Casey Kasem American Top 40

[Gazoo]

The '80s recap wasn't terribly interesting.  The only songs I hadn't heard in recent times were Kenny Rogers' "Lady" and Captain & Tennille's "Do That to Me One More Time," the latter feeling out of place here.  The big surprise for me was that the only song that missed #1 here was JC's "Hurts So Good" - Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You," with its 8 or so weeks at #2, somehow missed.

[SFGuy]

There certainly seems to be a major different in Casey's DJ style between his first show and his last in 1988 .

[RGMike]

There certainly seems to be a major different in Casey's DJ style between his first show and his last in 1988 .

Yeah, the syrupy Casey of a thousand sappy Long-Distance Dedications evolved over time. But even between '70 and '75 (which is when I first heard the first show, on the 5th anniv) he had slowed down and warmed up quite a bit.  Because they found that that was what worked. In the beginning they were trying to get affiliates signed up and I guess they figured people wanted a more typical fast-talking, wise-cracking Top 40 DJ.  But check out Casey in 1964 with his height-of-Beatlemania novelty recording "Letter From Elaina":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf3pb-DPYQ0

[RGMike]

OMFG: from that other AT40 message board, in re: today's 1970 first-show-ever...

"Now for some nit-picking trivia...Did anybody notice a musician named James was twice referred in two different hits? At #34 John Phillips says 'Do it to me, James' while at #9 Elvis says 'Play it, James'.

And... they're the same person!"

http://www.james-burton.net/

[SFGuy]

OMFG: from that other AT40 message board, in re: today's 1970 first-show-ever...

"Now for some nit-picking trivia...Did anybody notice a musician named James was twice referred in two different hits? At #34 John Phillips says 'Do it to me, James' while at #9 Elvis says 'Play it, James'.

And... they're the same person!"

http://www.james-burton.net/

Reading some of the posts from their message board, they ARE bigger nerds for AT40 than this board.

[RGMike]

This week's Casey's '70s goes to July 11th 1976

http://www.charismusicgroup.com/Cue%20Sheets/07-11-76.pdf

OMG -- the 4 Seasons' "Silver Star" in its brief Top 40 appearance!

and the '80s chart is from July 7th 1984

http://www.charismusicgroup.com/Cue%20Sheets/07-07-84.pdf

don't miss the beginning of that '84 show -- Robin Gibb's "Boys Do Fall in Love" at #40 is a fave forgotten 45 from that era which deserved much better chartwise, IMHO.

[Gazoo]

Robin Gibb's "Boys Do Fall in Love" at #40 is a fave forgotten 45 from that era which deserved much better chartwise, IMHO.

And it didn't do better because people mentally finished the sentence with "with each other."  But I dug it at the time.

[Gazoo]

OMFG: from that other AT40 message board, in re: today's 1970 first-show-ever...

"Now for some nit-picking trivia...Did anybody notice a musician named James was twice referred in two different hits? At #34 John Phillips says 'Do it to me, James' while at #9 Elvis says 'Play it, James'.

And... they're the same person!"

http://www.james-burton.net/

That bit of trivia is going to come in handy for me someday.

[RGMike]

'76 in effect: ED&JFC ain't talkin' 'bout the linen, y'all.  But Tavares have found a missing angel. Hope it's Kate Jackson -- she's the smart one.

BOSFRA to the Seasons' "Silver Star" -- radio musta hated this to give it such short shrift after 2 huge hits in a row.

[RGMike]

uber-BOS2 Ree-Ree doing Curtis M's "Something He Can Feel" -- that this was a #1 Soul single but only got as high as 28 Pop is one of the great shames of the '70s.

OMGWTF, even after all these years, to Todd's "Good Vibrations" -- the musical equivalent of Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho.

I totally don't remember Johnnie Taylor's "Disco lady" follow-up, but "Somebody's Gettin It" (must be Jody).

[RGMike]

Ree-Ree doing Curtis M's "Something He Can Feel" -- that this was a #1 Soul single but only got as high as 28 Pop is one of the great shames of the '70s.

ditto Candi Staten Island's "Young Hearts..."

BOS3 the Carpenters gorgeous, forgotten "I Need To Be In Love", another chart stumble that deserved much better.

WOS Aerosmith.

[RGMike]

OMGWTF2: a Tony Burrows-less Brotherhood of Man, with "Save Your Kisses For Me", a UK #1 that only got to 27 here thanks to a cover battle with the Bobby Vinton version.

VHMs "I'm Easy" and "Making Our Dreams Come True". If only the Cyndi Williams/Penny Marshall remake of "16 Reasons" had made the Top 40...

[RGMike]

How 'bout a Seals & Crofts/Silver Convention mash-up: "Get Closer and Boogie".

Look At Me I'm an ARTISTE! award to Neil D's "If You Know What I Mean"

And this was the first time the Beatles and the Beach Boys were in the Top 40 simultaneously since May of 1969, when "Get Back" debuted at #10 as a descending "I Can Hear Music" was at #37.

[RGMike]

Sorry, Sergio: I prefer your Brazil '66 incarnation to the paint-by-numbers adult-contempo of stuff like the forgettable "Alibis". And while we're being cranky: WOS Steve Perry's "She's Mine" -- thank gawd radio doesn't remember this one.

But BOS the Boy and his compatriots with "It's a Miracle"

[RGMike]

Quite a Gaz-tastic first hour, with the aforementioned Robin Gibb and Culture Club hits, Eddy Grant's "Romancing the Stone" and Corey Hart rockin' da 'glasses.

But the 2nd hour begins with the WOS-in-perpetuity of "Sister Christian" and the compeltely forgettable/formulaic/sounds-like-5-other-songs "I'm Free" by Mr Loggins. Even people who've seen Footloose dozens of times don't recall this one.

No shortage of WOSes in this hour: Starship's "No Way Out", Chicago's "Stay The Night" too. And a special WOS/WTF to the Jagger/Jacksons collab "State of Shock".

But BOS2 Dan Hartman on the moving sidewalk.