WCOL Hit-Line Survey - 10/7/68
Andrew Rogers
In article <19971003150...@ladder02.news.aol.com> mztho...@aol.com (Mzthompson) writes:
>WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
>Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
>
>1. Shoot 'em Up - Andy Kim (9)
This peaked at #31 nationally, but if I've ever heard it I certainly don't
remember it.
>3. Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith (10)
This made it to Dave Barry's "Book Of Bad Songs", in which he pointed out
that it was also covered by Gary Puckett. Of whom we will hear more later...
>4. My Special Angel - Vogues (1)
I don't know why I dislike the Vogues' Reprise material, especially when I
love the Duprees doing pretty much the same schtick.
>7. Fire - Crazy World of Arthur Brown (7)
In case anyone is interested, that dissonant organ chord right after "you're
gonna burn" is C7-5-9.
>9. On The Road Again - Canned Heat (17)
Like its followup, "Goin' Up The Country", this is yet another rewrite of
an old country blues number, this time Tommy Johnson's Big Road Blues.
Guitarist/singer Al Wilson was a highly-respected scholar of country blues,
personally responsible for rediscovering several of the surviving performers
who went on to semi-lucrative second careers on the folk festival circuit.
Singer Bob Hite had one of the largest collections of R&B and prewar blues
78s in the world, and was occasionally hired by reissue labels to annotate
compilations.
I would have liked to have seen them apply their encyclopedic knowledge of
the genre to the writing credits. :-)
>12. Over You - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (18)
Puke. Why *is* he losing sleep over her, anyway - because she's a) got
cheating on her mind, b) too young to pork, or c) won't let him?
>17. Sweet Blindness - 5th Dimension (25)
Tell Laura I love her...
>18. I'm A Fool For You - Impressions (28)
More music nerd talk: Curtis Mayfield played guitar in open F# tuning
(F#-A#-C#-F#-A#-F#, low to high), but this was one of the few Impressions
hits that actually *was* in F# - most of them were in the related keys
of C# and B.
>24. Milk Train/Lord Of The Manor - Everly Brothers (11)
Never heard this one, but it's nice to see that the Everlys were still
able to chart *somewhere* in late '68.
>28. Till I Run With You - Lovin' Spoonful (15)
I've heard a lot worse, and probably wouldn't particularly dislike this if
it had been by some anonymous one-semi-hit wonder. But this nondescript
ditty was a particularly sad fate for one of the most innovative and
distinctive bands of the 60s. Moreover, the current touring Spoonful (Joe,
Steve, and Jerry - same lineup as on this single) piss me off *mightily* by
handwaving over John and Zal's contributions - see the "band history" at
http://www.lovinspoonful.com .
Andrew
Mzthompson
WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
1. Shoot 'em Up - Andy Kim (9)
2. Piece Of My Heart - Big Brother & the Holding Co. (2)
3. Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith (10)
4. My Special Angel - Vogues (1)
5. Girl Watcher - O'Kaysions (19)
6. Hey Jude/Revolution - Beatles (4)
7. Fire - Crazy World of Arthur Brown (7)
8. Indian Reservation - Don Fardon (16)
9. On The Road Again - Canned Heat (17)
10. Elenore - Turtles (20)
11. Baby Come Back - Equals (3)
12. Over You - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (18)
13. Poor Baby - Cowsills (5)
14. Midnight Confession - Grass Roots (6)
15. Shapes Of Things To Come - Max Frost & the Troopers (30)
16. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly (24)
17. Sweet Blindness - 5th Dimension (25)
18. I'm A Fool For You - Impressions (28)
19. Time Has Come Today - Chambers Brothers (13)
20. Quick Joey Small - Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus (40)
21. Naturally Stoned - Avant-Garde (26)
22. All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (33)
23. I Met Her In A Church - Box Tops (8)
24. Milk Train/Lord Of The Manor - Everly Brothers (11)
25. White Room - Cream (38)
26. Suzie Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival (12)
27. Down On Me - Big Brother & the Holding Co. (14)
28. Till I Run With You - Lovin' Spoonful (15)
29. The Porpoise Song - Monkees (--)
30. Lelana - Donovan (39)
31. Harper Valley P.T.A. - Jeannie C. Riley (21)
32. Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf (--)
33. Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkin (--)
34. The Fool On The Hill - Brazil '66 (22)
35. Shake - Shadows of Knight (--)
36. Who Is Gonna Love Me - Dionne Warwick (23)
37. Street Fightin' Man - Rolling Stones (27)
38. The House That Jack Built - Aretha Franklin (29)
39. Do Your Own Thing - Brook Benton (--)
40. Livin' In The U.S.A. - Steve Miller Blues Band (--)
My reflections:
If you died today, and they put you down below and stated that as your
punishment you would have to listen to the above 40 songs over and over
for eternity, would you deep inside say 'I can handle that'?
Here in 40 songs is a great cross section of the times, no purgatory
would be complete without the Beatles, Stones, Steppenwolf, CCR, and
the Grass Roots, not to mention Jimi, Janis, Aretha, & Dionne. To lighten
things up a little you got the Lovin' Spoonful & the Monkees. Throw
in a little bubblegum and a protest song or two. Top it off with
a little Canned Heat and Iron Butterfly. I suppose you would always
regret that they only play the short version of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,
but then again your not down below as a reward, right?
Mike
Jimmmmyr
>WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
>Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
--------------------------------------------------
Wasn't there a group from around Columbus during this time peiod called the
Dantes (or something like that) that had a couple of songs hit the WCOL
charts?
sky...@shell1.tiac.net
My comments below
Andrew Rogers <rog...@star.Hi.COM> wrote:
: >WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
: >Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
: >1. Shoot 'em Up - Andy Kim (9)
: This peaked at #31 nationally, but if I've ever heard it I certainly don't
: remember it.
I never heard this one either. Do radio stations anywhere play it?
: >3. Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith (10)
: This made it to Dave Barry's "Book Of Bad Songs", in which he pointed out
: that it was also covered by Gary Puckett. Of whom we will hear more later...
What makes this a bad song? OC Smith was a great vocalist. Just because
Dave Barry didnt like it he called it a bad song. If that is the case
there are tons of bad songs done by great groups because every group or
individual recording artist that I know of did a song that I didnt like,
so that makes them bad? Dont get that one. Did he use some sort of
criteria other than personal preference to determine what a bad some is?
: >4. My Special Angel - Vogues (1)
: I don't know why I dislike the Vogues' Reprise material, especially when I
: love the Duprees doing pretty much the same schtick.
I like this song a lot.
: >7. Fire - Crazy World of Arthur Brown (7)
: In case anyone is interested, that dissonant organ chord right after "you're
: gonna burn" is C7-5-9.
Another one of my favorites.
: >9. On The Road Again - Canned Heat (17)
: Like its followup, "Goin' Up The Country", this is yet another rewrite of
: an old country blues number, this time Tommy Johnson's Big Road Blues.
: Guitarist/singer Al Wilson was a highly-respected scholar of country blues,
: personally responsible for rediscovering several of the surviving performers
: who went on to semi-lucrative second careers on the folk festival circuit.
: Singer Bob Hite had one of the largest collections of R&B and prewar blues
: 78s in the world, and was occasionally hired by reissue labels to annotate
: compilations.
: I would have liked to have seen them apply their encyclopedic knowledge of
: the genre to the writing credits. :-)
Not sure what the poster is saying here. I like this song as well as the
follow up.
: >12. Over You - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (18)
: Puke. Why *is* he losing sleep over her, anyway - because she's a) got
: cheating on her mind, b) too young to pork, or c) won't let him?
: >17. Sweet Blindness - 5th Dimension (25)
: Tell Laura I love her...
Never heard this one. Not even on their greatest hits on earth album. Is
it worth listening to ie a typical 5th Dimension song?
: >18. I'm A Fool For You - Impressions (28)
: More music nerd talk: Curtis Mayfield played guitar in open F# tuning
: (F#-A#-C#-F#-A#-F#, low to high), but this was one of the few Impressions
: hits that actually *was* in F# - most of them were in the related keys
: of C# and B.
I like a lot of their stuff. Vaguely remember this song.
: >24. Milk Train/Lord Of The Manor - Everly Brothers (11)
: Never heard this one, but it's nice to see that the Everlys were still
: able to chart *somewhere* in late '68.
Oh how the mighty had fallen. They couldnt buy a pop hit after their
return to recording when some religious cult group ripped off all their
money. I guess they had more success on the country chart.
: >28. Till I Run With You - Lovin' Spoonful (15)
: I've heard a lot worse, and probably wouldn't particularly dislike this if
: it had been by some anonymous one-semi-hit wonder. But this nondescript
: ditty was a particularly sad fate for one of the most innovative and
: distinctive bands of the 60s. Moreover, the current touring Spoonful (Joe,
: Steve, and Jerry - same lineup as on this single) piss me off *mightily* by
: handwaving over John and Zal's contributions - see the "band history" at
: http://www.lovinspoonful.com .
Never heard this one either. It would be nice if oldies stations played
more of variety so that we could hear some of this stuff. A "lost oldies"
block would be nice to. Something like a weekend late night block of 3 or
4 hours of songs that are not played to death on the stations regular
hours.
: Andrew
Bill Burks
Andrew Rogers
In article <6158qs$o...@news-central.tiac.net> <sky...@shell1.tiac.net> writes:
>: >9. On The Road Again - Canned Heat (17)
>
>: the genre to the writing credits. :-)
>Not sure what the poster is saying here.
Translation: they know damn well who wrote these songs, and it wasn't Canned
Heat.
Andrew
Dave Parkhill
<sky...@shell1.tiac.net> wrote:
>My comments below
>Andrew Rogers <rog...@star.Hi.COM> wrote:
>: >WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
>: >Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
>: >
>: >1. Shoot 'em Up - Andy Kim (9)
>
>: This peaked at #31 nationally, but if I've ever heard it I certainly don't
>: remember it.
>I never heard this one either. Do radio stations anywhere play it?
Yes, it gets played from time to time on the oldies station here in Eastern Ontario and I'm sure
it gets played in other areas of Canada as well. Cute little tune.
Tammy
******************************************************************************** ******************************************************************************
Dave Parkhill
park...@fox.nstn.ca
http://Fox.nstn.ca:80/~parkhill/
"In law, a man is guilty when he violates the rights of
another. In ethics, he is guilty if he only thinks of
doing so" Immanuel Kant
Andrew Rogers
>: that it was also covered by Gary Puckett. Of whom we will hear more later...
>What makes this a bad song?
He wrote it up in the "Songs Women Really Hate" chapter:
Another song unpopular with women is "Little Green Apples" in which O.C.
Smith sings boastfully about how he calls his woman up at home, "knowing
she's busy", and gets her to drop everything and meet him for lunch, and
he's "always late" but she sits there "waiting patiently".
[Conspicuously absent from the "Songs Women Really Hate" list was Dawn's
"Candida", to this day the only #3 single named after a yeast infection.]
>Did he use some sort of
>criteria other than personal preference to determine what a bad some is?
Yes - he polled his readers back in 1992. Somebody convinced his publishers
that the poll results could be recycled five years later into an extremely
undersized and overpriced book.
Babbling: #1 on the poll, as most regulars of this froup already know, was
the much-maligned "MacArthur Park", particularly for the line about "someone
left the cake out in the rain". But as somebody-or-another pointed out
in the current issue of _Pulse!_, people used to hold weddings in the real
MacArthur Park, and somebody probably *did* leave a wedding cake out in the
rain. Not anymore, though - the aforementioned somebody-or-another changed
that line to "someone left their crack out in the rain".
Andrew
Carl Navarro
On 4 Oct 1997 11:21:00 GMT, <sky...@shell1.tiac.net> wrote:
>My comments below
>Andrew Rogers <rog...@star.Hi.COM> wrote:
>: >WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
>: >Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
>: >
>: >1. Shoot 'em Up - Andy Kim (9)
>
>: This peaked at #31 nationally, but if I've ever heard it I certainly don't
>: remember it.
>I never heard this one either. Do radio stations anywhere play it?
>
>: >3. Little Green Apples - O.C. Smith (10)
>
>: This made it to Dave Barry's "Book Of Bad Songs", in which he pointed out
>: that it was also covered by Gary Puckett. Of whom we will hear more later...
>What makes this a bad song? OC Smith was a great vocalist. Just because
>Dave Barry didnt like it he called it a bad song. If that is the case
>there are tons of bad songs done by great groups because every group or
>individual recording artist that I know of did a song that I didnt like,
>so that makes them bad? Dont get that one. Did he use some sort of
>criteria other than personal preference to determine what a bad some is?
>
>: >4. My Special Angel - Vogues (1)
>
>: I don't know why I dislike the Vogues' Reprise material, especially when I
>: love the Duprees doing pretty much the same schtick.
>I like this song a lot.
>
>: >7. Fire - Crazy World of Arthur Brown (7)
>
>: In case anyone is interested, that dissonant organ chord right after "you're
>: gonna burn" is C7-5-9.
>Another one of my favorites.
>: >9. On The Road Again - Canned Heat (17)
>
>: Like its followup, "Goin' Up The Country", this is yet another rewrite of
>: an old country blues number, this time Tommy Johnson's Big Road Blues.
>
>: Guitarist/singer Al Wilson was a highly-respected scholar of country blues,
>: personally responsible for rediscovering several of the surviving performers
>: who went on to semi-lucrative second careers on the folk festival circuit.
>: Singer Bob Hite had one of the largest collections of R&B and prewar blues
>: 78s in the world, and was occasionally hired by reissue labels to annotate
>: compilations.
>
>: I would have liked to have seen them apply their encyclopedic knowledge of
>: the genre to the writing credits. :-)
>Not sure what the poster is saying here. I like this song as well as the
>follow up.
>: >12. Over You - Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (18)
>
>: Puke. Why *is* he losing sleep over her, anyway - because she's a) got
>: cheating on her mind, b) too young to pork, or c) won't let him?
>
>: >17. Sweet Blindness - 5th Dimension (25)
>
>: Tell Laura I love her...
>Never heard this one. Not even on their greatest hits on earth album. Is
>it worth listening to ie a typical 5th Dimension song?
It's a typical Laura Nyro song. Sounds pretty good on her Greatest
hits CD.
>: >18. I'm A Fool For You - Impressions (28)
>
>: More music nerd talk: Curtis Mayfield played guitar in open F# tuning
>: (F#-A#-C#-F#-A#-F#, low to high), but this was one of the few Impressions
>: hits that actually *was* in F# - most of them were in the related keys
>: of C# and B.
>I like a lot of their stuff. Vaguely remember this song.
>: >24. Milk Train/Lord Of The Manor - Everly Brothers (11)
>
>: Never heard this one, but it's nice to see that the Everlys were still
>: able to chart *somewhere* in late '68.
>Oh how the mighty had fallen. They couldnt buy a pop hit after their
>return to recording when some religious cult group ripped off all their
>money. I guess they had more success on the country chart.
Or it must have been a turntable hit. Looks like WCOL had a lot of
those. C'mon did people in Columbus really buy those records?
>: >28. Till I Run With You - Lovin' Spoonful (15)
>
>: I've heard a lot worse, and probably wouldn't particularly dislike this if
>: it had been by some anonymous one-semi-hit wonder. But this nondescript
>: ditty was a particularly sad fate for one of the most innovative and
>: distinctive bands of the 60s. Moreover, the current touring Spoonful (Joe,
>: Steve, and Jerry - same lineup as on this single) piss me off *mightily* by
>: handwaving over John and Zal's contributions - see the "band history" at
>: http://www.lovinspoonful.com .
>Never heard this one either. It would be nice if oldies stations played
>more of variety so that we could hear some of this stuff. A "lost oldies"
>block would be nice to. Something like a weekend late night block of 3 or
>4 hours of songs that are not played to death on the stations regular
>hours.
>
Carl Navarro
Regina Litman
Andrew Rogers wrote:
>
> In article <19971003150...@ladder02.news.aol.com> mztho...@aol.com (Mzthompson) writes:
> >Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
> >
>
> I don't know why I dislike the Vogues' Reprise material, especially when I
> love the Duprees doing pretty much the same schtick.
Maybe because you (and I) knew that they could do some good rocking tunes with little or
no orchestration, like "Five O'Clock World" and "You're the One".
Regina Litman
> : >Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
> : >1. Shoot 'em Up - Andy Kim (9)
>
> : This peaked at #31 nationally, but if I've ever heard it I certainly don't
> : remember it.
> I never heard this one either. Do radio stations anywhere play it?
I heard it as a current song in 1968 in Washington, DC. It was the follow up to his
first hit, "How'd We Ever Get this Way?". It got pulled from the airwaves because the
"shoot 'em up" part (I believe the full title was "Shoot 'Em Up, Baby") reminded too
many people of recent assassinations. (May have spelled that last word wrong.) I have
probably not heard this song on the radio since then, but ironically, it was included on
that recent Andy Kim import CD, while other songs I remember as getting more airplay,
including "How'd We Ever Get this Way?", were left off.
The only Andy Kim song I ever heard these days is "Rock Me Gently".
> : >9. On The Road Again - Canned Heat (17)
>
> : Like its followup, "Goin' Up The Country", this is yet another rewrite of
> : an old country blues number, this time Tommy Johnson's Big Road Blues.
>
> : Guitarist/singer Al Wilson was a highly-respected scholar of country blues,
> : personally responsible for rediscovering several of the surviving performers
> : who went on to semi-lucrative second careers on the folk festival circuit.
> : Singer Bob Hite had one of the largest collections of R&B and prewar blues
> : 78s in the world, and was occasionally hired by reissue labels to annotate
> : compilations.
>
> : I would have liked to have seen them apply their encyclopedic knowledge of
> : the genre to the writing credits. :-)
> Not sure what the poster is saying here. I like this song as well as the
> follow up.
This song is OK, but I really love "Going Up the Country".
> : >17. Sweet Blindness - 5th Dimension (25)
>
> : Tell Laura I love her...
> Never heard this one. Not even on their greatest hits on earth album. Is
> it worth listening to ie a typical 5th Dimension song?
Great uptempo song. One of my favorites by the group. Got a lot of airplay in 1968.
On their earlier record label - _Greatest Hits on Earth_ may have covered their later
time period. It is on their recently-issued 2-CD collection. I far prefer this uptempo
hit to the slower "Stoned Soul Picnic". But I like it only slightly more than the Jim
Webb uptempo song "Carpet Man".
Andrew Rogers
In article <343B03...@philly.infi.net> Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> writes:
>> WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
>> Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
>>
>
>black-sounding act - I never saw what they looked like), sounded more like
>a bubblegum song to him.
There's a picture of the O'Kaysions in Wayne Jancik's _Billboard Book Of
One-Hit Wonders_, and they most definitely are white. This was one of a
handful of blue-eyed soul hits included on Rhino's _Beg, Scream, and Shout_
box set - does anyone know how well it did on _Billboard_'s R&B chart?
>> 15. Shapes Of Things To Come - Max Frost & the Troopers (30)
>
>The group's name sometimes appears as Max Frost and the Storm Troopers,
>and for years this was the only name I knew them by.
Just to add to the confusion, it's credited to "The 13th Power" on the
soundtrack LP.
>> 35. Shake - Shadows of Knight (--)
>Almost three years after "Gloria", this group resurfaced.
The singer, Jim Sohns, was the only member remaining from the "Gloria" lineup;
field reports indicate that he fronts a Shadows Of Knight to this day.
>"Gloria" had been on the Dunwich label.
Yes, and I'm annoyed that the label's only real national hit was omitted
from *both* volumes of _The Best Of Dunwich Records_ - not even the truly
bizarre "Gloria '69". (If you enjoyed the Saturday's Children tracks, though,
*run* right out and buy _Here Tis_ #8 for its extensive interview with
mastermind Jeff/Geoff Boyan/Bryan. Hell, *run* right out and buy it anyway
on general principle!)
>I believe this song was on either Buddah or a label distributed by Buddah.
Team 520 - indeed a Buddah subsidiary. Later releases appeared on
Kazenetz-Katz' own Super K label.
>This one, which I remember being played on the radio, did not make the
>Billboard Top 40. "Oh Yeah", which did not get played on stations I listened
>to, and which I was not to hear until I got it on the _Nuggets_ LP in late
>1972 or early 1973, did make that Top 40.
Barely - #39 or something; "Shake" [need I remind anyone that it most
certainly is not the Sam Cooke song] stalled at #46. The single and LP
versions of "Oh Yeah" are different takes; Warren Rogers [no relation]
played lead guitar and Joe Kelley bass on the 45; they had traded places
by the time the LP was recorded. The SOK made at least two *much* better
singles than either version of "Oh Yeah" - "Bad Little Woman" and the
killer "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" - which barely squeaked into the Hot 100
at all.
>> If you died today, and they put you down below and stated that as your
>> punishment you would have to listen to the above 40 songs over and over
>> for eternity, would you deep inside say 'I can handle that'?
>You know, I always think of 1968 as being the worst year in the 1964-1969
>time span, but this list is not bad.
'68 was the *weirdest* year by a long shot (although I still pick '63 as
the most diverse overall); I can't think of another year when you could hear
"acid-rock" noise coexisting with lush orchestral instrumentals on the AM
airwaves. And beat *this* pair of Hot 100 entries (April 6) for "all-time
most bizarre juxtaposition of styles in adjacent chart positions":
22 38 38 51 Summertime Blues Blue Cheer
23 25 29 35 Cab Driver Mills Brothers
> Just don't play "Over You" by the Union Gap any more than necessary.
Hey, maybe we should take up a collection to fix Gary Puckett up with one
(or two) of the Box Tops' "Sweet Cream Ladies" - maybe that'd shut him up!
Andrew
Paul Sexton
Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> wrote:
>Mzthompson wrote:
>>
>> WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
>> Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
>>
>
>
>the
>past several months - (1) Not the same song done by Player in the late 1970s.
>(2) Lead
>singer was Eddy Grant, who went on to solo fame in the 1980s. (3) Group's
>follow-up was
>called "Softly Softly" (apparently not the same song done by Jaye P. Morgan in
>the
>1950s); it got some airplay in Washington, DC.
>
According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles the follow-up was
"Laurel & Hardy" but as I remember neither song I can't comment. The
Equals had 2 more Top 10 hits over here, "Viva Bobby Joe" in 1969 &
"Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys" in 1970.
>
>> 35. Shake - Shadows of Knight (--)
>
>Almost three years after "Gloria", this group resurfaced. "Gloria" had been on
>the
>Dunwich label. I believe this song was on either Buddah or a label distributed
>by
>Buddah. This one, which I remember being played on the radio, did not make the
>Billboard Top 40. "Oh Yeah", which did not get played on stations I listened
>to, and
>which I was not to hear until I got it on the _Nuggets_ LP in late 1972 or early
>1973,
>did make that Top 40.
>
Is this the "Shake" that I know as performed by either Otis Redding or
the Small Faces?
The lines
"Shake it like a bowl of soup
Let it go loop-the-loop"
are the ones which stick in my mind from this song.
I'd never heard of the Shadows of Knight until I bought the Nuggets LP,
which was a rather expensive import in 1972. However, it's still a
favourite, it was money well spent.
Regarding another thread from a week or so ago - there are several
tracks by the Velvet Underground which would not sound out of place
amongst the tracks on Nuggets. :)
--
Paul Sexton Paul's Radio Museum
http://www.paulplu.demon.co.uk/radio/
John or Max
rog...@star.Hi.COM (Andrew Rogers) wrote:
>In article <343B03...@philly.infi.net> Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> writes:
>>> WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
>>> Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
>>>
>>> 5. Girl Watcher - O'Kaysions (19)
>>
>> [snip] This particular song, though by a black act (or at least
>>black-sounding act - I never saw what they looked like), sounded more like
>>a bubblegum song to him.
>
>There's a picture of the O'Kaysions in Wayne Jancik's _Billboard Book Of
>One-Hit Wonders_, and they most definitely are white. This was one of a
>handful of blue-eyed soul hits included on Rhino's _Beg, Scream, and Shout_
>box set - does anyone know how well it did on _Billboard_'s R&B chart?
It got to #6 on BB R+B chart (#5 on the Hot 100). That they are white
is very surprising to me. Are you positive?? That will make three
groups that I originally thought were black, but are white: The
Casinos ("Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" sounded like a black ballad to
me), Shades of Blue ("Oh How Happy") and now the O'Kaysions.
>
>>> 15. Shapes Of Things To Come - Max Frost & the Troopers (30)
>>
>>The group's name sometimes appears as Max Frost and the Storm Troopers,
>>and for years this was the only name I knew them by.
>
>Just to add to the confusion, it's credited to "The 13th Power" on the
>soundtrack LP.
>
>Andrew
I just heard the Max Frost song for the first time ever on a recent
tape traded with someone in the newsgroup. Apparently it didn't make
much on an impression on the Northeast charts, or if it did, it
certainly didn't make an impression on _me_. I had absolutely no
recollection of ever having heard it. Usually when I hear a song that
I had heard, there is a spark of recognition ... that feeling of "Oh
yeah!"
I like the song. Maybe it was too political for tasteful, blueblood
Boston?
John Frank
To reply, first delete the word "omit" from the address. This is an attempt to foil e-mail address harvesting software.
Andrew Rogers
In article <343E14...@philly.infi.net> Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> writes:
>I'm reluctant to buy something that is known to be imperfect, but I also
>know that this CD has a song by the Cyrkle called "Camaro" which I've
>never heard or seen before...
It was never commercially released - it was a custom promo record (CSM
466) made by Columbia Special Products for Chevrolet. (The other side
was "SS 396" - a paean to the high-performance Camaro - by Paul Revere
and the Raiders; this is readily available on the "Legend Of Paul Revere"
comp and also on "Hot Rod Rock") I'd guess that it was released around
September '66 to coincide with the Camaro's debut as a 1967 model.
>> Re: "Shake" by the Shadows Of Knight. The British group The Roulettes
>> (Adam Faith's backing band) also did a version of this. It is credited
>> to "Cook" on the CD reissue of their album.
>
>I haven't heard the Roulettes version, but I have heard the Shadows of
>Knight version, though not in the 29 years since it was a current hit.
I don't have my copy of "Dark Sides" here at work (fortunately for my
employer - what would *you* rather do, fix bugs in the Unix kernel or
listen to the Shadows Of Knight?), but as I recall it's credited there
to some of Buddah's bubblegum aces, probably Levine/Resnick. I'd say it
differs enough from the Sam Cooke song to avoid copyright infringment.
Andrew
Regina Litman
John or Max wrote:
>
> rog...@star.Hi.COM (Andrew Rogers) wrote:
>
> >In article <343B03...@philly.infi.net> Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> writes:
> >>> WCOL Hit-Line Survey - October 7, 1968
> >>> Columbus, Ohio - 1230 AM
> >>>
> >>> 5. Girl Watcher - O'Kaysions (19)
> >>
> >> [snip] This particular song, though by a black act (or at least
> >>black-sounding act - I never saw what they looked like), sounded more like
> >>a bubblegum song to him.
> >
> >There's a picture of the O'Kaysions in Wayne Jancik's _Billboard Book Of
> >One-Hit Wonders_, and they most definitely are white. This was one of a
> >handful of blue-eyed soul hits included on Rhino's _Beg, Scream, and Shout_
> >box set - does anyone know how well it did on _Billboard_'s R&B chart?
>
> It got to #6 on BB R+B chart (#5 on the Hot 100). That they are white
> is very surprising to me. Are you positive?? That will make three
> groups that I originally thought were black, but are white: The
> Casinos ("Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" sounded like a black ballad to
> me), Shades of Blue ("Oh How Happy") and now the O'Kaysions.
I just checked my copy of this book, and yes, there they are on page 225. Even without
a picture, their write-up makes them sound like a white act in some respects. For
instance, they were a self-contained band, rather than a vocal group. It's early in the
morning, and I can't think of a self-contained black band of the 1960s. Well, there was
the integrated Sly and the Family Stone. Black acts, like girl groups (black or white),
tended to be vocal groups in which the members did not play instruments.
h3rr3tt
Regina Litman wrote
<< > 11. Baby Come Back - Equals (3)
Thanks to someone answering a question about this song and group for me on
this newsgroup several months ago, I was able to locate "The Very Best Of
The Equals" stuck away in the Carribean section of my favorite CD store.
According to the liner notes, Dervin Gordon (another transplanted West
Indian Londoner) was the lead singer and Eddy Grant played lead guitar
because (in Dervin's words)"Eddy could play the guitar but rest of us had
to learn from scratch. We were each allocated an instrument to master
although, as I couldn't afford a guitar, I was given the role of vocalist."
No good information in the liner notes about the follow up hit on the
charts, but the song "Michael and the Slipper Tree" from 1969 is the next
best sounding on the CD.
Regina Litman
David J. Coyle wrote:
>
> "Quick Joey Small" by the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus is
> available on at least two compilations that I know of: "The Best Of The
> Bubblegum Years" on Pair/Special Music Co. and "Guilty Pleasures," a
> volume of Sony Special Products "Risky Business" series. Both may be out
> of print but are definitely findable.
I've heard of the _Guilty Pleasures_ CD and even saw it once. There was a controversy
involved with a song on it being included at the wrong speed. I think it's "Washington
Square" by the Village Stompers. I'm reluctant to buy something that is known to be
imperfect, but I also know that this CD has a song by the Cyrkle called "Camaro" which
I've never heard or seen before, and that was a group I really liked, so if I ever see
this CD again, I'll grab it. The producers of this CD told ICE, a publication about CDs
that they had wanted to reissue it with the song that was at the wrong speed corrected,
but due to the disappointing sales of the CD, they did not do this. (This last piece of
information is being recalled from memory, and I may be wrong on some details.)
> It's a wonder the K-KSOC album wasn't reissued on Buddah CD when titles
> by the Lovin' Spoonful, Lemon Pipers, and Brewer and Shipley were
> released. For that matter, how about the "Simon Says" album (1910
> Fruitgum Co.) or something from the Ohio Express? Those albums are only
> available on pricey German imports that don't even have bonus tracks.
There are 1910 Fruitgum Company and Ohio Express compilations available on the
U.S.-based (Philadelphia-suburbs-based, in fact) label, Collectables. Also one by the
Lemon Pipers. I chose not to buy the one by the Ohio Express, but I have the other two.
I don't think they are straight reissues of albums but instead are anthologies.
> Re: "Shake" by the Shadows Of Knight. The British group The Roulettes
> (Adam Faith's backing band) also did a version of this. It is credited
> to "Cook" on the CD reissue of their album. Maybe a mispelling? It may
> not be a straight cover of the Sam Cooke song, but isn't it very
> similar? I think the Shadows Of Knight/Roulettes version is just the Sam
> Cooke song without most of the lyrics. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've heard
> all three songs in question.
I haven't heard the Roulettes version, but I have heard the Shadows of Knight version,
though not in the 29 years since it was a current hit. I do not recall it sounding
anything like the Sam Cooke "Shake" and assumed it was a different song. Perhaps the
Roulettes version is not intended to be a Shadows of Knight cover but instead is just a
Sam Cooke cover. On the other hand, your description of this version as being "just the
Sam Cooke song without most of the lyrics" could be correct, because I don't remember
the Shadows of Knight version having much in the way of lyrics. But the tune seemed far
different. As I have already said, I had already heard one garage band version of the
Sam Cooke "Shake", by the D.C. area band the British Walkers.
John or Max
Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> wrote:
>> >There's a picture of the O'Kaysions in Wayne Jancik's _Billboard Book Of
>> >One-Hit Wonders_, and they most definitely are white. This was one of a
>> >handful of blue-eyed soul hits included on Rhino's _Beg, Scream, and Shout_
>> >box set - does anyone know how well it did on _Billboard_'s R&B chart?
>>
>> It got to #6 on BB R+B chart (#5 on the Hot 100). That they are white
>> is very surprising to me. Are you positive?? That will make three
>> groups that I originally thought were black, but are white: The
>> Casinos ("Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" sounded like a black ballad to
>> me), Shades of Blue ("Oh How Happy") and now the O'Kaysions.
>
>I just checked my copy of this book, and yes, there they are on page 225. Even without
>a picture, their write-up makes them sound like a white act in some respects. For
>instance, they were a self-contained band, rather than a vocal group. It's early in the
>morning, and I can't think of a self-contained black band of the 1960s. Well, there was
>the integrated Sly and the Family Stone. Black acts, like girl groups (black or white),
>tended to be vocal groups in which the members did not play instruments.
Thanks for checking, Regina. I was going to mention last night, when I
typed the above, that in the Whitburn R&B chart book, he mentions that
they were discovered by Edwin Starr. So that kind of implied to me,
too, that they may have been black.
John
Regina Litman
Andrew Rogers wrote:
>
> In article <343E14...@philly.infi.net> Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> writes:
> >know that this CD has a song by the Cyrkle called "Camaro" which I've
>
> It was never commercially released - it was a custom promo record (CSM
> 466) made by Columbia Special Products for Chevrolet. (The other side
> was "SS 396" - a paean to the high-performance Camaro - by Paul Revere
> and the Raiders; this is readily available on the "Legend Of Paul Revere"
> comp and also on "Hot Rod Rock") I'd guess that it was released around
> September '66 to coincide with the Camaro's debut as a 1967 model.
I have the Paul Revere and the Raiders track on the _Legend of Paul Revere_ CD. This
Raiders CD also contains a full-length song that appears to be built around a Pontiac
ad the group did in 1969. Around the same time, Neil Diamond did an ad for another GM
division, Buick. Neither the Pontiac nor the Buick ad identified the acts doing them,
but both acts were quite identifiable. In later years, my suspicions were confirmed.
In the case of the Raiders, it was because this song turned up on the CD. In the case
of the Neil Diamond, it was mentioned in a biography I read about him. This biography
also mentioned the Thom McAn Shoes ad that used the song "Do Your Own Thing" that was
recorded by Brook Benton shortly afterward.
> >> Re: "Shake" by the Shadows Of Knight. The British group The Roulettes
> >> (Adam Faith's backing band) also did a version of this. It is credited
> >> to "Cook" on the CD reissue of their album.
> >
> >I haven't heard the Roulettes version, but I have heard the Shadows of
> >Knight version, though not in the 29 years since it was a current hit.
>
> I don't have my copy of "Dark Sides" here at work (fortunately for my
> employer - what would *you* rather do, fix bugs in the Unix kernel or
> listen to the Shadows Of Knight?), but as I recall it's credited there
> to some of Buddah's bubblegum aces, probably Levine/Resnick. I'd say it
> differs enough from the Sam Cooke song to avoid copyright infringment.
Now that you mention it, I do recall that the Shadows of Knight song "Shake" was written
by a New York-based songwriting team I had heard of before.
Steven E. Bruun
Weren't the Contours ("Do You Love Me?") a self-contained band? That's
the only exception to the "black acts tended to be vocal groups" rule I
could come up with (assuming my memory hasn't failed me again). I would
love to have seen these guys. For a Motown act, they really rocked!
- SteveB
--
"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?"
Regina Litman <rsli...@philly.infi.net> wrote in article
<343E16...@philly.infi.net>...
about the O'Kaysions: