuck at #8 with "Close Your Eyes", the Buckinghams were on their way down with "Don't You Care" and the Dave Clark Five had song #10--"You Got What It Takes".
1967: The album More of the Monkees set a record at the time with its 15th week at #1 on the album chart.
1968: Cliff Nobles & Company released the single "The Horse".
1968: Pete Townshend married Karen Astley.
1968: Following their return from India, the Beatles met at George Harrison's home in Esher, Surrey and taped 23 new songs. Many of those would find their way to the White Album and Abbey Road, including "Cry Baby Cry", "Revolution", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Blackbird".
1970: The Beatles' last movie Let It Be premiered worldwide.
1970: We were introduced to a Texas trio on this date, and it wasn't the usual twang and swing to which we had become accustomed to. ZZ Top debuted on the charts with their first hit "Francene", which eventually hit #69.
1972: Jethro Tull released the album Thick as a Brick.
1972: "The Candy Man" became the new #1 song for Sammy Davis, Jr.
"Compared to What", one of the top tracks on Roberta's #1 album...
1972: First Take was the #1 album from Roberta Flack, holding off Neil Young's Harvest. America was #3 with the Graham Nash/David Crosby collaboration at #4. The rest of the Top Ten: Manassas from Stephen Stills at #5, Eat a Peach by the Allman Brothers Band edging up to #6, Fragile from Yes falling to #7, Tapestry, still in the Top Ten for Carole King, Smokin' by Humble Pie at #9 and Let's Stay Together by Al Green entering the Top Ten.
1972: Roberta Flack dominated the chart for the sixth straight week with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", one of the Top Songs of the Rock Era*. At that time, only 20 songs in the Rock Era had been #1 for more weeks than her smash.
1974: The Righteous Brothers released the single "Rock and Roll Heaven".
1974: The Hues Corporation released the single "Rock the Boat".
1978: "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" from Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams was the #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart. The hit came 15 years after Mathis last had a Top Ten hit and 21 years after his only other #1 song "Chances Are".
1978: Saturday Night Fever spent an 18th week at #1 on the album chart.
1979: Elton John performed in Leningrad, Soviet Union.
1985: The famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York reopened with a concert from Hall & Oates.
1988: Priscilla Presley held a news conference to deny that Elvis was still alive. It won't work, Priscilla--those same people still think Obama was not born in the United States and they also still think the earth is flat. And there's no such thing as global warming. It's no use.
1989: "Second Chance" by .38 Special was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1989: Paula Abdul moved into the #1 spot with "Forever Your Girl". "Real Love" from Jody Watley was #1 and the former #1 "I'll Be There For You" by Bon Jovi was #3.
1995: Don Henley married Sharon Summerall in Malibu, California. Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Sting performed at the wedding reception.
1997: It was chaos in Kansas City, Missouri. U2 had paid for traffic control to close down five lanes of traffic so they could shoot the video "Last Night On Earth". Traffic jams galore occurred and a Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window while swerving to miss a cameraman.
1998: Bill Ward, drummer from Black Sabbath, was rushed to a hospital in London after suffering a heart attack during rehearsal.
1998: Bob Dylan, who was always so good with words, had some nice things to say about Frank Sinatra at a funeral mass for the legendary singer in Beverly Hills, California. Dylan said "Right from the beginning, he was there with the truth of things in his voice. His music had an influence on me, whether I knew it or not. He was one of the very few singers who sang without a mask. It's a sad day."
2000: Superstar group the Guess Who reunited for a concert in Manitoba, Canada.
2000: In the Words Have Meaning Department: Ted Nugent was dropped from the Muskegon Summer Celebration in Michigan after he reportedly used racial slurs in a radio interview.
2004: Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails sued his former manager, alleging that he was cheated out of millions since first signing with J. Artist Management in 1989.
2006: Tool had the #1 album 10,000 Days.
2005: The Beach Boys Historic Landmark was dedicated at the childhood home of Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson. The home was demolished in the mid-1980's (things aren't preserved in the United States like they are everywhere else in the world; they're torn down.)
2007: Rhianna began 10 weeks at the top of the U.K. Chart with her song "Umbrella".
2008: The United States Congress on this date passed a resolution designating May 13 as Frank Sinatra day to honor the legendary singer's contribution to our culture.
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2008: Jimmy Dean ("Big Bad John") donated $1 million to Wayland Baptist University in Texas.
Born This Day:
1930: Teddy Randazzo, who wrote many of Little Anthony's hits; died November 21, 2003 at his home in Orlando, Florida.
1940: Shorty Long ("Here Comes the Judge") was born in Birmingham, Alabama; died June 29, 1969 when he drowned in the Detroit River in Michigan.
1942: Jill Jackson ("Paula" of Paul and Paula, who had the big hit "Hey Paula") was born in McCamey, Texas.
1944: Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England.
1946: Cher (Cherilyn Sarkasian) was born in El Centro, California.
1947: Steve Currie of T. Rex was born in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England.
1954: Jimmie Henderson of Black Oak Arkansas
1955: Steve George of Mr. Mister
1958: Jane Wieldin, guitarist for the Go Go's, was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
1960: Susan Cowsill of the Cowsills was born in Newport, Rhode Island.
1961: Nick Heyward of Haircut 100 ("Love Plus One" in 1982) was born in Beckenham, Kent, England.
1961: Dan Wilson, singer, songwriter and guitarist with Semisonic, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1963: Brian Nash, guitarist with Frankie Goes To Hollywood
1964: Patti Russo, the female lead vocalist with Meat Loaf
1972: Busta Rhymes was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1957: Frank Sinatra recorded "Witchcraft".
1957: Andy Williams had the #1 U.K. song with "Butterfly".
1957: A new duo began that would influence vocals for decades to come. The Everly Brothers debuted with the first hit of their careers and they picked a good song to start out with. "Bye Bye Love" was that song with gave the Brothers their start on this date, and it eventually reached #2 for four weeks.
1960: Johnny & the Moondogs changed their name to the Silver Beetles. The group toured Scotland. The lineup at that time was John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe. The latter three used the pseudonyms Paul Ramon, Carl Harrison and Stuart de Stael.
1961: Cliff Richard made his first appearance on television on the U.K. ITV show Thank Your Lucky Stars.
1964: Rudy Lewis of the Drifters died of a brain seizure brought on by drugs.
1966: John Entwistle and Keith Moon were late arriving for a Who concert at the Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, England, so bandmates Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey began performing without them along with the bassist and drummer of the local group who opened the show. When Moon and Entwistle finally got there, a fight broke out and Townshend actually hit Moon over the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwistle quit the band but rejoined a week later.
1966: On a more peaceful front, George Harrison visited Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
1967: Jimi Hendrix signed a recording contract with Reprise Records.
1967: The Turtles moved nothing like their name--88 to 58 with "She'd Rather Be With Me".
1967: "Groovin'" from the Young Rascals took over #1 in only its fifth week on the chart. The Supremes fell with "The Happening" followed by Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music" and "Somethin' Stupid" from Frank & Nancy Sinatra. The rest of the Top Ten: Aretha Franklin shot up from 14 to 5 with her future #1 "Respect", the Happenings had #6 with "I Got Rhythm", Engelbert Humperdinck had #7 with "Release Me", Peaches & Herb were stuck at #8 with "Close Your Eyes", the Buckinghams were on their way down with "Don't You Care" and the Dave Clark Five had song #10--"You Got What It Takes".
1967: The album More of the Monkees set a record at the time with its 15th week at #1 on the album chart.
1968: Cliff Nobles & Company released the single "The Horse".
1968: Pete Townshend married Karen Astley.
1968: Following their return from India, the Beatles met at George Harrison's home in Esher, Surrey and taped 23 new songs. Many of those would find their way to the White Album and Abbey Road, including "Cry Baby Cry", "Revolution", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Blackbird".
1970: The Beatles' last movie Let It Be premiered worldwide.
1970: We were introduced to a Texas trio on this date, and it wasn't the usual twang and swing to which we had become accustomed to. ZZ Top debuted on the charts with their first hit "Francene", which eventually hit #69.
1972: Jethro Tull released the album Thick as a Brick.
1972: "The Candy Man" became the new #1 song for Sammy Davis, Jr.
"Compared to What", one of the top tracks on Roberta's #1 album...
1972: First Take was the #1 album from Roberta Flack, holding off Neil Young's Harvest. America was #3 with the Graham Nash/David Crosby collaboration at #4. The rest of the Top Ten: Manassas from Stephen Stills at #5, Eat a Peach by the Allman Brothers Band edging up to #6, Fragile from Yes falling to #7, Tapestry, still in the Top Ten for Carole King, Smokin' by Humble Pie at #9 and Let's Stay Together by Al Green entering the Top Ten.
1972: Roberta Flack dominated the chart for the sixth straight week with "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", one of the Top Songs of the Rock Era*. At that time, only 20 songs in the Rock Era had been #1 for more weeks than her smash.
1974: The Righteous Brothers released the single "Rock and Roll Heaven".
1974: The Hues Corporation released the single "Rock the Boat".
1978: "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" from Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams was the #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart. The hit came 15 years after Mathis last had a Top Ten hit and 21 years after his only other #1 song "Chances Are".
1978: Saturday Night Fever spent an 18th week at #1 on the album chart.
1979: Elton John performed in Leningrad, Soviet Union.
1985: The famous Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York reopened with a concert from Hall & Oates.
1988: Priscilla Presley held a news conference to deny that Elvis was still alive. It won't work, Priscilla--those same people still think Obama was not born in the United States and they also still think the earth is flat. And there's no such thing as global warming. It's no use.
1989: "Second Chance" by .38 Special was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1989: Paula Abdul moved into the #1 spot with "Forever Your Girl". "Real Love" from Jody Watley was #1 and the former #1 "I'll Be There For You" by Bon Jovi was #3.
1995: Don Henley married Sharon Summerall in Malibu, California. Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Sting performed at the wedding reception.
1997: It was chaos in Kansas City, Missouri. U2 had paid for traffic control to close down five lanes of traffic so they could shoot the video "Last Night On Earth". Traffic jams galore occurred and a Cadillac crashed into a plate glass window while swerving to miss a cameraman.
1998: Bill Ward, drummer from Black Sabbath, was rushed to a hospital in London after suffering a heart attack during rehearsal.
1998: Bob Dylan, who was always so good with words, had some nice things to say about Frank Sinatra at a funeral mass for the legendary singer in Beverly Hills, California. Dylan said "Right from the beginning, he was there with the truth of things in his voice. His music had an influence on me, whether I knew it or not. He was one of the very few singers who sang without a mask. It's a sad day."
2000: Superstar group the Guess Who reunited for a concert in Manitoba, Canada.
2000: In the Words Have Meaning Department: Ted Nugent was dropped from the Muskegon Summer Celebration in Michigan after he reportedly used racial slurs in a radio interview.
2004: Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails sued his former manager, alleging that he was cheated out of millions since first signing with J. Artist Management in 1989.
2006: Tool had the #1 album 10,000 Days.
2005: The Beach Boys Historic Landmark was dedicated at the childhood home of Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson. The home was demolished in the mid-1980's (things aren't preserved in the United States like they are everywhere else in the world; they're torn down.)
2007: Rhianna began 10 weeks at the top of the U.K. Chart with her song "Umbrella".
2008: The United States Congress on this date passed a resolution designating May 13 as Frank Sinatra day to honor the legendary singer's contribution to our culture.
2008: Jimmy Dean ("Big Bad John") donated $1 million to Wayland Baptist University in Texas.
Born This Day:
1930: Teddy Randazzo, who wrote many of Little Anthony's hits; died November 21, 2003 at his home in Orlando, Florida.
1940: Shorty Long ("Here Comes the Judge") was born in Birmingham, Alabama; died June 29, 1969 when he drowned in the Detroit River in Michigan.
1942: Jill Jackson ("Paula" of Paul and Paula, who had the big hit "Hey Paula") was born in McCamey, Texas.
1944: Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England.
1946: Cher (Cherilyn Sarkasian) was born in El Centro, California.
1947: Steve Currie of T. Rex was born in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England.
1954: Jimmie Henderson of Black Oak Arkansas
1955: Steve George of Mr. Mister
1958: Jane Wieldin, guitarist for the Go Go's, was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
1960: Susan Cowsill of the Cowsills was born in Newport, Rhode Island.
1961: Nick Heyward of Haircut 100 ("Love Plus One" in 1982) was born in Beckenham, Kent, England.
1961: Dan Wilson, singer, songwriter and guitarist with Semisonic, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1963: Brian Nash, guitarist with Frankie Goes To Hollywood
1964: Patti Russo, the female lead vocalist with Meat Loaf
1972: Busta Rhymes was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Today's Visitors
Congratulations to Mexico for making the top five today with 10 visitors to this blog. I believe that is the first time that you've hit double digits. Nice job--and ahead of Canada and the U.K. no less!
1. United States 62
2. Denmark 27
3. Germany 19
4. Mexico 10
5. United Kingdom 6
6. Canada 5
7. Bulgaria 3
8. Belgium 2
8. Italy 2
10. Austria 1
1. United States 62
2. Denmark 27
3. Germany 19
4. Mexico 10
5. United Kingdom 6
6. Canada 5
7. Bulgaria 3
8. Belgium 2
8. Italy 2
10. Austria 1
Question Regarding My Favorite Albums
I've heard from several of you wanting to know my personal favorite albums, not just the list of albums I've put together based on what the public at large thinks. I will post that after the Top Albums list is completed and I also want to publish the top 100 albums based on the Track Rating alone so you can compare the three lists.
The #83 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Guilty" by Barbra Streisand
For her 1980 album Guilty, Barbra Streisand solicited the help of Bee Gee Barry Gibb. The Brothers Gibb were on top of the songwriting world, having just accomplished the feat of writing all five songs in the Top Five in 1978. It became the top album of Streisand's career.
The title song (a Streisand-Gibb duet) won the Grammy for Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Woman in Love" was a smash hit that was #1 for three weeks. "What Kind of Fool", another duet with Gibb, was another big hit and "Promises" is a great song that was popular on the Adult Contemporary chart. These four lead tracks gave the album powerful airplay and exposure.
The album was #1 for three weeks and #2 for nine. It spent 17 weeks in the Top Ten and 49 weeks on the chart. It has sold five million copies in the United States alone and has a Track Rating* of 9.06. Streisand won an American Music Award for Favorite Rock Female Vocalist for this album. It was nominated for Grammies for Album of the Year, Record of the Year "Woman in Love" and Best Female Vocal Performance.
The title song (a Streisand-Gibb duet) won the Grammy for Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Woman in Love" was a smash hit that was #1 for three weeks. "What Kind of Fool", another duet with Gibb, was another big hit and "Promises" is a great song that was popular on the Adult Contemporary chart. These four lead tracks gave the album powerful airplay and exposure.
The album was #1 for three weeks and #2 for nine. It spent 17 weeks in the Top Ten and 49 weeks on the chart. It has sold five million copies in the United States alone and has a Track Rating* of 9.06. Streisand won an American Music Award for Favorite Rock Female Vocalist for this album. It was nominated for Grammies for Album of the Year, Record of the Year "Woman in Love" and Best Female Vocal Performance.
- "Guilty" (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 4:23
- "Woman in Love" (B. Gibb, R. Gibb) – 3:49
- "Run Wild" (B. Gibb, R. Gibb) – 4:06
- "Promises" (B. Gibb, R. Gibb) – 4:20
- "The Love Inside" (B. Gibb) – 5:08
- "What Kind of Fool" (B. Gibb, Albhy Galuten) – 4:06
- "Life Story" (B. Gibb, R. Gibb) – 4:38
- "Never Give Up" (B. Gibb, A. Galuten) – 3:44
- "Make It Like A Memory" (B. Gibb, A. Galuten) – 7:28
Dennis Byron, Steve Gadd and Bernard Lupe played drums on the album, Joe Lala contributed his percussion skills, Harold Cowart and David Hungate played bass, Galuten, George Bitzer and Richard Tee played keyboards, Pete Carr, Barry Gibb, Lee Ritenour, Cornell Dupree and Richard Tee played guitar, Dan & Neal Bonsanti and Whit Sidner played sax, Russ Freeland Peter Graves and Mike Katz were on trombone and Bud Burridge, Kenneth Faulk and Brett Murphy played trumpet.
Charles Koppelman was the Executive Producer for Guilty, with assistance from Albhy Galuten, Barry Gibb & Karl Richardson. The album was recorded and engineered by Don Gehman, Richardson and Steve Klein; Gehman and Richardson mixed the album. It was mastered by Bob Carbone.
Guilty was recorded in February and March of 1980 at Middle Ear in Miami Beach, Florida and Sound Labs Studio in Hollywood, California. It was released in September, 1980 on Columbia Records.
Barbra Streisand has the #83 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--Guilty.
Barbra Streisand has the #83 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--Guilty.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
This Date in Rock Music History: May 19
1958: Brenda Lee recorded the great song "Fever".
1958: This group debuted on the chart with their first single. Lead singer Dion would score 33 hits into the 1980's. The first release from Dion & the Belmonts was "I Wonder Why".
1958: An influential surf-rock duo that formed in high school as the Barons recorded their first song in a garage. They scored 26 hits until a tragic accident to Jan Berry cut their recording career short. On this date, the first single from Jan & Dean, credited as Jan & Arnie, debuted on the chart--"Jennie Lee".
1960: The Drifters recorded "Save the Last Dance For Me".
1961: The Everly Brothers began their own record label, Caliope Records.
1962: Dee Dee Sharp remained at the top of the R&B chart for a fourth week with "Mashed Potato Time".
1962: "Soldier Boy" by the Shirelles was #1 for a third week, holding off the great instrumental "Stranger On the Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk. Dee Dee Sharp was all about "Mashed Potato Time" at #3 while Shelley Fabares loomed close to the top with "Johnny Angel" at #4.
1967: The Beatles held a launch party in London for the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
1968: The 5th Dimension were guests on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1972: Elton John released the album Honky Chateau.
1973: "Daniel" by Elton John spent a second week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1973: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", one of the Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* by Stevie Wonder, was the new #1, trading places with Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree". "Little Willy" from Sweet was #3 followed by Edgar Winter Group's classic instrumental Frankenstein". The rest of the Top 10: "Daniel" from Elton John, Paul McCartney & Wings climbed from 13 to 6 with "My Love", Dobie Gray's great song "Drift Away" was song #7, Stealers Wheel had #8 with "Stuck in the Middle With You, Sylvia moved from 14-9 with "Pillow Talk" and Skylark's one and only hit "Wildflower" entered the Top Ten.
1976: Trouble is his middle name. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones crashed his car in Buckinghamshire, England. Police found cocaine and marijuana in the car--small wonder.
1978: Dire Straits released the single "Sultans of Swing".
1979: "Just When I Needed You Most" by Randy Vanwarmer became the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1979: Rex Smith moved from 59 to 30 with "You Take My Breath Away".
1979: ABBA once again had the #1 album in the U.K., moving into the top position with their latest Voulez Vous.
1979: Peaches & Herb was #1 for a fourth week on the R&B chart with "Reunited".
1979: "Reunited" remained #1 for the third week out of four it would spend at the top for Peaches & Herb. Donna Summer was making a bid with the disco rock song "Hot Stuff".
Supertramp reached #1
1979: The classic album Breakfast in America took over at #1 for the first time on this date, replacing Minute by Minute from the Doobie Brothers, which fell to #4. Peaches & Herb had #2--2 Hot! while Bad Company came in third with Desolation Angels. The rest of the Top Ten: Spirits Having Flown, the great album from the Bee Gees, Van Halen's second album at #6, We Are Family from Sister Sledge at #7, Go West by the Village People at 8, Blondie's Parallel Lines at #9 and Bad Girls by Donna Summer, moving from 39 to 10.
1980: Olivia Newton-John released the single "Magic".
1981: Sting was honored as Songwriter of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards.
1984: The Cars released the single "Magic".
1984: ZZ Top released "Legs" on Dusty Hill's birthday.
1984: "The Longest Time" from Billy Joel took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1984: "Hello" by Lionel Richie spent a third week at #1 on the R&B chart.
1984: Richard Carpenter married his wife Mary in Downey, California.
1984: The Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon made it 10 consecutive years on the album chart.
1985: The television special Motown Returns to the Apollo aired on NBC.
1988: James Brown was arrested for the fifth time in 12 months, charged with assault, resisting arrest and carrying illegal weapons.
1990: "Vogue" became Madonna's eighth #1 song on this date, taking over from "Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U (sic) by Sinead O'Connor. Heart moved up with "All I Wanna' Do Is Make Love To You" at #3 and Wilson Phillips were at 4 with "Hold On".
1990" This Old Heart Of Mine" by Rod Stewart and Ronald Isley, was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the fifth week in a row, making it one of the top AC hits of the 90's.
1991: Odia Coates, who sang "Having My Baby" and others with Paul Anka, died of cancer at the age of 49.
2003: Aretha Franklin organized a candlelight vigil and prayer service for the great Luther Vandross, who suffered a stroke in April.
2004: Gretchen Wilson debuted on the album chart at #2 with Here for the Party.
2006: Freddie Garrity of Freddie & the Dreamers ("I'm Telling You Now") died in Bangor in North Wales at the age of 69.
2007: Frank Guida, who produced "Quarter To Three" for Gary U.S. Bonds and "If You Wanna' Be Happy" for Jimmy Soul, among others, died in Norfolk, Virginia shortly before his 85th birthday.
2009: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff received a lifetime songwriting achievement award from BMI.
Born This Day:
1945: Elite guitarist and leader of the Who, Pete Townshend was born in Chiswick, England.
1947: Greg Herbert of Blood, Sweat and Tears; died of a drug overdose on January 31, 1977.
1947: Jerry Hyman, trombone player of Blood, Sweat and Tears was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1948: Great saxophone player Tom Scott was born in Los Angeles, California.
1949: Dusty Hill, bass guitarist and vocalist of ZZ Top, was born in Dallas, Texas.
1952: Joey Ramone, songwriter and lead singer of the Ramones, was born in Forest Hills, New York.
1952: Barbara Joyce Lomas of B.T. Express ("Express") was born in Bessemer, Alabama.
1960: Phil Rudd, drummer for AC/DC, was born in Melbourne, Australia.
1962: Iain Harvie, guitarist with Del Amitri, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1970: Prince Be (Attrell Cordes) of P.M. Dawn was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1972: Jenny Berggren of Ace of Base was born in Gothenburg, Sweden.
1958: This group debuted on the chart with their first single. Lead singer Dion would score 33 hits into the 1980's. The first release from Dion & the Belmonts was "I Wonder Why".
1958: An influential surf-rock duo that formed in high school as the Barons recorded their first song in a garage. They scored 26 hits until a tragic accident to Jan Berry cut their recording career short. On this date, the first single from Jan & Dean, credited as Jan & Arnie, debuted on the chart--"Jennie Lee".
1960: The Drifters recorded "Save the Last Dance For Me".
1961: The Everly Brothers began their own record label, Caliope Records.
1962: Dee Dee Sharp remained at the top of the R&B chart for a fourth week with "Mashed Potato Time".
1962: "Soldier Boy" by the Shirelles was #1 for a third week, holding off the great instrumental "Stranger On the Shore" by Mr. Acker Bilk. Dee Dee Sharp was all about "Mashed Potato Time" at #3 while Shelley Fabares loomed close to the top with "Johnny Angel" at #4.
1967: The Beatles held a launch party in London for the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
1968: The 5th Dimension were guests on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1972: Elton John released the album Honky Chateau.
1973: "Daniel" by Elton John spent a second week at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1973: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", one of the Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* by Stevie Wonder, was the new #1, trading places with Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree". "Little Willy" from Sweet was #3 followed by Edgar Winter Group's classic instrumental Frankenstein". The rest of the Top 10: "Daniel" from Elton John, Paul McCartney & Wings climbed from 13 to 6 with "My Love", Dobie Gray's great song "Drift Away" was song #7, Stealers Wheel had #8 with "Stuck in the Middle With You, Sylvia moved from 14-9 with "Pillow Talk" and Skylark's one and only hit "Wildflower" entered the Top Ten.
1976: Trouble is his middle name. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones crashed his car in Buckinghamshire, England. Police found cocaine and marijuana in the car--small wonder.
1978: Dire Straits released the single "Sultans of Swing".
1979: "Just When I Needed You Most" by Randy Vanwarmer became the new #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1979: Rex Smith moved from 59 to 30 with "You Take My Breath Away".
1979: ABBA once again had the #1 album in the U.K., moving into the top position with their latest Voulez Vous.
1979: Peaches & Herb was #1 for a fourth week on the R&B chart with "Reunited".
1979: "Reunited" remained #1 for the third week out of four it would spend at the top for Peaches & Herb. Donna Summer was making a bid with the disco rock song "Hot Stuff".
Supertramp reached #1
1979: The classic album Breakfast in America took over at #1 for the first time on this date, replacing Minute by Minute from the Doobie Brothers, which fell to #4. Peaches & Herb had #2--2 Hot! while Bad Company came in third with Desolation Angels. The rest of the Top Ten: Spirits Having Flown, the great album from the Bee Gees, Van Halen's second album at #6, We Are Family from Sister Sledge at #7, Go West by the Village People at 8, Blondie's Parallel Lines at #9 and Bad Girls by Donna Summer, moving from 39 to 10.
1980: Olivia Newton-John released the single "Magic".
1981: Sting was honored as Songwriter of the Year at the Ivor Novello Awards.
1984: The Cars released the single "Magic".
1984: ZZ Top released "Legs" on Dusty Hill's birthday.
1984: "The Longest Time" from Billy Joel took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1984: "Hello" by Lionel Richie spent a third week at #1 on the R&B chart.
1984: Richard Carpenter married his wife Mary in Downey, California.
1984: The Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon made it 10 consecutive years on the album chart.
1985: The television special Motown Returns to the Apollo aired on NBC.
1988: James Brown was arrested for the fifth time in 12 months, charged with assault, resisting arrest and carrying illegal weapons.
1990: "Vogue" became Madonna's eighth #1 song on this date, taking over from "Nothing Compares 2 (sic) U (sic) by Sinead O'Connor. Heart moved up with "All I Wanna' Do Is Make Love To You" at #3 and Wilson Phillips were at 4 with "Hold On".
1990" This Old Heart Of Mine" by Rod Stewart and Ronald Isley, was #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for the fifth week in a row, making it one of the top AC hits of the 90's.
1991: Odia Coates, who sang "Having My Baby" and others with Paul Anka, died of cancer at the age of 49.
2003: Aretha Franklin organized a candlelight vigil and prayer service for the great Luther Vandross, who suffered a stroke in April.
2004: Gretchen Wilson debuted on the album chart at #2 with Here for the Party.
2006: Freddie Garrity of Freddie & the Dreamers ("I'm Telling You Now") died in Bangor in North Wales at the age of 69.
2007: Frank Guida, who produced "Quarter To Three" for Gary U.S. Bonds and "If You Wanna' Be Happy" for Jimmy Soul, among others, died in Norfolk, Virginia shortly before his 85th birthday.
2009: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff received a lifetime songwriting achievement award from BMI.
Born This Day:
1945: Elite guitarist and leader of the Who, Pete Townshend was born in Chiswick, England.
1947: Greg Herbert of Blood, Sweat and Tears; died of a drug overdose on January 31, 1977.
1947: Jerry Hyman, trombone player of Blood, Sweat and Tears was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1948: Great saxophone player Tom Scott was born in Los Angeles, California.
1949: Dusty Hill, bass guitarist and vocalist of ZZ Top, was born in Dallas, Texas.
1952: Joey Ramone, songwriter and lead singer of the Ramones, was born in Forest Hills, New York.
1952: Barbara Joyce Lomas of B.T. Express ("Express") was born in Bessemer, Alabama.
1960: Phil Rudd, drummer for AC/DC, was born in Melbourne, Australia.
1962: Iain Harvie, guitarist with Del Amitri, was born in Glasgow, Scotland.
1970: Prince Be (Attrell Cordes) of P.M. Dawn was born in Jersey City, New Jersey.
1972: Jenny Berggren of Ace of Base was born in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Five Best Songs: Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan has always been the Master Storyteller. Here are the Five Best from Dylan:
1. "Like a Rolling Stone"
2. "Positively 4th Street"
3. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"
http://audiozealot.blogspot.com/2009/11/dylans-lily-rosemary-and-jack-of-hearts.html
Unfortunately, there are no YouTube videos of this song, so click on the link above to listen to this amazing song.
4. "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts"
5. "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"
1. "Like a Rolling Stone"
2. "Positively 4th Street"
3. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35"
http://audiozealot.blogspot.com/2009/11/dylans-lily-rosemary-and-jack-of-hearts.html
Unfortunately, there are no YouTube videos of this song, so click on the link above to listen to this amazing song.
4. "Lily, Rosemary, and the Jack of Hearts"
5. "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"
The #84 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--"Silk Degrees" by Boz Scaggs
This is the 17th album in our special countdown of the Top 100 Albums of All-Time in the Rock Era, and it belongs to Silk Degrees, the great album from Boz Scaggs. This was the seventh solo album from the former member of the Steve Miller Band. It was recorded in September of 1976.
Four singles were released from the album, the smash hits "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" and "What Can I Say" and "It's Over". "Georgia" has already been featured in this blog's Unknown/Underrated Song Feature. Boz wrote "We're All Alone" for Rita Coolidge and included his version on Silk Degrees. "What Do You Want the Girl To Do", "Harbor Lights" and "Love Me Tomorrow are other quality cuts from the album.
Scaggs plays guitar on the album with help from Fred Tackett of Little Feat and Louis Shelton. Shelton is one of the top session guitarists, having played for Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, John Lennon, Barbra Streisand, the Carpenters, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Kenny Rogers, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie to name a few. Les Dudek contributes slide guitar. Keyboard work is by David Paich and Steve Porcaro with alto sax by Bud Shank and saxophone from Plas Johnson. David Hungate is the bass player, Jeff Porcaro is on drums and percussion and additional percussion help from Joe Porcaro. Chuck Findley plays the Flugelhorn while the legendary Tom Scott, Dick Hyde, Jim Horn, Paul Hubinon and Vincent DeRosa play horns on the album. An interesting note is that Paich (a major songwriting contributor as you can see), Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro and David Hungate, who were Scaggs' musicians on Silk Degrees, all left to form the group Toto.
Silk Degrees was recorded at Davlon Sound studios and Hollywood Sound Studios. The album was recorded, mixed and engineered by Tom Perry and mastered by Doug Sax. It was produced by Joe Wissert and released in March of 1976 on Columbia Records.
Boz Scaggs has the #84 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--Silk Degrees.
Four singles were released from the album, the smash hits "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle" and "What Can I Say" and "It's Over". "Georgia" has already been featured in this blog's Unknown/Underrated Song Feature. Boz wrote "We're All Alone" for Rita Coolidge and included his version on Silk Degrees. "What Do You Want the Girl To Do", "Harbor Lights" and "Love Me Tomorrow are other quality cuts from the album.
Silk Degrees peaked at #2, spending 10 weeks inside the Top 10 and 115 total weeks. It has sold five million copies and has a Track Rating of 9.05. All of those figures are solid.
Besides the statistics that are quoted above, Silk Degrees was nominated for five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, Best Vocal by a Male and Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Male. Boz won one Grammy for Best R&B Song ("Lowdown".
- "What Can I Say" (Scaggs, David Paich) – 3:01
- "Georgia" (Scaggs) – 3:57
- "Jump Street" (Scaggs, Paich) – 5:14
- "What Do You Want the Girl to Do" (Allen Toussaint) – 3:53
- "Harbor Lights" (Scaggs) – 5:58
- "Lowdown" (Scaggs, Paich) – 5:18
- "It's Over" (Paich, Scaggs) – 2:52
- "Love Me Tomorrow" (Paich) – 3:17
- "Lido Shuffle" (Scaggs, Paich) – 3:44
- "We're All Alone" – 4:14
Scaggs plays guitar on the album with help from Fred Tackett of Little Feat and Louis Shelton. Shelton is one of the top session guitarists, having played for Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Neil Diamond, John Lennon, Barbra Streisand, the Carpenters, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, James Brown, Kenny Rogers, Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie to name a few. Les Dudek contributes slide guitar. Keyboard work is by David Paich and Steve Porcaro with alto sax by Bud Shank and saxophone from Plas Johnson. David Hungate is the bass player, Jeff Porcaro is on drums and percussion and additional percussion help from Joe Porcaro. Chuck Findley plays the Flugelhorn while the legendary Tom Scott, Dick Hyde, Jim Horn, Paul Hubinon and Vincent DeRosa play horns on the album. An interesting note is that Paich (a major songwriting contributor as you can see), Jeff Porcaro, Steve Porcaro and David Hungate, who were Scaggs' musicians on Silk Degrees, all left to form the group Toto.
Silk Degrees was recorded at Davlon Sound studios and Hollywood Sound Studios. The album was recorded, mixed and engineered by Tom Perry and mastered by Doug Sax. It was produced by Joe Wissert and released in March of 1976 on Columbia Records.
Boz Scaggs has the #84 Album of All-Time in the Rock Era--Silk Degrees.
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