Inside the Rock Era: 4/27/14

Saturday, May 3, 2014

This Date in Rock Music History: May 4

1956: Elvis Presley released the single "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You". (Note: several websites report the date of release as May 1 or May 12, and, while there are no "established" reliable sources, the website www.elvis-history-blog.com contains a pretty thorough account of the song's recording and release. They report that Elvis released the song on May 4, and that is the best information on the release date.)
1956: Gene Vincent recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula" at Owen Bradley's Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
1957: The first rock music show on television, Alan Freed's Rock 'n' Roll Revue, premiered on ABC-TV. Guests were the Del-Vikings, the Clovers, Guy Mitchell and Screamin' Jay Hawkins. (Note: some websites claim that a group called the Dell-Vikings were on the show. There is no such group. The proper spelling of the group is Del-Vikings.)
1959: The first Grammy Awards Show was presented at the Beverly Hills Hotels in Los Angeles and New York City. Volare" by Domenico Modugno received Record of the Year.

1959: Oh, for the long lost days when African-Americans used to contribute quality to music. Brook Benton landed a ninth straight week at #1 on the R&B chart with "It's Just A Matter Of Time".
1959: Johnny Horton recorded one of the biggest jumps in rock history, when "The Battle Of New Orleans" rose from 93-36 on this date.

Dave Cortez was one step away..

1959: The Fleetwoods continued to hold on to #1 for the fourth week with "Come Softly To Me". Dave "Baby" Cortez moved to #2 with "The Happy Organ".
1960: Bobby Rydell took viewers on a tour of his home on the television show American Bandstand.
1961: The Marcells had the #1 U.K. hit with "Blue Moon".
1963: He would go on to have 38 hits but on this date, the great Wilson Pickett debuted on the chart with his first hit--"If You Need Me".
1963: "Baby Workout" by the great Jackie Wilson was the new #1 on the R&B chart.
1963: Andy Williams held on to the top spot on the Easy Listening Chart for the fourth week with "Can't Get Used To Losing You".
1963: Surfin' U.S.A. became the first album by the Beach Boys to make the Album chart. Andy Williams was at #1 with Days of Wine and Roses, which would go on to top the chart for 16 weeks.
1963: The Crystals were on the move (80 to 53) with "Da Doo Ron Ron".

1964: The Moody Blues were formed in Erdington, Warwickshire, England. (Note: some websites report that the group was formed in Birmingham, England, some say they formed in Erdington, West Midlands, and some say Erdington, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Erdington is a suburb of Birmingham, and if one is talking about a city or town, there is no need to list the city that it is next to. Although Erdington is now part of the county of West Midlands, that designation began in 1974 with the Local Government Act. The Moodies formed in 1964, well before that time, when Erdington was located in the county of Warwickshire. According to the newspaper 'The Examiner', the Moody Blues formed in Erdington, Warwickshire, England.)
1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed on the U.K. television show Top of the Pops.
1968: The model Twiggy recommended Mary Hopkin to Paul McCartney, after she saw the 18-year-old Hopkin perform on a British talent show. McCartney produced Hopkin's smash "Those Were The Days" later that year.
1968: Steppenwolf appeared on American Bandstand.
1968: Bobby Goldsboro moved to #1 on the Adult chart with "Honey".

Hugo Montenegro did what no one currently can do: have a Top 10 instrumental...

1968: "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro was #1 for a fourth week in a row. The Box Tops couldn't budge with "Cry Like A Baby" while Gary Puckett & the Union Gap were stuck at 3 with "Young Girl". The Beatles peaked at #4 with "Lady Madonna". The rest of the Top 10: "Tighten Up" from Archie Bell & the Drells, James Brown remained stuck at 6 with "I Got The Feelin'", the Intruders with "Cowboys To Girls", Hugo Montenegro's great instrumental, "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly", the Rascals advanced from 19 to 9 with "A Beautiful Morning" and the Irish Rovers dropped in with "The Unicorn".
1969: John Lennon and Paul McCartney were on hand along with Ringo Starr for the London wrap party for The Magic Christian, which starred Peter Sellers and Starr, at the nightclub Les Ambassadeurs.

1970: In one of the most disturbing incidents in American history, the Ohio National Guard killed four students and wounded 11 others during an anti-Vietnam War protest at Kent State University. Neil Young was moved to write the epic song "Ohio", which he would record in the next few days with Crosby, Stills & Nash.
1973: Led Zeppelin debuted their new tour at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The tour would go on to gross $4 million, the biggest tour to that time.
1974: ABBA went to #1 in the U.K. with the song that had won the Eurovision contest, "Waterloo".
1974: "TSOP" by MFSB was the #1 Adult Contemporary hit.

1974: Grand Funk's version of "Locomotion" was the #1 song, taking over from "TSOP" by MFSB. "Bennie And The Jets" fell to #3 for Elton John while "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me" by Gladys Knight & the Pips was #4. The rest of the Top 10: "Dancing Machine" by the Jackson 5, Ray Stevens climbed to #6 with his hit "The Streak", the former #1 Hooked On A Feeling" by Blue Swede was at 7, the great instrumental "Tubular Bells" from The Exorcist was #8 for Mike Oldfield, Three Dog Night entered the Top 10 at #9 with "The Show Must Go On" and the Main Ingredient had #10 with "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely".

The title track from Grand Funk's new album...

1974: The Soundtrack to "The Sting" was the #1 album, toppling Chicago VII. John Denver's Greatest Hits fell to #3 with Cat Stevens' Buddha and the Chocolate Box at #4. The rest of the Top 10: Shinin' On from Grand Funk, Maria Muldaur at #6, Band on the Run by Paul McCartney & Wings, Tubular Bells from Mike Oldfield at #8, the great Goodbye Yellow Brick Road on its way down at #9 and the Doobie Brothers came in at 10 with What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.
1975: Elvis Presley was at the Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
1976: KISS chose Queens, New York for their first live performance. The group debuted at the Popcorn Club, which is now the Coventry.
1978: "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees held down #1 in the U.K.
1985: DeBarge enjoyed a brief one-week turn at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Rhythm Of The Night".
1985: U.S.A. for Africa had the new #1 on the R&B chart with "We Are The World".

Sade's first big hit had people asking "Who does that?!"

1985: "We Are The World" by U.S.A. for Africa continued to be the #1 song for the fourth week while Madonna remained at #2 with "Crazy For You" and DeBarge had #3 "Rhythm Of The Night". Simple Minds rose to #4 with "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from The Breakfast Club. The rest of the Top 10: "One Night In Bangkok" from Murray Head, "Obsession" by Animotion at #7, the Commodores at 8 with "Nightshift", Don Henley's hit "All She Wants To Do Is Dance" at #9 and Sade's first hit "Smooth Operator" closing out the Top 10.
1989: Stevie Ray Vaughan began what would be his last tour at the Orpheum in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1990: Madonna began the North American leg of her Blonde Ambition tour at the Summit in Houston, Texas. She began the world tour with nine shows in Japan prior to coming to North America.
1991: MC Hammer played at Wembley Arena in London.
1991: Phil Collins and Al Jarreau received honorary Doctors of Music degrees from Berklee College of Music.
1991: "Baby Baby" gave Amy Grant her first #1 Adult Contemporary hit.

1991: Amy Grant remained at #1 for a second week with "Baby Baby". Roxette stood ready to take over with "Joyride" while the Hi-Five edged up with "I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)". C + C Music Factory was at 4 with "Here We Go". The rest of the Top 10: Cathy Dennis with "Touch Me (All Night Long)", the Divinyls sang "I Touch Myself", Rick Astley with "Cry For Help", Rod Stewart scored his 13th career Top 10 and 42nd hit with "Rhythm Of My Heart", Wilson Phillips were on their way down with "You're In Love" and Mariah Carey was back with "I Don't Wanna' Cry".
1995: After a judge declared John Fogerty the winner in a copyright lawsuit, Fogerty was awarded $1.35 million.

1995: At a concert to remember the Kent State University shootings in 1970, Peter, Paul & Mary performed "Blowin' In The Wind".
1996: George Michael had the #1 song in the U.K. with "Fastlove".

We were introduced to the Gin Blossoms...

1996: Mariah Carey unbelievably achieved her 11th #1 song in 19 releases with "Always Be My Baby". All but one of those releases was a Top 10 song. Celine Dion finally fell after six weeks at the top with "Because You Loved Me". The only new Top 10 was the double-sided hit from the Gin Blossoms--"Follow You Down"/"Til' I Hear It From You".
1996: Alanis Morissette began six weeks on top the U.K. Album chart with her classic Jagged Little Pill.

1999: Toto was inducted into Hollywood's Rock Walk.
2000: KISS announced that it would auction off everything from their touring days.
2004: Ex-Guns 'N Roses members Slash and Duff McKagen sued lead singer Axl Rose, alleging that Rose turned down several offers to use songs by the group on movie soundtracks without consulting the rest of the band.
2008: Madonna had the #1 U.K. album with Hard Candy.
2008: Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen were inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. (Note: some websites mistakenly say the induction ceremony took place on May 5. The poor website owners apparently were confused when they saw newspaper reports on May 6 announcing the inductions. As most people know, newspapers are printed overnight, and contain news that happened the previous day. Sinatra and Springsteen were inducted on May 5, according to United Press International, the newspaper 'The New York Daily News', as well as 'Rolling Stone' magazine, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.)2011: Marie Osmond remarried Steve Craig 26 years after they divorced.

Born This Day:
1923: Ed Cassidy, drummer and co-founder of Spirit, was born in Harvey, Illinois; died of cancer December 6, 2012 in San Jose, California. (Note: some websites report Cassidy was born in Chicago, Illinois, but he was born in Harvey, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)
1928: Maynard Ferguson, who gave us one of rock's all-time top instrumentals, "Gonna' Fly Now", was born in Verdun (which is now part of Montreal), Quebec, Canada; died August 23, 2006 of kidney and liver failure brought on by an abdominal infection in Ventura, California.

1937: Dick Dale (real name Richard Anthony Monsour), early pioneer of the Rock Era and elite guitarist, was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
1938: Tyrone Davis ("Turn Back The Hands Of Time") was born in Greenville, Mississippi; died from complications of a stroke in Chicago, Illinois on February 9, 2005. (Note: some websites report Davis was born in Wilmont, Mississippi, a town near Greenville. 'MTV' and the newspaper 'The Guardian' say that Tyrone was born in Greenville.)

1941: Nickolas Ashford, great songwriter, producer and half of the duo Ashford & Simpson ("Solid") was born in Fairfield, South Carolina; died August 22, 2011 in New York City after battling throat cancer. Ashford and wife Valerie Simpson wrote many great Motown songs including 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing". (Note: some websites mistakenly say Ashford was born in 1942. The respected newspapers 'The Washington Post' and 'The New York Times' report that Ashford was born in 1941.)
1942: Ronnie Bond, drummer of the Troggs, was born in Andover, Hampshire, England; died November 13, 1992 in Winchester, Hampshire, England.
1944: Peggy Santiglia of the Angels ("My Boyfriend's Back") was born in Belleville, New Jersey.

1944: Richie Furay of Buffalo Springfield and Poco was born in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
1945: Georg Wadenius, guitarist, songwriter, singer and bassist of Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in Stockholm, Sweden.

1951: Mick Mars (real name Bob Deal), lead guitarist for Motley Crue, was born in Terre Haute, Indiana. (Note: some websites, including the notorious 'Allmusic.com', claim Mars was born in April 4, and some sites claim Mick was born in 1955 or 1956. Wrong, wrong, wrongo! Mars was born May 4, according to his daughter Stormy and her birth certificate.)
1951: Jackie Jackson (real name Sigmund) of the Jackson 5 was born in Gary, Indiana.
1951: Bruce Day, bass guitarist and vocalist of Pablo Cruise; died June 30, 1999 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
1953: Oleta Adams was born in Seattle, Washington.
1955: Robert Ellis Orrall, singer, songwriter and producer, was born in Winthrop, Massachusetts.
1961: Jay Aston, singer of Bucks Fizz, was born in Purley, Surrey, England. (Note: some websites report Aston was born in London. While there are no credible sources as to her birthplace, our best information indicates she was born in Purley.)

More songs like this, please

1970: Gregg Alexander, singer-songwriter, producer and frontman of New Radicals, who gave us the timeless song "You Get What You Give", was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
1972: Mike Dirnt, co-founder, bassist and backing vocalist of Green Day, was born in Berkeley, California.
1979: Lance Bass of 'N Sync was born in Laurel, Mississippi.

Featured Unknown/Underrated Song*: "Strange Way" By Firefall

"Strange Way" was a bit of a departure for Firefall, which had scored on romantic songs such as "You Are The Woman" and "Just Remember I Love You". Besides the approach the protagonist takes in the song, David Muse delivers a screaming flute solo.

"Strange Way" ran into competition such as "Kiss You All Over", "Reminiscing", "The Gambler", "Le Freak", "You Don't Bring Me Flowers", and Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park". Looking at that lineup, the #11 peak for "Strange Way" doesn't look so bad:

"Strange Way"

Firefall

Lyrics and Music by Rick Roberts

Didn't I hear you cry this mornin
didn't I feel you weep
Teardrops falling down on me
Like rivers in my sleep

In my dream of laughter
You came creeping with your tears
Telling me your sorrow
In the trace ends of your tears

That's a strange way to tell me you love me
When your sorrow is all I can see
If you just want to cry to somebody
Don't cry to me
No don't cry to me

Didn't I hear your voice this morning
Didn't you call my name
I heard you whisper softly
But the words were never plain

And in your dream of darkness
I came shinin like a sun
Waiting for the laughter
But the last I never caught
(Repeat Chorus)

Didn't you feel alone this mornin
didn't you need a friend
And in your darkest hour
You came runnin back again

In my dream of laughter
You came creeping with your tears
Telling me your sorrow
In the trace end of your tears

That's a strange way to tell me you love me
When your sorrow is all I can see
If you just want to cry to somebody
Don't cry to me
No don't cry to me
Don't cry to me
Don't cry to me
Don't cry to me

That's a strange way to tell me you love me
That's a strange way to tell me you love me
That's a strange way to tell me you love me

Didn't I hear you cry this mornin
didn't I feel you weep
Teardrops falling down on me
Like rivers in my sleep

In my dream of laughter
You came creeping with your tears
Telling me your sorrow
In the trace ends of your tears

That's a strange way to tell me you love me
When your sorrow is all I can see
If you just want to cry to somebody
Don't cry to me
No don't cry to me

Didn't I hear your voice this morning
Didn't you call my name
I heard you whisper softly
But the words were never plain
And in your dream of darkness
I came shinin like a sun
Waiting for the laughter
But the last I never caught
(Repeat Chorus)

Didn't you feel alone this mornin
didn't you need a friend
And in your darkest hour
You came runnin back again

In my dream of laughter
You came creeping with your tears
Telling me your sorrow
In the trace end of your tears

That's a strange way to tell me you love me
When your sorrow is all I can see
If you just want to cry to somebody
Don't cry to me
No don't cry to me
Don't cry to me
Don't cry to me
Don't cry to me

That's a strange way to tell me you love me
That's a strange way to tell me you love me
That's a strange way to tell me you love me
Read more at http://www.az.lyrics.com/strange-way-lyrics-firefall.html#QIBS8BD7x6Yfot7d.99

Friday, May 2, 2014

This Date in Rock Music History: May 3

1964: Gerry & the Pacemakers performed "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" for their television debut in the United States on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1965: The Beatles filmed sequences for their upcoming movie Help! on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England with the British Army’s Third Tank Division.

1967: The Hollies recorded "Carrie Anne" in two takes.
1967: Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys went to court on charges he evaded the draft.
1968: The Beach Boys opened a tour with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Shows opened with an unintelligible lecture by Yogi, and were a disaster for the group. The tour was cancelled after five dates, with 24 concerts cancelled.
1969: Jimi Hendrix was arrested at Toronto International Airport for possession of narcotics. He would die a little more than a year later, having not learned his lesson.

1969: The great Mercy song "Love (Can Make You Happy)" vaulted from #52 to #15 on this date.

Cover Aquarius Let the Sunshine in (Fifth Dimension)

1969: Now for some good news. It was week #4 at the top for "Aquarius"/"Let The Sunshine In" by the 5th Dimension. "It's Your Thing" climbed to #2 for the Isley Brothers while the Cowsills found themselves at 3 with "Hair". The rest of the Top 10: "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Blood, Sweat & Tears at #4, Jerry Butler's "Only The Strong Survive", Booker T & the MG's climbing to #6 with one of rock's all-time great instrumentals, "Time Is Tight", Tommy James & the Shondells moving to position #7 with "Sweet Cherry Wine", another great instrumental, "Hawai'i Five-O" entering the top 10 at #8 for the Ventures, Simon & Garfunkel's classic "The Boxer" moving from 16-9 and Glen Campbell sliding to #10 with "Galveston".

1971: Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds released the single "Don't Pull Your Love".
1971: Led Zeppelin performed "Four Sticks" live for the only time of their career at K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen.

1973: Diana Ross released the single "Touch Me In The Morning".

1975: The Carpenters had yet another #1 Adult Contemporary song (the 12th of their career) with "Only Yesterday".
1975: Barry White scored a #1 R&B song with "What Am I Gonna' Do With You".
1975: The great sound of Chicago propelled the group from #68 to 43 on this date with "Old Days".

The Ozarks with their great summertime hit...

1975: There were some great songs entering the Top 10 but first--the #1 song on this date--"He Don't Love You (Like I Love You) from Tony Orlando & Dawn. B.J. Thomas found himself at #2 with "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song". The rest of the Top 10: Freddy Fender's "Before The Next Teardrop Falls", Elton John's former #1 "Philadelphia Freedom" at 4, Sammy Johns rose to #5 with "Chevy Van", the Ozark Mountain Daredevils rose from 14 to 6 with "Jackie Blue", Earth, Wind & Fire entered the Top 10 with "Shining Star", the Blackbyrds easy-going hit "Walking In Rhythm" was at #8, Leo Sayer had #9 with "Long Tall Glasses" and the Carpenters shot up from 21-10 with "Only Yesterday".
1976: Paul McCartney performed in the United States for the first time in 10 years as the Wings Over America tour premiered at the Tarrant County Convention Hall in Fort Worth, Texas.
1976: Paul Simon, Jimmy Cliff and Phoebe Snow teamed up for a benefit concert for the New York Public Library.
1978: The movie FM opened in Los Angeles.

1980: "Lost In Love" by Air Supply regained the #1 spot on the Adult Contemporary chart (It would spend six weeks there.)

"Her Strut", one of the Top Tracks* on Seger's new album...

1980: Against the Wind from Bob Seger was the new #1 album in the land. Pink Floyd was bumped out with The Wall while Billy Joel had Glass Houses at #3. The rest of the Top 10: Mad Love from Linda Ronstadt at #4, the Brothers Johnson were at #5 with Light Up the Night, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall was at 6, the Soundtrack to "American Gigolo" landed at #7, Journey's Departure was #8, Van Halen had #9, Women and Children First, and the debut from Christopher Cross entered the Top10 on his birthday.
1980: Blondie achieved a third week at #1 with "Call Me". An amazing Top Five included "Ride Like The Wind" from Christopher Cross, Air Supply's "Lost In Love", Billy Preston & Syreeta's touching "With You I'm Born Again" and Pink Floyd with "Another Brick In The Wall".

1986: Dollywood (Dolly Parton's theme park) opened its gates in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
1986: Whitney Houston remained at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Greatest Love Of All".
1986: Robert Palmer earned a #1 song with "Addicted To Love". The Pet Shop Boys reached #2 with "West End Girls" while former #1 "Kiss" was third for Prince & the Revolution. Van Halen had a #4 hit with "Why Can't This Be Love". The rest of the Top 10: "Harlem Shuffle" from the Rolling Stones", Janet Jackson sang "What Have You Done For Me Lately", Whitney Houston was up from 12 to 7 with "Greatest Love Of All", the Outfield moved to 8 with "Your Love", Phil Collins had another hit with "Take Me Home" and the Bangles were on their way down with "Manic Monday".
1991: Texas Governor Ann Richards proclaimed it ZZ Top day in Texas.
1991: Andy Williams married Debbie Haas in New York City.
1994: The Rolling Stones promoted their upcoming Voodoo Lounge tour by sailing a boat down the Hudson River in New York City.
1997: Katrina and the Waves won the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Ireland by performing "Love Shine A Light".
2000: In today's episode of Inmates Run Rap Music, DMX was sentenced to 15 days in jail for drug possession, driving without a license and unpaid parking tickets.
2004: Former Smith's singer Morrissey began his solo career at the Apollo Theater in New York City.
2008: Mariah Carey had the #1 album E=MC2.

Born This Day:

1903: Bing Crosby (real name Harry Lillis) was born in Tacoma, Washington; died October 14, 1977 of a heart attack in La Moraleja, Spain.

1919: Pete Seeger, one of the greatest folk singers ever, member of the Weavers, mentor to countless folk musicians, and writer of songs such as "We Shall Overcome", "Where Have All The Flowers Gone", "Turn! Turn! Turn!" and "If I Had a Hammer", was born in Manhattan, New York; died in his sleep January 27, 2014 in Manhattan.
1924: Jane Morgan ("Fascination" from 1957) was born in Newton, Massachusetts.

1933: James Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina; died December 5, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia from congestive heart failure brought on by complications of pneumonia. (Note: we have conflicting books--the book 'Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever' by Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz says Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina, while the book 'Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop' by Frank Hoffmann says James was born in Macon, Georgia. Gotta' go against the rap and hip-hop book, especially since the official James Brown website reports that he was born in Barnwell. Boy, the poor rap and hip-hop culture can't get anything right...)

1934: Frankie Valli, (Francis Castelluccio), leader of the Four Seasons and a solo performer, was born in Newark, New Jersey.
1938: Napoleon XIV (real name Jerry Samuels), who had the novelty hit "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" was born in, where else, New York City.

1950: Mary Hopkin ("Those Were The Days") was born in Pontardawe, Wales.

1951: Christopher Geppert (Christopher Cross) was born in San Antonio, Texas.
1959: David Ball of Soft Cell ("Tainted Love") was born in Blackpool, Lancashire, England.
1971: Josey Scott, lead vocalist of Saliva, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
1981: Farrah Franklin of Destiny's Child was born in Des Moines, Iowa.

Jessica Cleaves Has Died

Jessica Cleaves, who was one responsible for that groovy "I can dig it, he can dig it
She can dig it, we can dig it, They can dig it, you can dig it..." section of "Grazing In The Grass" by the Friends of Distinction, has passed away at the age of 65.

Cleaves also worked with Earth, Wind & Fire and George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic.

Jessica, the memories you helped create will live far beyond your years.

Dates of Beatles First Releases

There has been a good deal of confusion concerning exactly which Beatles song was released on which date, and part of the problem stems from the fact that the group became popular in Great Britain long before they caught on in the United States. The exact dates of U.S. releases seems to have been lost for several years, but researchers in 2004 are confident they uncovered the correct dates. We'll try to clear up the confusion.

First, we must all keep in mind that record companies release many singles per day, although generally they are timed to get to radio stations on Monday or Tuesday so that said radio station can add it to their playlist and get it reported to the trade papers for publication by that weekend. That said, it is sometimes difficult to ascertain the exact release date of a single.

In the case of the Beatles, however, where attention to detail is very important, many people have researched this information, and the most commonly reported dates of release are as follows:

"Love Me Do"

First released in the U.K.: October 5, 1962

First released in the U.S.: April 27, 1964

"Please Please Me"

First released in the U.K.: January 11, 1963

First released in the U.S.: February 7, 1963 (Promo Copy had Beatles misspelled)

(Note: Capitol Records, who infamously said "We don't think the Beatles will make it in this market", refused to release the early Beatles songs, even though they were the EMI affiliate of Parlophone Records in Great Britain. Vee Jay Records in Chicago, Illinois stepped up to release the song in the United States. It received some airplay but went nowhere on the national charts. Then, one week after "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was finally released by Capitol, and anticipating the upcoming Beatles trip to America, Vee Jay re-released the single on January 3, 1964. This time, it caught on, becoming the fourth Beatles hit to peak (after the double-sided "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "I Saw Her Standing There" and the #1 smash "She Loves You".)

"From Me To You"

First released in the U.K.: April 11, 1963

First released in the U.S.: May 27, 1963

This song didn't catch on either at first in the U.S. on Vee Jay Records, but on January 3, 1964, was re-released as the "B" side to "Please Please Me". It charted this time, but was a very underrated #41.

"She Loves You"

First released in the U.K.: August 23, 1963

First released in the U.S.: September 16, 1963

Capitol again refused to release "She Loves You", and the Beatles had a problem with Vee Jay, which wasn't paying them their royalties in time. So manager Brian Epstein found Swan Records to release the single. It didn't do anything the first time either, but, when "I Want To Hold Your Hand" clicked, Swan re-released the song on January 25, 1964, and this time, the song went to #1.

"I Want To Hold Your Hand"

First released in the U.K.: November 29, 1963

First released in the U.S.: December 26, 1963

Thus, "Love Me Do" was the first Beatles single in the U.K., while "Please Please Me" was the first single released in the United States. But, since it went nowhere the first time, the first Beatles hit was "I Want To Hold Your Hand", which caught on almost immediately. That song set the stage for everything else that followed, with the Beatles landing a phenomenal 30 hits in 1964 alone.

Top Track: CCR's "Bootleg"

Creedence came and went so quickly, yet in five short years, accumulated as impressive a resume as nearly anyone else in the Rock Era. But their success and talent goes far beyond the five or six hit singles they would score on each album. That is where the Top Tracks* category comes in, where we feature songs that may not be huge hits, but stand out nevertheless.

This is taken from CCR's 1969 album Bayou Country:

Artists Who Have Mastered The R&B And Popular Charts

One thing record companies and radio stations look for is "mass appeal" hits--those that appeal to a good cross-section of people. Segmented songs are great, but they appeal to a much smaller audience, and thus don't bring in the audience or the album sales that the across-the-board songs do.

These are the artists who have crossed over to huge success, from the R&B charts to the Popular charts. They have scored 10 ore more Top 10 R&B hits and 10 or more Popular hits.

By the way, "featured artists" which have become the "in" thing recently in music, are great and very communal, but a "featured artist" isn't the main artist of a song, so only the main artist gets credit for a Top 10 song. There are thousands of musicians who have played on or sung on big hits, but they cannot be considered as top artists because they weren't the ones with the record contract for which their success is gauged. While these days it is necessary for several performers to combine in order to have a hit song, one performer used to be good enough on their own merit to have that hit.

There are a few surprises--Rihanna certainly has enough Top 10 hits to make the list, but she doesn't have 10 Top 10 R&B hits. The Pointer Sisters are another act in this category--great success overall, but less than 10 Top 10 R&B songs. Earth, Wind & Fire are a disappointment to not make it--they easily have 10 Top R&B hits, but only seven overall Top 10 hits. I thought they were a certainty, but then when you realize that great songs like "That's The Way Of The World", "Getaway" and "Fantasy" did not make the Top 10 (Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*), you see that radio blew it with this group.

James Brown is one of the legends of R&B music, but only seven Top 10 hits with the broader audience. JB had 99 single releases, but only seven Top 10, one of the worst batting averages of the Rock Era.

On the other hand, these artists mastered both charts--they put out great R&B music that were mass appeal songs: