Casey Kasem American Top 40

[RGMike]

listening here and there to Tulsa's June 22, 1974 set (aired 9-noon PDT)  I missed most of it, but I know we've heard this recently:

#33 “SON OF SAGITTARIUS” – Eddie Kendricks   - at one point I thought he was singing "son of Secretariat"

Bwhahahaha!  Actually, "Son Of Secretariat" was a Huey Lewis/Chris Isaak duet

[RGMike]

Poor Miss Ross, struggling to find her way after "Ain't No Mtn High Enuf" hit #1: The fab "Remember Me" deserved better than #16, and here's the not-bad "Surrender", a week away from its #38 peak.

The Night-Liters "K-Jee" is one of the most enduring instrumentals of the period; I just heard it as a bed on KNBR the other day. But I'd forgotten how monotonous Peoples Choice's "I Likes To Do It" is -- especially when it appears back-to-back with James Brown's "Hot Pants".

The Stampeders' "Sweet City Woman" is right up there with Ray Stevens' "Misty" for Best Banjos on a Top 40 Hit, Ever. And who'd've guessed Paul Stookey would be the only member of PP&M to hit the 40 solo, with the lovely "Wedding Song (There is Love)".  Peter Yarrow, OTOH, would write a #1 for someone else: all-time Gaz HFH "Torn Between Two Lovers".

[RGMike]

The Guess Who's odd "Raindance" seems a cousin of "Albert Flasher". Where'd ya get the gun, John?

And -- TANC -- here's Ms King's "So Far Away", and indeed as I suggested the other day "Smackwater Jack" was the B-side. BOS1.

VHM Bobby Russell, "Saturday Morning Confusion", which sounds like something he wrote with Roger Miller in mind. Dunno if he was Mr Vicki Lawrence yet in '71. But I know he's not the "Bobby" JB is talkin' to in "Make it Funky"!

And another VHM to ONJ's "If Not For You" -- much-hated by the uber-hip in 1971, but as our intro to Olivia's lovely voice, I think it's still quite sweet. From a first to a last: Stevie's exuberant "If You Really Love Me" was his last Motown hit before taking over his own career on Music Of My Mind. But there is no earthly explanation for the international success of "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep".

[RGMike]

VHM George's "Bangla Desh", a fab Harrison/Spector co-production, even if he struggles mightily to rhyme "Desh", "mess", and "distress".

But at least I can understand what he's saying, unlike Fogerty and his Swedish-a Hikah.

[RGMike]

The Carpenters debut all the way up at #17, with one of several songs here that I think of as being from the summer of '71, when they clearly didn't chart until Sept. BOS2 Karen's haunting vocal on "Superstar", nearly making me believe she's a groupie.  A really chaste, clean-cut groupie from Orange County.

And the 45 edit of "Won't Get Fooled Again" remains an abomination.

[RGMike]

BOS3 Ms Baez, daring to sing "TNTDODD" sans gender-change.

Best Casey tidbit: Macca is becoming "the first ex-Beatle to form a new permanent group of his own -- it doesn't have a name yet".

[RGMike]

Anybody wanna buy a used brate? 'Cause I just wanna sell one.

[kahunaburger]

This week Casey's '70s visits September 1971!
http://www.oldies1033.com/pages/5137077.php?
Miss Ross surrenders, JB gets Hotpants, BS&T go down, Bobby Russell has a confused Saturday, The Partidges wake up in love, and the Honey Cone get stuck-up.
James Brown has 2 singles in the 40, in fact, and so does George Harrison, whose own "Bangla Desh" battles with ONJ's underrated cover of "If Not For You".

The playlist including the three 'AT40 Extras':
"American Top 40" from September 11, 1971
#40 “SURRENDER” – Diana Ross
#39 “ K-JEE” – Nite-Liters
#38 “I LIKES TO DO IT” – People’s Choice
#37 “HOT PANTS PT. 1” – James Brown
#36 “GO DOWN GAMBLIN’” – Blood, Sweat & Tears
#35 “SWEET CITY WOMAN” – The Stampeders
#34 “WEDDING SONG (THERE IS LOVE)” – Paul Stookey
#33 “RAIN DANCE” – The Guess Who
#32 “SO FAR AWAY” – Carole King
#31 “SATURDAY MORNING CONFUSION” – Bobby Russell
#30 “MAKE IT FUNKY (PART 1)” – James Brown
#29 “IF NOT FOR YOU” – Olivia Newton-John
#28 “IF YOU REALLY LOVE ME” – Stevie Wonder
#27 “CHIRPY CHIRPY CHEEP CHEEP” – Mac & Katie Kissoon
AT40 EXTRA: "YO-YO" -The Osmonds
#26 “THE STORY IN YOUR EYES” – The Moody Blues
#25 “RIDERS ON THE STORM” – The Doors
#24 “TIRED OF BEING ALONE” – Al Green
#23 “BANGLA DESH” – George Harrison
#22 “SWEET HITCH-HIKER” – Creedence Clearwater Revival
#21 “MR. BIG STUFF” – Jean Knight
#20 “DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN” – Lee Michaels
#19 “BEGINNINGS” – Chicago
#18 “I WOKE UP THIS MORNING” – The Partridge Family
#17 “SUPERSTAR” – The Carpenters
#16 “WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN” – The Who
#15 “MERCY MERCY ME (THE ECOLOGY)” – Marvin Gaye
#14 “STICK UP” – Honey Cone
#13 “LIAR” – Three Dog Knight
AT40 EXTRA: "ALL DAY MUSIC" - War
#12 “THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN” – Joan Baez
#11 “WATCHA SEE IS WATCHA GET” – The Dramatics
#10 “MAGGIE MAY” – Rod Stewart
#9 “SIGNS” – The Five Man Electrical Band
#8 “TAKE ME HOME, COUNTRY ROADS” – John Denver & Fat City
#7 “I JUST WANT TO CELEBRATE” – Rare Earth
#6 “HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART?” – The Bee Gees
#5 “UNCLE ALBERT/ADMIRAL HALSEY” – Paul & Linda McCartney
#4 “AIN’T NO SUNSHINE” – Bill Withers
#3 “SMILING FACES SOMETIMES” – The Undisputed Truth
AT40 EXTRA: "ONE FINE MORNING" - Lighthouse
#2 “SPANISH HARLEM” – Aretha Franklin
#1 “GO AWAY LITTLE GIRL” – Donny Osmond

   Worst song on another wise great countdown is "Saturday Morning Confusion". Dreck!!!   Hard to pick a favorite from so many classic songs but I'll go with "Signs" (all those long haired freaky people!).  "So Far Away" brings back great special memories of a love lost, long ago but not forgotten!!!

[kahunaburger]

The Carpenters debut all the way up at #17, with one of several songs here that I think of as being from the summer of '71, when they clearly didn't chart until Sept. BOS2 Karen's haunting vocal on "Superstar", nearly making me believe she's a groupie.  A really chaste, clean-cut groupie from Orange County.

And the 45 edit of "Won't Get Fooled Again" remains an abomination.

    Karen did right by Leon Russell with "Superstar".  Her and Richard took a lot of flack when they were at their peak.  It blows she didn't get the respect and attention to her beautiful voice while she was alive.

[Tinka Cat]

The Carpenters debut all the way up at #17, with one of several songs here that I think of as being from the summer of '71, when they clearly didn't chart until Sept. BOS2 Karen's haunting vocal on "Superstar", nearly making me believe she's a groupie.  A really chaste, clean-cut groupie from Orange County.

And the 45 edit of "Won't Get Fooled Again" remains an abomination.

    Karen did right by Leon Russell with "Superstar".  Her and Richard took a lot of flack when they were at their peak.  It blows she didn't get the respect and attention to her beautiful voice while she was alive.

I think she did get that attention.  They were one of the early 70s top groups.  Critics (and other performers, Bette Midler comes to mind) might have poked fun at their squeaky clean image, but the public certainly liked them.

What she didn't get was kind of help she (apparently) needed to avoid succumbing to her eating disorder.  I understand her family did try to help help, and she was hospitalized at times, but maybe her management -- and her own drive to succeed as a performer -- put her back into the spotlight too soon.  It's sad. 

I remember Joan Rivers telling a Karen Carpenter joke after she died, cheap laugh. The audience booed, then Joan said "Oh grow up!  How many of you cared at all about her when she was suffering?" which sort of shamed the audience into some contrite applause. 

[Tinka Cat]

there was a discussion Friday on the KFOG 10at10 about self-reflexive songs, and this week's chart has one:  Lee Michaels' Do You Know What I Mean?

And then she said
Lee you haven't loved me in nearly four years
You haven't noticed that I held back my tears 

[RGMike]

there was a discussion Friday on the KFOG 10at10 about self-reflexive songs, and this week's chart has one:  Lee Michaels' Do You Know What I Mean?

And then she said
Lee you haven't loved me in nearly four years
You haven't noticed that I held back my tears 

I always wondered if that meant he hadn't been *in* love with her for 4 years, or if he literally hadn't *made* love to her in 4 years. Either way, it's a little late for him to be upset about her "steppin' out" with another dude.

Belated VHM to Gaz's beloved Partridges. And all hail Queen Ree-Ree, surpassing Connie Francis' gold-45 total.  Fun Chart Fact: we just missed out on hearing Glass Bottle's "I Ain't Got Time Anymore" (subject of a Morey 10@10 Quiz once upon a time) and another Gaz fave, Free Movement's "I've Found Someone of My Own".

[Wayback]

there was a discussion Friday on the KFOG 10at10 about self-reflexive songs, and this week's chart has one:  Lee Michaels' Do You Know What I Mean?
And then she said
Lee you haven't loved me in nearly four years
You haven't noticed that I held back my tears 

And there's Stevie Wonder's I Was Made To Love Her, 1967:
Ooo baby, I was made to please her,
You know Stevie ain't gonna leave her, no,
Hey, hey, hey.

[kahunaburger]

there was a discussion Friday on the KFOG 10at10 about self-reflexive songs, and this week's chart has one:  Lee Michaels' Do You Know What I Mean?

And then she said
Lee you haven't loved me in nearly four years
You haven't noticed that I held back my tears 

   I wonder if Lee went on to build his big cat reserve.  Way cool!!!

[RGMike]

there was a discussion Friday on the KFOG 10at10 about self-reflexive songs, and this week's chart has one:  Lee Michaels' Do You Know What I Mean?

And then she said
Lee you haven't loved me in nearly four years
You haven't noticed that I held back my tears 

   I wonder if Lee went on to build his big cat reserve.  Way cool!!!

he later changed his name to Sigfried and married a guy named Roy...