Casey Kasem American Top 40

[RGMike]

Ah, that '70s show starts with the Village Peeps, wantin' you to feel they body, baby!

VHM the Money Man at #38 with the rare single version of "2 Tickets..." -- it's a completely different version from the LP cut; he re-recorded it for 45 release and this take is now very hard to find.

WOS1 Boney M, one of the most worthless groups ever to sell a gazillion records. Eurotrash personified.

But speaking of rare 45s, BOS1 Chris Rea with the original recording of "Fool If You Think It's Over", which is apparentlly lost to the ages unless you own one of the copies from back then. Most of his many GH collections have inferior re-recordings.

[RGMike]

Damn, I haven't heard the Rita Coolidge-goes-disco of "You" since '78. Thank gawd.

VHM Evelyn "Bubbles" King's "Shame"; BOS2 Todd-is-Godd, "Can We Still Be Friends?"

VHM Macca for telling Linda to sit down and shut up in "I've Had Enough".

[RGMike]

Exile overkill:  AL played "Kiss You All Over" on Thursday. Bob played it on the Drive yesterday. Austin "Bob" was playing it last nite when I tuned in for their "9 @ 9". And here it is as a Casey "extra". I never need to hear it again. Evah.

Babs' "Songbird" nearly put me to sleep -- and I'm standing up! Mr Browne & Co want you to "Stay", shoo-bop-showaddy.

Hurry the bottle, mama: the FM sndtk made more money than the godawful movie.  Damn, that was a VERY short edited version, Casey. BOS3 "Bluer Than Blue"; BOS4 "It's a Heartache".

[RGMike]

VHM Toby Beau's sweet "My Angel Baby", ripping off "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" (which they'd later cover as payback), but in a way you can't really get mad at, if that makes sense.  Will always remember seeing them open for Bob Seger that fall (Nassau Coliseum) -- they were very much in a Poco/early Eagles vein. They seemed so thrilled to have hit the big time -- too bad it didn't last.

[Tinka Cat]

Damn, I haven't heard the Rita Coolidge-goes-disco of "You" since '78. Thank gawd.

Disco rules! ... the bottom part of the chart, that is. 

I saw Rita Coolidge at the Rochester Lilac Festival back in May -- there were DOZENS of people there! -- I can't recall if she did You, but it's pleasant enough.  I suppose if you're a RC fan, you'd expect her voice to flow nice and easy and smooth and never really get crazy.  Same here.

Thank God It's Friday sounds exactly what you'd expect from a theme song hoping to make the jump from movies to a TV show.  ugh.

[RGMike]

the '80s begin with a warm VHM to Herb Alpert's "Route 101".  Then Jennifer Hudson Holliday says "Ah am tellin' you -- ah'm not starvin'!"



VHM HC100, "L+1".

I totally do not remember Eye To Eye's "Nice Girls" -- nice girls finish at #37, this unmemorable song's peak position.

and now we begin a bum stretch that features lesser H&O ("Your Imagination"), APP, Genesis eating off a Paper(p)late and Glenn Frey straining for solo success. He'd have to wait for Miami Vice to rescue him in a few years. WOS1 to his "I Found Somebody"

And another song/artist I barely remember: Leslie Pearl, "If the Love Fits, Wear It". Nice story about how "Walk Away Renee" turned her on to pop music; her song is typical early-'80s AC fodder.

[RGMike]

Oh the horror! WOS2 the Larry Elgart Orch. and their big-band-with-a-clap-track claptrap.  Kim Wilde's "Kids in America" sounds even better than usual after that monstrosity -- I'll even forgive the reference to "East California".

VHM the Pointers with one of their underrated singles of the period, "American Music" -- I'm surprised no one attempted a country cover of this, woulda been perfect for any number of then-current C&W acts.

Eddie Money was an Oakland resident in '82? Um... WHY?? BOS1 Gary US Bonds' even-more-relevant-today "Out of Work". Speaking of country covers, maybe Kenny Chesney or Big & Rich could revive this one.  More country: VHM Kenny Rogers' "Love Will Turn You Around".

BOS2 the Gap Band, "Early in the Morning", which would be covered nicely by Robert Palmer later in the decade.

[RGMike]

BOS3 to sweet Melissa M, channeling the Cars on the unjustly forgotten "You Should Hear How You Might Think Your Best Friend's Girl Talks About You".

And another I-barely-remember-this-one to Rick Springfield, whose "What Kind Of Fool Am I" is spending its fifth consecutive week at #21 (!)

VHM Karla Bonoff's lovely "Personally"; WOS3 Journey's "Still They Ride"

Honeysuckle chocolate-drippin' HM to Stevie's "Do I Do".

Come on, WHIP! Come on, WHIP!  BOS4 the mighty Dazz Band.

[Gazoo]

My thoughts mostly mirrored yours, Mike.  I'm glad for the sheer number of NTMs I heard, even if I ended up not liking most of them:

Herb Alpert, "Route 101"
Eye to Eye, "Nice Girls"
H&O, "Your Imagination" (the only slipup in what was otherwise a streak of 13 straight Top 10 hits)
Glen Frey, "I Found Somebody" (hey, at least it wasn't as noxious as "Sexy Girl")
Leslie Pearl, "If the Love Fits Wear It"
Gary U.S. Bonds, "Out of Work" (PS: I don't want John Rich covering this; he turned out to be an asshole)
Rick Springfield, "What Kind of Fool Am I"

But BOS to my favorite Air Supply song, with VHM to Macca's "Take It Away."

[RGMike]

Gary U.S. Bonds, "Out of Work" (PS: I don't want John Rich covering this; he turned out to be an asshole)

Well, yes, he did. But I am somewhat fascinated by the fact that GUSB could sing that song in '82 with a shout-out to Reagan and be considered lefty/union/blue-collar, but some country artist could do it today and be considered a Tea Party Hero.

[RGMike]

This weeks headses upses:

That '70s show goes to 1970 for the 2nd time in a month! Aug 8th 1970:

http://www.charismusicgroup.com/Cue%20Sheets/08-08-70.pdf

and the '80s version is from Aug 9th 1986:

http://www.charismusicgroup.com/Cue%20Sheets/08-09-86.pdf

I surely have not heard Rod the Mod's "Love Touch" since 1986.

[RGMike]

As the psychiatrist said to Mr & Mrs Turner, the parents of a 16-year-old who refused to act like a teenager: "Don't worry.. I can teen a Turner."

VHM I&TT, takin' you higher.

uber-BOS Jr Walker with one of his unjustly forgotten hits, "Do You See My Love (For You Growing)". Fabulous production.

VHM the Guess Who and their fuzzy-wuzzy love-n-touch explosion. Or something.

watch out, Gaz: here comes Mountain.

[RGMike]

BOS2 more forgotten Motown: the post-Diana Supes, who say "Everybody's Got The Right To Love". And Judge Walker agrees!

VHM the Lost Generation, "The Sly, The Slick, The Wicked (wickedwickedwicked)"

WOS Neighborhood's cheezeball cover of "Big Yellow Taxi"

Always a BOS(3) for the (3) Degrees, gettin' all un-hinged on "Maybe" -- short version, unfortunately. Better than getting un-heezed, I guess.

[RGMike]

TANC: after we discussed Candi Staton covering "Something's Burning" yesterday, here's Kenny & the Edition's "Tell it All Brother" -- I'd've loved for the Staples to have done a version of this.

CSNY teach they chilluns; Melanie and the Hawkinses make another appearance -- short version this time. But if you lay down candles in the rain, they'll be snuffed out, no?

VHMs to PG&E, Robin McNamara and the late Ronnie Dyson.

and BOS-in-perpetuity to JB. Can ah count it off?

[Tinka Cat]

WOS Neighborhood's cheezeball cover of "Big Yellow Taxi"

oh lord, that was painful.  Felt like they were channeling Up With People and Lawrence Welk's singers.  I've never heard that before, and I know why!

but otherwise what a great chart,  tons of great stuff as Mike points out.  I'm trying to record this right now.  might have a file to share at some point.


#40.  Groovy Situation  -  Gene Chandler
#39.  Gimme Dat Ding  -  Pipkins
#38.  I Want To Take You Higher  -  Ike & Tina Turner
#37.  A Song Of Joy  -  Miguel Rios
#36.  Do You See My Love For You Growing  -  Junion Walker & The All-Stars
#35.  Hand Me Down World  -  Guess Who
#34.  Mississippi Queen  -  Mountain
#33.  Silver Bird  -  Mark Lindsay
#32.  Everybody's Got The Right  -  Supremes
#31.  The Sly, The Slick & The Wicked  -  Lost Generation
#30.  Big Yellow Taxi  -  Neighborhood
#29.  Maybe  -  Three Degrees
#Extra:Please, Mr. Postman - Marvelettes
#28.  Summertime Blues  -  Who
#27.  25 Or 6 To 4  -  Chicago
#26.  Ride Captain Ride  -  Blues Image
#25.  Overture From Tommy  -  Assembled Multitude
#24.  Westbound #9  -  Flaming Ember
#23.  Patches  -  Clarence Carter
#Extra:Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Polka Dot Bikini - Bryan Hyland
#22.  Tell It All Brother  -  Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
#21.  Teach Your Children  -  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
#20.  Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)  -  Melanie
#19.  Hitchin' A Ride  -  Vanity Fare
#18.  Are You Ready?  -  Pacific Gas & Electric
#17.  Lay A Little Lovin' On Me  -  Robin Mcnamara
#16.  (If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You - Ronnie Dyson
#15.  Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine  -  James Brown
#Extra:Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
#14.  Ohio  -  Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
#13.  I Just Can't Help Believin'  -  B.J. Thomas
#12.  In The Summertime  -  Mungo Jerry
#11.  War  -  Edwin Starr
#10.  O-O-H Child  -  5 Stairsteps
#Extra:Can't Get Used To Losing You - Andy Williams
#9.  Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)  -
#8.  The Love You Save  -  Jackson 5
#7.  Tighter, Tighter  -  Alive & Kicking
#6.  Mama Told Me (Not To Come)  -  Three Dog Night
#5.  Band Of Gold  -  Freda Payne
#4.  Spill The Wine  -  Eric Burdon & War
#3.  Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)  -  Stevie Wonder
#Extra:Calcutta - Lawrence Welk
#2.  Make It With You  -  Bread
#1.  (They Long To Be) Close To You  -  Carpenters