Casey Kasem American Top 40

[RGMike]

I hadn't heard Ben E. King's "Supernatural Thing" in years.  I'm guessing it was offered to Eddie Kendricks first; if so, he shouldn't have passed it up.

Eddie K didn't wanna be covered with little bitty greenspots. Thanks for the proxy on "Emma"; truly awful to my ears. But as I've said before, death songs are for me what loss-of-virginity songs are for you. A good one is rare.

Neil D's been this way before. What way, Neil?

[RGMike]

WOS2 "Chevy Van" -- is she layin' there "Like a picture"... or "like a pitcher"? Would that make Sammy Johns a "catcher", nudgenudge winkwink?

[RGMike]

Bummer! we only get the "part 2" of the J-5's "I Am Love".  Sprinkle mahself around you -- did MJ expect to be cremated?

BOS (but of course) "Sad Sweet Dreamer". Gawd how I love this one. oo-wahwah-oo-wahwah-oo!

This is quite the sledghammery chart for me -- I was involved in my first unrequited crush and many of these songs are reminders in one way or another. "It's just one o' those things you put down to experience..."

[RGMike]

it ain't no joke: BOS2 "Up in a Puff of Smoke", a nicely put-together (and unjustly forgotten) early-disco nugget. Which reminds, we just missed out on hearing "Doctor's Orders", which fell out of the 40 this week.

VHM "I'm a Woman", the song that saved Maria Muldaur from being a OHW.

[RGMike]

at least we were spared hearing Kenny Nowan doing his own version of "My Eyes Adawed You".    Bless you, Frankie Valli! And Kenny's back-to-back with himself with "MEAY" and "Wady Mawmawade".

I loves me some ONJ, but I never really "got" the appeal of the preposterously titled "Have You Never Been Mellow?", much less understood how it got to #1. I keep picturing some outraged politician at a Congressional hearing: "At long last, sir -- have you NEVER been mellow??"

[Gazoo]

and the '80s version is from March 9, 1985

http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/030985.html

Diana is "Missing" Marvin (and so are the Commodores), Bruce is "On Fire" and Ashford & Simpson are "Solid", Jackson! And speaking of Jackson... "We Are the World" was probably "bubbling under".

In hindsight, this is a pretty boring era for AT40: funk was all but dead, so there was very little R&B; country had been utterly thrown to the margins (I'm not sure that a country act hit the Top 40 between Kenny Rogers' demise and Garth Brooks' ascendance); and as a result, the 40 is heavily populated with deep singles from blockbuster albums.  FGTW is the sole truly left-field single here, but BOS to "Misled," a successful reinvention from Kool & the Gang.

[RGMike]

and the '80s version is from March 9, 1985

http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/030985.html

Diana is "Missing" Marvin (and so are the Commodores), Bruce is "On Fire" and Ashford & Simpson are "Solid", Jackson! And speaking of Jackson... "We Are the World" was probably "bubbling under".

In hindsight, this is a pretty boring era for AT40: funk was all but dead, so there was very little R&B; country had been utterly thrown to the margins (I'm not sure that a country act hit the Top 40 between Kenny Rogers' demise and Garth Brooks' ascendance); and as a result, the 40 is heavily populated with deep singles from blockbuster albums.  FGTW is the sole truly left-field single here, but BOS to "Misled," a successful reinvention from Kool & the Gang.

Deejay joke from that era: "look, it's Miss Lead -- she married Mr Wood and they had a bunch of little pencils together!"

But your analysis is spot-on. I'd add that it was MTV's fault; '80s country was ill-prepared for the rise of videos (took them years to catch up) and we certainly know all about MTV's race problem.

[RGMike]

OMG these local commercials in W.Virginia are horrendous: this St Patrick's Day spot for a local bar has some guy doing the worst cockney accent since Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins!

[RGMike]

Glad yer "Keepin' the Faith", BJ, but WTF are "diddy-bop shades"?

[RGMike]

VHM H&O's "Method Of Modern Love", one of their many delightful forgotten hiits of the period. Formula at this point, yes, but stylish.

[RGMike]

VHM Ray Parker Jr for turning New Edition into mini-Raydio on the still-enjoyable "Mr Telephone Man". Yes, I used this for an answering machine message in 1985.

and another VHM Journey's "Only The Young", one of the few singles of theirs I actually like, and the 2nd song we've heard today from VisionQuest -- "Crazy For You" was an extra earlier.

uh-oh: Holly Johnson of FGTH is about to shoot his, er, laser beam at us. Ewww.

[RGMike]

BOS Casey's tribute to Barbara Cowsill, who died in January of '85

TANC: "Lover Girl" and "Lover Boy" are back-to-back at #s 12 & 11. BOS2 Teena Marie on the former.

[RGMike]

oh my! BOS3 Sheena Easton's Prince-produced "Sugar Walls" -- '80s pop-cheeze at its finest.

VHMs to Foreigner's still-amazing "I Want To Know What Love Is" and the Pointers, doin' that "Neutron Dance".

[Tinka Cat]

been enjoying your T40 comments this week, Mike!

Chart Date: March 8, 1975


#40 Before The Next Teardrop Falls – Freddie Fender
#39 Fire – The Ohio Players
#38 Supernatural Thing Part I – Ben E. King
#37 I Get Lifted – George Mccrae
#36 Emma – Hot Chocolate
#35 Part Of The Plan – Dan Fogelberg
#34 I've Been This Way Before – Neil Diamond
#33 Harry Truman – Chicago
#32 Emotion – Helen Reddy
#31 Chevy Van – Sammy Johns
#30 Some Kind Of Wonderful – Grand Funk
#29 Never Let Her Go – David Gates
#28 Once You Get Started – Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan
#27 (Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song – B.J. Thomas
Extra Philadelphia Freedom – Elton John
#26 You're No Good – Linda Ronstadt
#25 No No Song – Ringo Starr
#24 Nightingale – Carole King
#23 Shame Shame Shame – Shirley & Company
#22 I Am Love Part Ii – The Jackson 5
#21 Sad Sweet Dreamer – Sweet Sensation
#20 My Boy – Elvis Presley
#19 Movin' On – Bad Company
#18 To The Door Of The Sun (Alle Porte Del Sole) – Al Martino
#17 Up In A Puff Of Smoke – Polly Brown
#16 You Are So Beautiful – Joe Cocker
#15 Poetry Man – Phoebe Snow
#14 Roll On Down The Highway – Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Extra Shining Star – Earth, Wind & Fire
#13 Express – B.T. Express
#12 I'm A Woman – Maria Muldaur
#11 Don't Call Us, We'll Call You – Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta
#10 Can't Get It Out Of My Head – Electric Light Orchestra
#9 Pick Up The Pieces – Average White Band
#8 Lovin' You – Minnie Ripperton
#7 Best Of My Love – The Eagles
#6 Lady – Styx
#5 Lonely People – America
#4 Lady Marmalade – Labelle
#3 My Eyes Adored You – Frankie Valli
Extra How Long – Ace
#2 Black Water – The Doobie Brothers
#1 Have You Never Been Mellow – Olivia Newton-John

[SFGuy]

and the '80s version is from March 9, 1985

http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/030985.html

Diana is "Missing" Marvin (and so are the Commodores), Bruce is "On Fire" and Ashford & Simpson are "Solid", Jackson! And speaking of Jackson... "We Are the World" was probably "bubbling under".

In hindsight, this is a pretty boring era for AT40: funk was all but dead, so there was very little R&B; country had been utterly thrown to the margins (I'm not sure that a country act hit the Top 40 between Kenny Rogers' demise and Garth Brooks' ascendance); and as a result, the 40 is heavily populated with deep singles from blockbuster albums.  FGTW is the sole truly left-field single here, but BOS to "Misled," a successful reinvention from Kool & the Gang.

I guess it's a matter of taste. I found the early 70's AT40 era pretty boring (the light pop seems like it all sounded the same) and I know most of you love that era.