The Classic/Retro Pop Culture Thread

RJDiogenes · Jun 23, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Originally aired May 1, 1966

A truly classic episode.

The Supremes - "Love Is Like an Itching in My Heart" & "More"

"From three different states..." Imagine if they had one from all fifty. :luvlove:

James Brown - medley of hits: "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag," "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Ain't That A Groove?" "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World" and "Please, Please, Please"

James Brown, on the other hand, has only one state. :rommie:

Mark Reed Jr. (gun tricks) - fast draw and quick shooting

Followed by a hasty exit and an APB.

Heh...he said he was just a passerby whom she solicited for help...which I guess he was...they confused me a bit on that, but I guess her partner was the guy lying unconscious.

This story runs much deeper, clearly.

I don't know how you couldn't.

I don't know, man, I keep trying but I get nothing. :rommie:

I'd feel kind of justified skipping it based on how it didn't make much of an impression upon initial release, and how I have no recollection of it having gotten oldies radio airplay. OTOH, maybe I need to get it for karmic balance, having gotten "Stand by Your Man"...but at least "Stand by Your Man" has a melody to speak of. Also, having "Beautiful Sunday" in my playlist really lowers the bar. Yeah, I'm probably gonna get it and worry about her other singles later. Maybe I could make a "noteworthy enough to appear as a Wiki news item" exception.

You overthink as much as I do. :rommie:

She did do some other good stuff, though, like "Delta Dawn" and "Angie Baby" and maybe a couple of others that I can't think of right now. In fact, both are better than "I Am Know," I'd say.

The Old Mixer · Jun 24, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
A truly classic episode.

So many underwhelming guest lineups, so much lack of videos, and then we get the Supremes and James Brown on the same bill!

"From three different states..." Imagine if they had one from all fifty.

Ed would need Bert Parks as a co-host.

James Brown, on the other hand, has only one state.

Which one is "the Showman State"?

She did do some other good stuff, though, like "Delta Dawn" and "Angie Baby"

Those are the other chart-toppers in question. I would have sampled them years back when I decided not to add Reddy to my collection. Anyway, the deed is done now. I blame "Beautiful Sunday". I may have to go back and get some other odds and ends that I remember skipping for one reason or another. They're all better than "Beautiful Sunday".

RJDiogenes · Jun 24, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
So many underwhelming guest lineups, so much lack of videos, and then we get the Supremes and James Brown on the same bill!

So many acts in general-- I'm always amazed how much they fit into an hour.

Ed would need Bert Parks as a co-host.

The mind reels. :rommie:

Which one is "the Showman State"?

He's in such a state that he has his own Electors. :rommie:

Those are the other chart-toppers in question. I would have sampled them years back when I decided not to add Reddy to my collection. Anyway, the deed is done now. I blame "Beautiful Sunday". I may have to go back and get some other odds and ends that I remember skipping for one reason or another. They're all better than "Beautiful Sunday".

Man, "Beautiful Sunday" is really getting beat up. :rommie:

The Old Mixer · Jun 25, 2022

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Really Big Anniversary Viewing

_______

The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 18, episode 34
Originally aired May 8, 1966

Performances listed on Metacritic:

Harry James Orchestra - "Sunday Morning"
The McGuire Sisters with Harry James' orchestra - "Cherry," "You Made Me Love You" and "One O'Clock Jump"
The McGuire Sisters - "Matchmaker, Matchmaker" (from "Fiddler on the Roof") and "I Want to Get Married"
Gordon and Sheila MacRae - perform a medley of Anthony Newley songs
The Serendipity Singers - "Monday Monday," "The Shadow Of Your Smile," "What Now My Love?"
Henny Youngman (stand-up routine) - tells jokes about his wife, celebrity marriages, etc.
John Byner (comedian) - routine with celebrity impressions.
Jean Carroll (comedian)
Topo Gigio (Italian mouse puppet) - sings "Mammy" to his mother in Italy

Note: A new segment, The Black Sheep ("Slow Down"), was added to the August 21, 1966 repeat of this episode.

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The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 18, episode 35
Originally aired May 15, 1966

Performances listed on Metacritic:

Kate Smith sings "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain," "Seems Like Old Times" and "You Are"
The Bachelors (Irish musical group) perform "Love Me with All Your Heart" and "You'll Never Walk Alone"
D'Aldo Romano sings "Marta"

Rosario Galan Ballet (Spanish dance troupe led by Galan) - ballet dance sequence
Peter Gennaro (choreographer) dances to "What the World Needs Now" (with female dancers)
Alan King - stand-up topics include marriage and his pet dog
George Kirby - does impersonations of various celebrities and sings "This Is Me"
Willie Mays (of the San Francisco Giants) - talks with Ed about baseball

Karmella (acrobat) - performs a tightrope act
The Fort Myer Drill Team - performs a drill routine
Audience bow: Stanley Dancer (jockey)

_______

The Ed Sullivan Show
Season 18, episode 36
Originally aired May 22, 1966

Performances listed on Metacritic:

Nancy Sinatra - "Last of the Secret Agents" & "Let It Be Me"

Maria Cole (Nat "King" Cole's widow) - sings "Blue Prelude"
Robert Merrill (Metropolitan opera baritone) sings "Figaro"
West Point Glee Club - sing a medley Of WWI songs
Mrs. Miller (housewife Elva Miller) - sings (off-key) "These Boots are Made for Walking," "How Gentle Is Rain," "Hard Day's Night" & "Downtown"
Joan Rivers - stand-up topics include her jealousy towards beautiful girls
Stiller & Meara - routine about a Jewish boy & Irish Catholic girl who want to get married
Allan & Rossi - discuss how to phone women for dates, with Ed playing straight man
On film: March of Dimes' "Man of the Year" dinner honoring Ed Sullivan. Johnny Carson, Soupy Sales, Henny Youngman, Myron Cohen, Joey Adams, Alan & Rossi, Alan King, Buddy Hackett all roast Ed.
On film: The movie premiere of "Last of the Secret Agents" starring Allen & Rossi. Celebrities arriving at premiere include Natalie Wood, Nancy Sinatra & her mother, Allen & Rossi, James Farley, Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme, Jacqueline Suzanne, Jackie Leonard, and Jack Carter.
Audience bows: Earl Wilson; General Brigadier Richard P. Scott; and Mrs. William Westmoreland

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RJDiogenes said:
Man, "Beautiful Sunday" is really getting beat up.

It's better than the Osmonds, I guess.

RJDiogenes · Jun 25, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Henny Youngman (stand-up routine) - tells jokes about his wife, celebrity marriages, etc.

Like Ed Sullivan and Joe Cocker, you have to wonder how and why, yet he's always entertaining. :rommie:

Topo Gigio (Italian mouse puppet) - sings "Mammy" to his mother in Italy

Topo can really belt it out.

Note: A new segment, The Black Sheep ("Slow Down"), was added to the August 21, 1966 repeat of this episode.

The Ed Sullivan Show is bigger on the inside.

Willie Mays (of the San Francisco Giants) - talks with Ed about baseball

Nice talk about sportsmanship. Did you see that thing a few weeks ago where the pitcher actually tackled a runner to prevent him from getting to home base? :rommie:

Nancy Sinatra - "Last of the Secret Agents" & "Let It Be Me"

I never heard of the Secret Agent thing, either the song or the movie. But apparently the Ed Sullivan Special Effects Department watches Batman. :rommie:

It's better than the Osmonds, I guess.

Damned with faint praise. :rommie:

The Old Mixer · Jun 25, 2022

55 Years Ago This Week

June 25

An estimated 400 million viewers around the world watched Our World, the first live, international, satellite television production. The two-hour program was seen in 26 nations on five continents. In the UK, the show began at 8:00 p.m. UTC on BBC-1, and in the United States, it was seen starting at 3:00 pm Eastern time, 12 noon Pacific, on the National Educational Television (NET) stations. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation carried the live program in the early morning hours of Monday the 26th, where it began at 5:00 in the morning in Sydney. The telecast opened with the birth of a baby in Mexico City and the debut of The Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love" from London. The Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies had withdrawn from participation three days earlier as a protest against the Six-Day War.

President Johnson and Prime Minister Kosygin had a second meeting in Glassboro, New Jersey, the day after the Soviet Premier had made a visit to Niagara Falls.

June 26

The White House staff announced in Washington that negotiators for the United States and Panama and reached agreement on a treaty regarding the Panama Canal. Although terms of the treaty were not released, informed sources said that the purpose was for the U.S. to replace the 1903 treaty, share responsibility for the operation and management of the canal with Panama, and give Panama sovereignty over the Panama Canal Zone, at the time a U.S. territory.
A race riot began in Buffalo, New York and would continue until July 1, during which 200 people would be arrested.

June 27

The first automated teller machine (ATM) or automatic cash machine began service, at a branch of Barclays Bank in Enfield Town in North London. The system used printed "Barclaycash" vouchers that were "issued, free of charge, to pre-approved customers who were also entrusted with a personal code number". The procedure was for a customer to put the voucher in the automatic drawer; when a green light came on, the customer then entered the personal code, the machine checked the account balance, and another drawer would open, containing a £10 note for each voucher. Inventor John Shepherd-Barron of the De La Rue banknote printing company perfected the machine and British television star Reg Varney appeared in the advertising campaign. Shepherd-Brown had originally planned to have the machine respond to a six-digit PIN but "discovered that his wife could not remember more than four digits, thus the worldwide standard for PINs is four digits."
Carl Wilson, the lead guitarist of The Beach Boys, was acquitted by a federal court judge in Los Angeles of charges of draft evasion. Wilson testified that he was a conscientious objector, the defense that had been rejected earlier in the month for Muhammad Ali.

June 28

Israel extended its jurisdiction over East Jerusalem and its suburbs, which had been captured earlier in the month from Jordan, the day after the Knesset had approved the right of Israel's municipal government to extend its authority to old city. Under the legislation, the municipal government that had been led by a Palestinian mayor and city council was dissolved. Jordan had annexed the eastern section of the city on April 24, 1950; Israel would not formally annex the eastern section until June 30, 1980, when the Knesset passed the Jerusalem Law. Another bill provided that safeguards would be set so that people of all religions (Judaism, Islam and Christianity) would have access to the shrines in the Holy City, and a final law provided a penalty of seven years imprisonment for anyone desecrating a shrine.
At the same time, the Bank of Israel announced that the Israeli pound would be the only legal currency in the unified Jerusalem, and set an exchange rate of 7 1/2 Jordanian dinars for the pound for three days.
Pope Paul VI formally ordained 24 new cardinals at a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, conferring upon each of them a red biretta emblematic of the Roman Catholic church cardinalate. For the first time in church history, the cardinals were required to recite an oath. The newly ordained cardinals included Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, who would, in 1978, become Pope John Paul II, and would later be made a Roman Catholic saint.
Hussein Maziq resigned as Prime Minister of Libya after Arab nationalists rioted following Egypt's defeat by Israel. King Idris installed Abdul Qadir al-Badri as a "law and order" leader to suppress the demonstrators and to end a strike by oil workers.

June 29

The "Green Line" that had marked the boundary between Israeli Jerusalem and Jordanian Jerusalem, was dismantled by order of Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. Over a period of days, 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) of barbed wire, along with "several concrete ramparts, fifty-five fortified guard stations, and hundreds of mines in the buffer zone" were removed and, "True to his military objective and his public promise to extend 'the hand of peace' to Israel's Arab neighbors, Dayan ushered in a period of relative peace and cooperation in Jerusalem that lasted until the start of the first intifada in 1987."
Died: Jayne Mansfield, 34, American film and stage actress, was killed along with her friend, Sam Brody, and Ronnie Harrison, the driver of the car in which she was riding. At about 1:00 in the morning, Mansfield's car came around a narrow curve on U.S. Highway 90 and crashed underneath a commercial truck that had slowed down behind another vehicle. Mansfield was 23 miles from New Orleans, where she had been scheduled to appear on a noon television program. Although she was not decapitated, as would first be reported, the top of her head was sheared off by the impact. Three of her children, who were sitting in the back of the car, were hospitalized with minor injuries.

June 30

Moise Tshombe, former President of Katanga and former prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is kidnapped to Algeria.
NASA, the American space agency, announced the selection of U.S. Air Force Major Robert H. Lawrence Jr. as the first African-American astronaut. Less than six months later, however, Lawrence would be killed while training a pilot to fly an F-104 Starfighter jet.

July 1

Canada celebrated its first one hundred years of Confederation. In honor of the centennial, Queen Elizabeth II visited from London and addressed 25,000 of her Canadian subjects in front of the Parliament Building in Ottawa and expressed her hope that Canada's next 100 years would "bring peace and prosperity, happiness and harmony, and a just reward for the work and endeavor of each one of you."
The first colour television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began at 2:00 in the afternoon as BBC Two telecast a match from Centre Court of Wimbledon between Cliff Drysdale and Roger Taylor. "It was a Wimbledon no one has ever seen on television before", a reporter noted the next day. "The clothes of the players were whiter than white, the Centre Court an inimitable green." Regular colour programming, a full colour service would begin on BBC2 on December 2.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Windy," The Association
2. "Groovin'," The Young Rascals
3. "Little Bit o' Soul," The Music Explosion
4. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)," Scott McKenzie
5. "She'd Rather Be with Me," The Turtles
6. "Respect," Aretha Franklin
7. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Frankie Valli
8. "Let's Live for Today," The Grass Roots
9. "Come on Down to My Boat," Every Mother's Son
10. "Don't Sleep in the Subway," Petula Clark
11. "Ding, Dong! The Witch Is Dead," The Fifth Estate
12. "Up, Up and Away," The 5th Dimension
13. "The Tracks of My Tears," Johnny Rivers
14. "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones)," Bee Gees
15. "Alfie," Dionne Warwick
16. "Sunday Will Never Be the Same," Spanky & Our Gang
17. "Somebody to Love," Jefferson Airplane
18. "C'mon Marianne," The Four Seasons
19. "Light My Fire," The Doors
20. "7 Rooms of Gloom," Four Tops
21. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
22. "Society's Child (Baby I've Been Thinking)," Janis Ian
23. "Here We Go Again," Ray Charles
24. "Do It Again a Little Bit Slower," Jon & Robin & The In Crowd
25. "I Was Made to Love Her," Stevie Wonder
26. "For Your Precious Love," Oscar Toney, Jr.
27. "Release Me (and Let Me Love Again)," Engelbert Humperdinck
28. "A Whiter Shade of Pale," Procol Harum
29. "Pay You Back with Interest," The Hollies

31. "Soul Finger," The Bar-Kays
32. "Make Me Yours," Bettye Swann
33. "White Rabbit," Jefferson Airplane

36. "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," The Buckinghams

39. "I Take It Back," Sandy Posey
40. "All I Need," The Temptations
41. "Step Out of Your Mind," The American Breed
42. "More Love," Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

44. "Tramp," Otis & Carla
45. "Carrie-Anne," The Hollies
46. "For Your Love," Peaches & Herb
47. "Mirage," Tommy James & The Shondells
48. "I Got Rhythm," The Happenings
49. "Don't Go Out into the Rain (You're Going to Melt)," Herman's Hermits

52. "The Oogum Boogum Song," Brenton Wood

58. "Silence Is Golden," The Tremeloes

72. "You Only Live Twice," Nancy Sinatra

74. "Have You Seen Her Face," The Byrds

76. "Hypnotized," Linda Jones
77. "I Like the Way," Tommy James & The Shondells

84. "Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good," Bunny Sigler

90. "Pictures of Lily," The Who

93. "My World Fell Down," Sagittarius

95. "(I Wanna) Testify," The Parliaments

Leaving the chart:

"Creeque Alley," The Mamas & The Papas (9 weeks)
"Here Comes My Baby," The Tremeloes (12 weeks)
"Him or Me, What's It Gonna Be?," Paul Revere & The Raiders (9 weeks)
"Shake," Otis Redding (6 weeks)
"When You're Young and in Love," The Marvelettes (10 weeks)

Recent and new on the chart:

"Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good," Bunny Sigler
(June 24; #22 US; #20 R&B)

"Hypnotized," Linda Jones
(June 24; #21 US; #4 R&B)

"I Like the Way," Tommy James & The Shondells
(#25 US)

"(I Wanna) Testify," The Parliaments
(#20 US; #3 R&B)

And new on the boob tube:

The Ed Sullivan Show, Season 19, episode 40 (season finale)
The Saint, "Flight Plan"

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Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki pages for the month or year.

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RJDiogenes said:
Topo can really belt it out.

Thankfully he didn't go full Al Jolson there...

Nice talk about sportsmanship. Did you see that thing a few weeks ago where the pitcher actually tackled a runner to prevent him from getting to home base?

No, I don't generally follow the game. Hope there was serious penalization for that.

I never heard of the Secret Agent thing, either the song or the movie. But apparently the Ed Sullivan Special Effects Department watches Batman.

That's what I was thinking.

DarrenTR1970 · Jun 26, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
The telecast opened with the birth of a baby in Mexico City and the debut of The Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love" from London.

The Beatles　Our World (TV show) - YouTube

Couple bits of trivia - The Beatles footage was shot in black and white. It was colorized for 'The Anthology' special that aired on ABC. The man sitting at Paul McCartney's feet is his younger brother Mike McCartney. He recorded a couple of albums under the name 'Mike McGear'. His second album 'McGear' was produced by his brother Paul and features Wings ('Venus and Mars', 'At The Speed of Sound' line-up) as his backing band. The album can be considered the "missing link" between 'Band On The Run' and 'Venus And Mars'.

gblews · Jun 26, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
Hypnotized," Linda Jones

One of the most naturally gifted female soul vocalists of her era. She had the origal version of Soft Cell’s 80’s. cover of Tainted Love. She also did this jumping little tune that was a personal favorite, called I’m So Glad I Found You (with The What Not#j,amd which I don’t recall being a big hit. Her life was cut short tragically, by an auto accident.

The Old Mixer said:
US)

"(I Wanna) Testify," The Parliaments

Hard to believe this traditional sounding r&b outfit slowly morphed into George Clinton’s eclectic psychedelic funk circus, P+Funk. It was kind of shocking to me because I liked The Paelimenta. I still have my 45 of I Just Qanto Testufy. Why? :lol:

DarrenTR1970 · Jun 26, 2022

gblews said:
One of the most naturally gifted female soul vocalists of her era. She had the origal version of Soft Cell’s 80’s. cover of Tainted Love. She also did this jumping little tune that was a personal favorite, called I’m So Glad I Found You (with The What Not#j,amd which I don’t recall being a big hit. Her life was cut short tragically, by an auto accident.

You're confusing Linda Jones with Gloria Jones. Gloria Jones was the original singer of 'Tainted Love'.

(1) Gloria Jones - Tainted Love (VN Project edited video) - YouTube

Gloria Jones would later become the girlfriend and backup singer of Marc Bolan (T. Rex)

(1) Midnight Special-T Rex "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" - YouTube

She's the one in the red outfit. She's pregnant with Marc's child Rolan in this video. (As an aside, the guitar that Marc is playing, is the same one Jeff Lynne borrowed to write and record the songs "Showdown", "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" and "Dreaming of 4000".)

Marc would be killed in an auto accident 3 years later when the car Gloria was driving crossed the center line and struck a tree. Marc was killed instantly while Gloria survived. Gloria is still alive to this day, retired and living in England.

RJDiogenes · Jun 26, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
and give Panama sovereignty over the Panama Canal Zone, at the time a U.S. territory.

I seem to remember this happening during the Carter Administration-- am I having a Mandela Moment? :rommie:

Shepherd-Brown had originally planned to have the machine respond to a six-digit PIN but "discovered that his wife could not remember more than four digits, thus the worldwide standard for PINs is four digits."

That's hilarious and bizarre, but I guess we're lucky he didn't marry a theoretical physicist. :rommie:

"The clothes of the players were whiter than white..."

That's an odd thing to say to describe a color broadcast. :rommie:

"Let the Good Times Roll & Feel So Good," Bunny Sigler

Never heard this before. It's nice and cheerful, but not exactly memorable.

"Hypnotized," Linda Jones

Never heard this before. Or maybe I did and forgot.

"I Like the Way," Tommy James & The Shondells

Never heard this before. This band has quite a range: From good to bad.

"(I Wanna) Testify," The Parliaments

Never heard this before. Sounds nice, though, and seems to be a few years ahead of its time musically.

No, I don't generally follow the game. Hope there was serious penalization for that.

I don't follow sports either, but somebody told me about it:

It kind of sums up the 21st century for me. :rommie:

DarrenTR1970 said:
He recorded a couple of albums under the name 'Mike McGear'. His second album 'McGear' was produced by his brother Paul and features Wings ('Venus and Mars', 'At The Speed of Sound' line-up) as his backing band. The album can be considered the "missing link" between 'Band On The Run' and 'Venus And Mars'.

That's fascinating. Have you heard the albums?

DarrenTR1970 · Jun 26, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
That's fascinating. Have you heard the albums?

I happen to own both, 'Woman' and 'McGear'. Of the two, 'McGear' of course, is the strongest because Paul is the producer and Wings is the studio band. Mike's voice is a little softer than his brother's, but he sings in a higher pitch/register, if that makes any sense. However, when you listen, you can hear in the inflections/phrasing that Mike is Paul's brother.

This was the single pulled from the album. Also, Mike looks like his father James, while Paul takes after his mother.

1974 Mike McGear "Leave It" HD !!! UNSEEN !!! 1974 - YouTube

Personally, I think this song, with a little editing, would have been a stronger choice.

Givin' Grease a Ride - YouTube

The Old Mixer · Jun 26, 2022

50 Years Ago This Week

June 26 – The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle jet fighter was introduced, at the McDonnell Douglas factory in St. Louis.

June 27

Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney incorporated Atari, Inc. in California, to mass-produce video game machines. Their first choice of name, "Syzygy", was already in use by a candlemaker in Mendocino, so the entrepreneurs used a term from Japanese gaming.
William Reagan Johnson became the first openly gay minister of a major American denomination, as the United Church of Christ ordained him.

June 28 – U.S. President Richard Nixon announces that no new draftees will be sent to Vietnam.

June 29 – The landmark case of Furman v. Georgia, on the unconstitutionality of all existing American state laws permitting the execution of prisoners, was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, along with Justices William Rehnquist, Harry Blackmun and Lewis F. Powell Jr., voted to sustain the death penalty, and Justices William J. Brennan Jr., Thurgood Marshall, William O. Douglas and Potter Stewart voted to declare the laws unconstitutional. The 4–4 tie was broken by the last of the justices to weigh in, Byron White, who surprised observers by agreeing that the laws violated guarantees against cruel and unusual punishment. All 629 American prisoners on death row were spared by the ruling, including William Henry Furman, who would be paroled in 1984. No person had been executed in America since June 2, 1967, when Luis Monge died in the gas chamber in Colorado. In Utah, Gary Gilmore became the first American prisoner to be executed (January 17, 1977) after individual states passed new laws to comply with the Furman guidelines.

June 30 – For the first time, a leap second was observed. The National Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colorado, stopped the clock at 23:59:59 GMT (4:59 pm local time), adding 23:59:60 before moving over to 0h 0m 0s.

July 1 – John N. Mitchell, who had resigned as the United States Attorney General to head the Committee to Re-elect the President, quit that job, ostensibly to reconcile with his wife, Martha. Mitchell was later convicted of conspiracy arising from his role in the Watergate scandal during his tenure at CRP.

Selections from Billboard's Hot 100 for the week:

1. "Song Sung Blue," Neil Diamond
2. "The Candy Man," Sammy Davis, Jr. w/ The Mike Curb Congregation
3. "Outa-Space," Billy Preston
4. "Lean on Me," Bill Withers
5. "Too Late to Turn Back Now," Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose
6. "Troglodyte (Cave Man)," The Jimmy Castor Bunch
7. "Nice to Be with You," Gallery
8. "Rocket Man," Elton John
9. "I Need You," America
10. "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast," Wayne Newton
11. "Amazing Grace," The Pipes & Drums & Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
12. "I'll Take You There," The Staple Singers
13. "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All," The 5th Dimension
14. "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right," Luther Ingram
15. "Oh Girl," The Chi-Lites
16. "Layla," Derek & The Dominos
17. "Sylvia's Mother," Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show
18. "Too Young," Donny Osmond
19. "How Do You Do?," Mouth & MacNeal
20. "Take It Easy," Eagles
21. "I Wanna Be Where You Are," Michael Jackson
22. "Living in a House Divided," Cher
23. "School's Out," Alice Cooper
24. "Morning Has Broken," Cat Stevens

26. "Where Is the Love," Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway
27. "Brandy," Looking Glass

29. "All The King's Horses," Aretha Franklin
30. "Conquistador," Procol Harum
31. "Walkin' in the Rain with the One I Love," Love Unlimited
32. "Day by Day," Godspell
33. "Tumbling Dice," The Rolling Stones
34. "Alone Again (Naturally)," Gilbert O'Sullivan
35. "It's Going to Take Some Time," Carpenters
36. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Roberta Flack
37. "I Saw the Light," Todd Rundgren
38. "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)," Stevie Wonder

41. "Diary," Bread

43. "Mary Had a Little Lamb" / "Little Woman Love", Wings
44. "Coconut," Harry Nilsson

46. "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.," Donna Fargo

49. "Sealed with a Kiss," Bobby Vinton
50. "Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)," The Hollies

56. "Hold Your Head Up," Argent

60. "You Don't Mess Around with Jim," Jim Croce

76. "Hold Her Tight," The Osmonds
77. "Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me," Mac Davis

83. "Beautiful Sunday," Daniel Boone

87. "Pop That Thang," The Isley Brothers
88. "Go All the Way," Raspberries

98. "I Am Woman," Helen Reddy

100. "Starman," David Bowie

Leaving the chart:

"Hot Rod Lincoln," Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen (14 weeks)
"Isn't Life Strange," The Moody Blues (10 weeks)
"Old Man," Neil Young (9 weeks)
"Someday Never Comes," Creedence Clearwater Revival (8 weeks)
"Taxi," Harry Chapin (16 weeks)

New on the chart:

"Pop That Thang," The Isley Brothers
(#24 US; #3 R&B)

"Hold Her Tight," The Osmonds
(#14 US)

"You Don't Mess Around with Jim," Jim Croce
(#8 US; #9 AC)

"Go All the Way," Raspberries
(#5 US)

"Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me," Mac Davis
(#1 US the weeks of Sept. 23 through Oct. 7, 1972; #1 AC; #26 Country; #29 UK)

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Timeline entries are quoted from the Wiki pages for the month or year.

_______

DarrenTR1970 said:
The Beatles footage was shot in black and white. It was colorized for 'The Anthology' special that aired on ABC.

That's the clip that was available on the Beatles account.

The man sitting at Paul McCartney's feet is his younger brother Mike McCartney. He recorded a couple of albums under the name 'Mike McGear'. His second album 'McGear' was produced by his brother Paul and features Wings ('Venus and Mars', 'At The Speed of Sound' line-up) as his backing band. The album can be considered the "missing link" between 'Band On The Run' and 'Venus And Mars'.

I was aware of Mike's McGear career, but have never sampled it. Didn't realize he was in the "All You Need Is Love" video.

RJDiogenes said:
I seem to remember this happening during the Carter Administration-- am I having a Mandela Moment?

That might be when it took effect; think they were just starting to lay the groundwork here.

That's an odd thing to say to describe a color broadcast.

Kinda makes sense...you have a full spectrum to contrast the white against.

Never heard this before. It's nice and cheerful, but not exactly memorable.

This and the Linda Jones single are relative obscuros to me that I added when more thoroughly filling in the era. They sound nice, but neither screams "1967" to me.

Never heard this before. Or maybe I did and forgot.

What if I snap my fingers?

Never heard this before. This band has quite a range: From good to bad.

Low-key but decent.

Never heard this before. Sounds nice, though, and seems to be a few years ahead of its time musically.

You heard it at least once, five years ago... :whistle:

As gblews mentioned, this group morphed into George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic, whose peak period is still years ahead of us in 50th Anniversaryland.

It kind of sums up the 21st century for me.

It does seem to capture that atmosphere of violently divisive polarization.

gblews · Jun 27, 2022

DarrenTR1970 said:
You're confusing Linda Jones with Gloria Jones. Gloria Jones was the original singer of 'Tainted Love'.

You’re right, my bad. Linda did die prematurely, but not in an auto accident and she didn’t record Tainted Love, Sometimes the memory fails worse than others. :lol:

RJDiogenes · Jun 27, 2022

DarrenTR1970 said:
However, when you listen, you can hear in the inflections/phrasing that Mike is Paul's brother.

Yes, definitely.

This was the single pulled from the album. Also, Mike looks like his father James, while Paul takes after his mother.

Not bad, and it really sounds at home in 1974. :rommie:

Personally, I think this song, with a little editing, would have been a stronger choice.

Probably. The other one was nice, but generic.

The Old Mixer said:
Their first choice of name, "Syzygy", was already in use by a candlemaker in Mendocino, so the entrepreneurs used a term from Japanese gaming.

They're probably grateful to that candlemaker now. :rommie:

For the first time, a leap second was observed.

Only when clocks are accurate to a leap Planck unit will I be confident that I'm not late.

"Pop That Thang," The Isley Brothers

Okay, I think they're just trying to confuse me.

"Hold Her Tight," The Osmonds

"Beautiful Sunday" is better.

"You Don't Mess Around with Jim," Jim Croce

I will absolutely adore everything you post by Jim Croce.

"Go All the Way," Raspberries

Oh, yeah, another classic early 70s Rocker.

"Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me," Mac Davis

This got a fair amount of Oldies airplay. It's all right.

That might be when it took effect; think they were just starting to lay the groundwork here.

That's probably it.

Kinda makes sense...you have a full spectrum to contrast the white against.

Yeah, just sounds funny.

What if I snap my fingers?

You heard it at least once, five years ago...

Hardly surprising at this point. :rommie:

Did I make the same comment?

The Old Mixer · Jun 28, 2022

50th Anniversary Album Spotlight

Wild Life
Wings
Released December 7, 1971
Chart debut: December 25, 1971
Chart peak: #10 (January 22, 1972)

Wiki said:
Wild Life is the debut studio album by the British–American rock band Wings and the third studio album by Paul McCartney after the breakup of the Beatles. The album was recorded in eight days, from 25 July to 2 August 1971, at Abbey Road Studios by McCartney, his wife Linda, session drummer Denny Seiwell, whom they had worked with on the McCartneys' previous album Ram, and guitarist Denny Laine, formerly of the English rock band the Moody Blues. It was released by Apple Records on 7 December in the UK and US, to lukewarm critical and commercial reaction.

The newly formed Wings recorded the album in slightly more than a week with the mindset that it had to be instant and raw in order to capture the freshness and vitality of a live studio recording. Five of the eight songs were recorded in one take.

Clint Harrigan a.k.a. Paul said:
In this wrapper is the music they made. Can you dig it?

While it's certainly not objectively among Paul's strongest work, I've always had a soft spot for this unapologetically raw and funky disc, warts and all, and it got a good deal of play in my car ca. 1989, an era with which I fondly associate it. In my experience, however, even some dedicated Paul fans are put off by the album's one-two combo of improvised, nonsensical opening tracks. I find, "Mumbo," at least, to be a fun bit of business:

Wiki said:
According to [engineer Tony] Clark, they were just jamming and Clark decided to start recording. McCartney, upon noticing, shouted "Take it, Tony" and started ad-libbing lyrics.

An online search reveals that some have attempted to decipher the lyrics, to widely varying results that all seem off the mark in places to me.

Following that number up with its more laid-back counterpart "Bip Bop" is perhaps pushing things a bit.

The album maintains the same pace with a reggae-flavored cover of Mickey & Sylvia's 1957 hit "Love Is Strange":

A promotional single was distributed in the UK by Apple in December 1971..., but the commercial release was cancelled due to poor album sales.

The first side closes by lowering the pace still more to downright lethargy with its longest and titular track, "Wild Life". While this album is defined by its attempt at reconciliation with John over the sparring on Ram and Imagine, I can't help but hear this as Paul questioning his old partner's activism.

Side two opens with what might have made a better album opener, the first of Paul's olive branches to John, the heartfelt "Some People Never Know":

Some people can't sleep at nighttime
Believing that love is a lie
I'm only a person like you, love
And who in the world can be right all the right times?
I know I was wrong, make me right

I generally find side two to be the easily overlooked heart of the album, and have a particular soft spot for the next track, "I Am Your Singer".

On the promotional album The Complete Audio Guide to the Alan Parsons Project, Parsons [also an engineer on Wild Life] discusses how he did a rough mix of "I Am Your Singer" that Paul liked so much, he used it for the final mix on the album.

While Linda isn't as polished a singer as Paul, I've always enjoyed the couple's vocal chemistry.

The album includes two brief instrumental tracks that had been "hidden" on vinyl, not appearing on the LP label, though they came to be formally listed in the digital age. The first of these is "Bip Bop Link".

"Tomorrow" is usually held up as the "good" track on the album, and certainly might have had some potential as a single:

In 1976, American singer David Cassidy had a hit with his cover version of the song.

If you consider #52 UK, #10 South Africa to be a "hit".

The album formally closes with the second, more vulnerable and direct apology to John, "Dear Friend":

Music critic Ian MacDonald cited "Dear Friend" as a counter-argument to the caricature of McCartney as an emotional lightweight.

The album's actual close is the second hidden track, "Mumbo Link".

Wings' LP debut is certainly nobody's idea of a great album, and neither set the music world ablaze nor adequately demonstrated the group's potential, but it has its charms if one is open to them.

_______

RJDiogenes said:
Okay, I think they're just trying to confuse me.

An enjoyably funky obscuro.

"Beautiful Sunday" is better.

Is it...?

While the Osmonds are cribbing the riff from "The Immigrant Song," I've gotta give them credit for making an effort not to sound so lame.

I will absolutely adore everything you post by Jim Croce.

A song that really captures the era, and with which I definitely recall first-hand exposure...if not from its initial chart run, from it continuing to receive regular airplay afterward.

Oh, yeah, another classic early 70s Rocker.

A pleasant piece of period power pop.

This got a fair amount of Oldies airplay. It's all right.

I find it pretty meh as chart-toppers go...it doesn't really grab me.

Hardly surprising at this point. Did I make the same comment?

Well, as "Parliaments" is such a search-friendly term...

RJDiogenes said:
Catchy, but I don't think I remember it at all.

RJDiogenes · Jun 28, 2022

The Old Mixer said:
I find, "Mumbo," at least, to be a fun bit of business:

I've read so many times about spontaneous things being caught when somebody decided to start recording that it amazes me that everybody doesn't just record all the time. :rommie:

An online search reveals that some have attempted to decipher the lyrics, to widely varying results that all seem off the mark in places to me.

If you play it backwards it says, "You walrus hurt the one you love."

Following that number up with its more laid-back counterpart "Bip Bop" is perhaps pushing things a bit.

It's pleasant.

Some people can't sleep at nighttime
Believing that love is a lie
I'm only a person like you, love
And who in the world can be right all the right times?
I know I was wrong, make me right

Aww. What did John have to say about that, if anything?

The album includes two brief instrumental tracks that had been "hidden" on vinyl, not appearing on the LP label, though they came to be formally listed in the digital age.

They were just not listed on the jacket, or they were hidden as in "third sides?"

"Tomorrow" is usually held up as the "good" track on the album, and certainly might have had some potential as a single:

Yeah, that could have been a single.

If you consider #52 UK, #10 South Africa to be a "hit".

David Cassidy does. :rommie:

While the Osmonds are cribbing the riff from "The Immigrant Song,"

I was thinking that, but then I assumed that my musical incompetence was fooling me again. :rommie:

Well, as "Parliaments" is such a search-friendly term...

One of those songs that just slips through the Swiss cheese, I guess. :rommie:

Nerys Myk · Jun 29, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
David Cassidy does.

"Did", I'm afraid. He passed in 2017

The Old Mixer · Jun 29, 2022

RJDiogenes said:
If you play it backwards it says, "You walrus hurt the one you love."

Aww. What did John have to say about that, if anything?

I’m not aware of a public response, but they ceased fire after this, and were known to see each other socially in subsequent years...including engaging in a jam session at a party during John's "Lost Weekend" era in L.A. The incident that gets covered in people's books the most is the time that John turned Paul away because he was dropping by the Dakota too much. Somewhere along the way, they learned that they got along just fine if they stuck to talking about their families and whatnot, and left the ongoing Beatles litigation to the lawyers.

They were just not listed on the jacket, or they were hidden as in "third sides?"

Not sure what you mean by that, but they were tracks on the LP, in the places I described, that weren't listed on the label or packaging.

DarrenTR1970 · Jun 29, 2022

Okay, some miscellaneous bits of trivia regarding "Wild Life" from the book that came with the deluxe edition.

Recorded over a three-day period (24th-26th July 1971) in Studio Number 2 at Abbey Road under the pseudonym "Sam Browne" with engineers Tony Clark and Alan Parsons.

"Mumbo" was recorded on July 26th. According to Tony Clark and Denny Seiwell, Tony set up the microphones around the band and when he returned to the control room, the band was jamming. Paul and Tony looked at each other, Tony turned to Alan and said, "Quick, record." What you hear is the first and only take. The lyric sheet at the back of the book simply says, "Ad Lib".

"Bip Bop" was recorded on July 24th and was based around a refrain that Paul and Linda's daughter, Mary, would sing while walking around the house.

"Love Is Strange", recorded on July 24th. Written by Bo Diddley under his then-wife's name and recorded in 1956. Micky & Sylvia's version, recorded later that year, was the one that Paul and Linda were both familiar with; and, after a trip to Jamaica, decided to record the song with a reggae beat. Originally planned as Wings debut single b/w "I Am Your Singer" but replaced by "Give Ireland Back To The Irish."

"Wild Life" the title track, was recorded on July 26th. It is the oldest song on the album, having been written in November 1966 after a trip to Africa with Paul's then-girlfriend Jane Asher. While in Kenya they visited a wildlife reserve where Paul saw a sign that said that the animals had the right of way. It's Paul's way of saying that the animals should be allowed to roam free while man should be caged up.

"Some People Never Know", recorded July 25th and the second oldest song on the album, having been written in January 1969 during the "Get Back"/"Let It Be" sessions. It's a love song to Linda while taking a swipe at the press who were slagging Paul off for dating/marrying Linda.

"I Am Your Singer" recorded July 24th. A simple pledge of love, with Paul and Linda singing into a single microphone.

"Tomorrow", recorded on July 26th. A "RAM" refugee, written too late for the album, resurrected for "Wild Life". "I'd been let down a lot in my mind," McCartney says, referring to the broken promises and tested friendships, particularly in The Beatles, summed up in the chorus of "Tomorrow". "I didn't want to be let down again. John, meanwhile is doing a song with The Beatles, "Don't Let Me Down". The idea was, in the future, let's make it better."

"Dear Friend" was recorded on July 24th. Two demos are included on the "Wild Life" deluxe edition. The first being recorded at the end of January 1971 following the publication of the two-part "Lennon Remembers" interview in Rolling Stone magazine, and a second in March 1971, during the recording of "RAM".

"John could be very cruel, absolutely," McCartney says. Lennon was also a "wounded pigeon, wounded right from the start" - abandoned by his father, losing his mother Julia in a road accident when he was 17. "As Liverpool guys, you just get on with it. Now this time around with The Beatles, there were a whole new set of cruelties to deal with." It was easy to fall back on the feeling, McCartney says, of "Yeah, I'll get you back."

But, he continues, "I could see the side of John that was "Give Peace A Chance". There were two ways of responding to him. The one in "Dear Friend" was, "Why don't we sit down, shut up and have a glass of wine? We've known each other too long to really get into this bullshit." That invitation was the entire lyric: two short verses, repeated, with an offer to "throw the wine" and challenge to come clean on the insults. ("Are you afraid, or is it true?")

Cut live, in one take, with Paul on piano, Denny Seiwell providing light percussion and orchestra.

As an aside, I can't help but wonder if Paul took a copy of the album with him when he and Linda visited John and Yoko in Manhattan in January 1972, and played it for John, seeing as the album was released in December 1971.

One final song was written and demoed prior to the start of recording, but never made it to the studio.

"When The Wind Is Blowing" - written in August 1969 shortly after the birth of Paul and Linda's daughter Mary. Linda was in the hospital recuperating and Paul noticed a reproduction of Picasso's "The Old Guitarist" on the wall. McCartney saw the way the guitarist was fingering the guitar and tried to mimic the chords. "A lightbulb went off in my head: 'What chord is that?' It looked like it was two strings. 'You know what would be cool? To write a song with only two fingers. So, I wrote this thing."

The song/demo would remain forgotten until 2014, when Paul spent a few days in Los Angeles collaborating with Kayne West. Paul related the story to Kayne and played/whistled the tune. Kayne's engineer recorded it and it became the sample/hook of West's 2015 single "All Day."

DarrenTR1970 · Jun 29, 2022

When I saw Paul at Climate Pledge Arena, there was a story that he told, prior to singing his tribute song to John, "Here Today", where he tells of time shortly after The Beatles broke up, he went over to John's house after seeing some particularly nasty things said by John about Paul and The Beatles in the press and Paul started into John, calling him everything he could think of. John pulled his glasses down, looked Paul in the eye and said, "It's only me, you know." And Paul realized John was right, for all the stuff John said publicly about The Beatles, privately, Paul knew John didn't mean it, and they were able to remain on good terms after that.

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