Previous installments laid out the premise…
These CDs were designed in the mid-2000s to answer the question “Who sings it…”
… should the song pop up in shuffle on an iPod…
… on my stereo (which had the six-CD “shuffle” rotation and stereo ID)…
… or in a car (which also had an ID feature).
Inclusion doesn’t always mean the artist is a one-hit wonder – just that their name might not come to mind right away.
If you’ve been paying attention to the wonderful recent series from thegue, you know who sings track No. 5 in this week’s set.
So let’s look at a few other veteran soul and R&B artists whose names might not be immediately on the tips of the tongues of some pop music fans.
Two of the biggest non-Motown R&B crossover hits of 1970 were produced by the erstwhile Motown trio Holland-Dozier-Holland on the Invictus label.
- Freda Payne’s “Band of Gold” was, by far, her biggest pop hit, No. 3 in the summer of ’70.
- That’s the same peak position reached earlier in the year by General Johnson and the Chairmen of the Board, singing “Give Me Just a Little More Time.”
Other R&B/pop acts earning their moment in the AT40 spotlight were:
- Jean Knight (RIP) with “Mr. Big Stuff”
- Jazz crossover artist Billy Paul with “Me and Mrs. Jones”
- …. and the one-time Duke of Earl, Gene Chandler, with “Groovy Situation.”
- The Dramatics had a few crossovers, but the one here most resonated with me, “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.”
Singer Jackie Moore also belongs in that group.
- Her Top 40 hit “Precious, Precious” was not one I knew. Instead, I was familiar with 1973’s “Sweet Charlie Babe,” a song that missed AT40. In Chicago, where I lived in 1973, it went to No. 13 at WCFL and No. 8 at WLS. Great stuff.
Another 1973 hit is likely this set’s “Telephone Man:”
- Clint Holmes’ “Playground in My Mind.”
Yes, it’s pretty cringey in 2024. But as a 10-year-old, I kinda dug it. In the interest of transparency, it stays in the Spotify set.
No YouTube links this time – because everything is available on Spotify.
Here’s the playlist for volume six:
Your turn!
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It’s funny, whenever I hear “Spirit in the Sky,” I actively think of the artist whose name I should have remembered by now, but never seem to properly encode. Maybe typing out “Norman Greenbaum” here will help, but I kind of doubt it.
At least I don’t guess Cat Stevens anymore!
I was going to say “Spirit In The Sky” is the winner but then I spotted “Venus.” That’s a tough call so I declare it a tie.”Band Of Gold,” “Popcorn,” and “Ride Captain Ride” are vying for second place. Good list!
I knew 16 out of 23 of these songs, but if I were to have to name the artist, that number would drop significantly.
I’ve gone on record more than once with my irrational love of A Fifth of Beethoven. It’s embedded in fond memories of the junior high dance, so that is not going to change.
Popcorn is awesome.
Mr Big Stuff is one of those songs that is part of my earliest memories of the radio, and it’s a great song.
Misdemeanor is a song I never heard but qualifies as “helium soul”. (Yes, kid lead singers count.)
I mentioned this earlier this week, but I hated “Playground in My Mind” as a child, actively hated, so for me, it wasn’t just cringe-y in 2024.
Ride Captain Ride (man that feels like it needs at least one comma) is a good entry-level karaoke song, if anyone needs one.
That’s all for now.
Having lived near the Grand Strand, I’ve heard “Give Me Just A Little More Time” countless times along with many other songs by the Chairmen and some of General Johnson’s solo records. They are a staple of shag party weekends.
Shag party weekends? That is definitely going to get JJ’s attention.
You called!
What you get up to in the privacy of your own home with a group of consenting adults is upto you. Just remember to pack some hand sanitiser, you never where those hands have been that are picking the keys out of the bowl.
Did not disappoint
Some big hits over this way; Norman, Freda, Joe, Billy, Shocking Blue and Hot Butter. Norman achieving true one hit wonder status with a huge #1 and never to be seen again anywhere near the charts.
Then one that should have been but we missed out on: Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.
Without having listened to the playlist there’s around half I’m familiar with this week.
A couple of items I couldn’t figure out how to squeeze in this go-around:
1) The first track, “Music, Harmony and Rhythm,” was a Hot 100 but not Top 40 hit by Brooklyn Dreams, the same group that collaborated with Donna Summer on “Heaven Knows.” The single version on Spotify is not nearly as good as the longer disco version on the Casablanca 12-inch collection I have. That version at almost 7 minutes is a thing of beauty.
2) Danny O’Keefe’s “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues,” one of two “Charlie” songs in this set, was covered pretty credibly by Elvis Presley. Presley’s version, ironically, omits the section in verse two about “I got my pills to ease the pain …”
3) I’m pretty sure “Venus” is the only song to have made it to No. 1 in three different versions, although one was only as a snippet at the start of the Stars on 45 Medley. Still, it was name-checked on the label, so I’d say it counts.
Back a year ago or so, I wrote about my participation in the annual WOW! Countdown where people voted on songs they wished were played on the radio more often because they love them. Always on my list has been Sweet Charlie Babe, which never gets enough votes to land in the top 100 finishers but always is in the top 100 on my WOW! list. Thanks for sharing another great column, Chuck!
My neck of the woods has their own Brewer and Shipley. They’re called Cecilio and Kapono. I grew up thinking they were Seals and Crofts in aloha shirts, but I listened to Shake Off the Demon and I can hear their influence, too. In the original Rolling Stone Record Guide, the critic gave C&K’s albums three bullets which used to sadden me, but now, in retrospect, I realize it’s an accomplishment just to get recognized, albeit panned. I don’t love “One Toke Over the Line”, but I can picture my maternal grandparents and all of my uncles with their first wives. It’s a happy memory.
“Band of Gold” is a 10.
That first Belinda Carlisle album is pretty interesting. She covers Freda Payne and Split Enz.
Not my opinion, but I recall reading that one film historian stating that Thank God It’s Friday was the worst film to ever receive an Oscar nomination, for Best Original Song: “Last Dance” by Donna Summers. I used to listen to critics way too much. I watched it recently. I liked it. FM was released on Arrow. I wouldn’t be surprised if they announced a release date for Thank God It’s Friday. It’s more fun than Saturday Night Fever, that’s for sure. Without the main dance set piece, the blissful main dance set piece, that film is actually pretty dark. I can imagine the film being offered to Martin Scorsese. I like the PG-version better.
I’ve noticed that sometimes the picture sleeves used in these articles’ artwork are from a foreign release. Not a problem, although sometimes we get to see odd typos or mistranslations. To wit, the Billy Paul title above, which completely misses the meaning of the song (unless ol’ Billy and the titular couple are into that sort of thing).
My laugh for the day. Thanks!