Casey Kasem American Top 40

[RGMike]

The hi-hats on "Bad Blood" are coming through my speakers most obnoxiously: a wash of hissy splash rather than hits.  Ick.

Both CKRU and KFRC ran it uncensored -- I recall the Wisconsin station bleeping the "Bitches" last year.  Will have to check that out tonite.

Well, Madison done got hip: they let Sedaky's "bitches" run free!

And BTW, according to Wiki, the female voice on Frankie V's "Our Day Will Come" (and also "Swearin' to God") is Patti Austin -- can that be right? Odd that Whitburn makes no mention of it.

[RGMike]

Tuned in to WSYA in Alabama, since CKRU is doing hockey, eh?  Good thing I logged on early; they started Casey at 20 before the hour.

instant BOS Jeffrey Osbourne's "On the Wings of Love" -- bet Johnny Mathis wishes he'd gotten hold of this one first.

VHM Tavares's sweet "A Penny For Your Thoughts", which we used to sing as "A penny for your twat/A nickel for your tits".

WOS Starship's worthless "Be My Lady"  -- sounds like it shoulda been done by Glenn Frey.

Thank gawd the Clash show up to add some grit to what has been rather adult-contempo so far.

Aaaack! speak Glenn Frey's name and he appears!

I can't honestly WOS the Eddie Rabbit/Crystal Gayle duet "You & I"  -- it's nicely done -- but jeez is this ever emblematic of the sappy A/C direction that Top 40 radio took in the early '80s, and which nearly killed it.

[RGMike]

Hour 2: VHM Ms Ronstadt, yellin' her purty li'l lungs out on "Get Closer", one of her rare non-remakes, which would become a toothpaste commercial in short order.

BOS2 ABC; VHM Supertramp's forgotten "It's Raining Again"

Hour 3 starts with BOS3: BJ's "Press-SHAH!" --followed by BOS4, Marvin's "Sexual Healing".

Snooze of the Week: CSN's "Southern Crossszzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...."

WOS2 Survivor. And Steel Breeze's forgettably cheezeball "You Don't Want Me Anymore" was produced by Kim Fowley??

VHM Sylvia's cute'n'clever "Nobody"

Gaz would've enjoyed Casey's "Whatever happened to... The GrassRoots?" feature.

BOS4 H&O, eating men; VHM Toni Basil, bending over and taking it like a man.

Call me a sap, but I think "Heartlight" is one of Neil Diamond's most underrated hits. He seems to have been genuinely touched/inspired by E.T., rather than trying to capitalize on it. VHM. And BOS5 the fantabulous "Gloria".  But WOS3 ONJ's "Heart Attack" -- howthehell did this get up to #3?

[SFGuy]

But WOS3 ONJ's "Heart Attack" -- howthehell did this get up to #3?

This is one of my pet peeves. No offense to you Mike. I hate it when people say stuff like this (i.e "I can't understand how people like this (or eat this or listen to this)". Just because a person doesn't like something doesn't mean everyone else thinks like you. I guess people like to think others think like they do. There are stuff I hate but I don't say why they watch or listen to stuff (like Debby Boone or TV shows like "Friends"). The only exception that I don't hate is for criminals because I don't understand how people can do stuff like harm a child.

For the record, I don't like that song either.

[sundaygal]

VHM Sylvia's cute'n'clever "Nobody"

OMG.  I was obsessed with this song in middle school and forgot about it until now!!!  It was on a K-Tel 8 track compilation my mom had.  

What the heck is Heart Attack by ONJ?  Was is because she got all physical and stuff?  Never heard it, but loved Twist Of Fate.  

Oh, and opinions are a good thang.

[MGBMAC]

Agree that opinions are a good thang!  That's the fun of reading all these spirited comments.  It brings back the memories of hearing the same opinions that we disagreed with when these songs came out,  way back when!  Keep 'em comin'!!

[RGMike]

This week That '70s Casey hits Dec 1st 1973:

http://www.charismusicgroup.com/Cue%20Sheets/12-01-73.pdf

(check out the cover letter about the "vinyl shortage"!)

and Casey's '80s is from Nov 29th 1980:

http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/112980.html

[Tinka Cat]

This week That '70s Casey hits Dec 1st 1973:

http://www.charismusicgroup.com/Cue%20Sheets/12-01-73.pdf

(check out the cover letter about the "vinyl shortage"!)

and Casey's '80s is from Nov 29th 1980:

http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/112980.html

hey dudes, I'm listening to The very first AT40 show right now.  I recorded it when it got a replay earlier this summer.  


AMERICAN TOP 40 - JULY 4, 1970
40 Marvin Gaye - The End Of Our Road
39 Mark Lindsay - Silver Bird
38 Eric Burdon and War - Spill The Wine
37 Crabby Appleton - Go Back
36 B.J. Thomas - I Just Can't Help Believing
35 Aretha Franklin - Spirit In The Dark
34 John Phillips - Mississippi
33 The Flaming Ember - Westbound #9
32 The Four Tops - It's All In The Game
31 The 5th Dimension - Save The Country
30 Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young - Ohio
29 Ray Stevens - Everything Is Beautiful
28 The Impressions - Check Out Your Mind!
27 The Moody Blues - Question
26 Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours
25 The Archies - Sugar, Sugar
24 Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young - Teach Your Children
23 The Poppy Family - Which Way You Goin' Billy?
22 The Moments - Love On A Two-Way Street
21 Mountain - Mississippi Queen
20 Bread - Make It With You
19 Pacific Gas and Electric - Are You Ready?
18 Charles Wright and The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band - Love Land
17 Alive 'N Kickin' - Tighter, Tighter
16 White Plains - My Baby Loves Lovin'
15 Miguel Rios - A Song Of Joy
Oldie: Louis Armstrong - Hello, Dolly!
14 Brotherhood Of Man - United We Stand
13 Rare Earth - Get Ready
12 The Five Stairsteps - O-o-h Child
11 The Pipkins - Gimme Dat Ding
10 Vanity Fair - Hitchin' A Ride
Oldie: Blood, Sweat, and Tears - Spinning Wheel
09 Elvis Presley - The Wonder Of You
08 The Beatles - The Long And Winding Road
07 The Carpenters - (They Long To Be) Close To You
06 Melanie- Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)
05 Freda Payne - Band Of Gold
04 Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride
03 The Temptations - Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today)
02 The Jackson 5 - The Love You Save
Oldie: The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
01 Three Dog Night - Mama Told Me (Not To Come)  ** 1 week @ no. 1 **
   

[Wayback]

AT40-70s replay for 11/27-28 is from 12/1/73 (on those stations not airing all-holiday music):
http://www.oldradioshows.com/at40/120173.html

[RGMike]

VHM & proxy of Gaz, the Tops and their "Sweet Understanding Love". Speaking of which, here's Ike's nuts and Tina's bush.

S&C take us up, always up.

Cockney #1: "I just took me wife on a Carribbean vacation"

Cockney #2: "Oh... Jamaica?"

Cockney #1: "No, she *wanted* to go"

Thanks, Casey, for pronouncing "D'yer Mak'er" correctly.

WOS Neil D., at the beginning of his "I am an ARTEESTE" phase, with "Be", from the Jonathan Livingston Seagull movie that no one has seen since '73. Dreadful book and (presumably) dreadful film.

And now Tony O runs the old-timey thing into the ground with "Who's tying yellow ribbons in the strawberry patch with Gypsy Rose?"

Finally, the Hour 1 "extra" is "Smokin' in the Boys Room" -- to get caught with Shirley'd be the death of us all!

BTW, per the geeks at the AT40 Board, we're getting a Dec 1978 show next week, another of those 4-hour shows with the first hour missing.

[RGMike]

Hour 2 begins with Gilbert O's forgotten "Oooh Baby", his final Top 40 appearance. VHMFRA.

WOS2 L&M, shamelessly recycling "Your Mama Don't Dance" with "My Music". Love the shout-out to "little Timmy Schmidt", tho'.

BOS Marvin's gloriously sexy "Come Get to This"; VHM the Stylistics and a rare upbeat tune for them.

BOS2 Mr Garfunkel's superb rendering of Jimmy Webb's gorgeous "All I Know"

I'm always surprised that 3DN's forgettable "Let Me Serenade You" made the Top 20; I tend to conflate it with both "Sure as I'm Sitting Here" and "Play Something Sweet" from the following year.

BOS3 Johnnie Taylor, the Natch'l Wailer, "Cheaper to Keep Her". He'p me SAY it, y'all!

Final VHM to Billy Preston's "Space Race", the least-heard of this chart's Top Ten.

[RGMike]

Knowing the Alabama station started Casey early last week, I tuned in at 9:30 and they were running the tail end of a Christian Top 40 countdown. Gawd this stuff is awful -- seriously: if this is what they play in heaven, who *wouldn't* wanna go to hell? "Why does the devil have all the Good music?"

Casey begins:  WOS Dr Hook "Girls Can Get It" -- and if they've been with Ray Sawyer, they probably already have. Pennicillin for everybody!

VHM Rod the Bod, "Passion". Ditto the Vapors.

And now Cliff "I've been living with the same guy for 40 years but I'm not gay" Richard does a duet with O-Lesbia Newton-John. How sweet.

Heart's cover of "Tell It Like it is" seems quite ill-advised now, but compared to the Diane Warren crapola in their future, it's practically genius.

[RGMike]

BOS the pre-Mellencamp John Cougar with "This Time" -- talk about a forgotten hit. Nicest surprise of the morning.

Followed by the saddest relic of the set, Harry Chapin's "Sequel". Shame that his best songs never charted.

VHM the Diana Ross twin-spin at #s 28 & 27 -- and she has a 3rd hit yet to come (out)!

BOS2 the Korgis, "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime", covered rather nicely by Beck, of all people, for the Eternal Sunshine... sndtk.

[RGMike]

Hour 3 begins with 2 more BOSes: the Jacksons' "Lovely One" and Stacey Latttisaw's even-lovelier "Let Me Be Your Angel". And loved Casey's comparison of 14-year-old Stacey and MJ when he was that age.

VHM Roger Daltrey's forgotten "Without Your Love" --- amazingly, his ONLY Top 40 solo hit.  WOS2 Air Supply.

BOS5 Babs'n'Barry, who got nuthin' to be "Guilty" of.  and another VHM to H&O's underrated cover of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", which I'm  surprised to see got as high as #12.

[SFGuy]

Followed by the saddest relic of the set, Harry Chapin's "Sequel". Shame that his best songs never charted.

Had he released this song in 1974, it probably would have done better. This didn't seem like it fit in the late 1980 sound. Side note: Chapin would only be alive only 7 1/2 more months as he died in a car crash in mid-July 1981.

BTW, Mike. You miss the final hour? No comments on the top 11.