HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 137-39 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 39

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The ever-upward arc that could be said to define Motown’s popularity (and the quality of its output) began to level off in 1968. All over the world, 1968 signified a time of change, and at Motown, it was no different. Key personnel had drifted from the label, and the key songwriting team was ‘on strike’ (soon to be gone altogether), leaving the artists in a bit of a lurch, since only a few of the Motown artists could claim to be songwriters.

Today’s show conveys the results of this tumultuous upheaval, but (hopefully) still manages to be quite entertaining.

Song’s include;

1)    Walk Away Renee – The Four Tops

2)    The End of Our Road – Gladys Knight & the Pips

3)    (You Can’t Let The Boy Overpower) The Man in You – Chuck Jackson

4)    Why Am I Lovin’ You – Debbie Dean

5)    Thank You Love – Billy Eckstine

6)    If You Can Want – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

7)    Whisper You Love Me Boy – Chris Clark

8)    I’ll Say Forever My Love – Jimmy Ruffin

9)    Does Your Mama Know About Me? – Billy Taylor & the Vancouvers

10) Forever Came Today – Diana Ross & the Supremes

11)  Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While 0 – The Isley Brothers

A Shift Toward Roots in February 1969

PLAY THE SHOWAfter the wild indulgences of Psychedelia, it’s only natural that a backlash would take place. Slowly, rock and roll started to shift to a place where it could acknowledge a few of its influences. The Band kicked things off with their debut album in late 1968, but things really got rolling by early 1969.

Here a re a few songs that made a difference forty years ago this month;

1)    Proud Mary – Creedence Clearwater Revival

2)    Time of the Season - The Zombies

3)    My Whole World Ended – David Ruffin

4)    Games People Play – Joe South

5)    Today I Sing the Blues – Aretha Franklin

6)    Hot Burrito#1 – The Flying Burrito Brothers

7)    Hot Burrito #2 –The Flying Burrito Brothers

8)    Good Times Bad Times – Led Zeppelin

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 137-38 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 38

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If it’s Friday, it must be time for Motown….

            For our 38^th episode, covering all Motown singles (and we obviously do mean ALL of them…) we cover the winter of 1968, as the mood in Detroit grew somber after the riots that nearly destroyed the city altogether. It would never fully recover, but the beat went on.

1)    I Second That Emotion – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

2)    In and Out of Love – Diana Ross & the Supremes

3)    Honey Chile – Martha Reeves & the Vandellas

4)    Come See About Me – Jr. Walker & the All Stars

5)    You Haven’t Seen My Love – The Ones

6)    Two Can Have a Party – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

7)    If I Could Build My Whole World Around You – “

8)    If This World Were Mine – “

9)    My Baby Must Be a Magician – The Marvelettes

10)  I Wish It Would Rain – The Temptations

11)  You – Marvin Gaye

12)  I Can’t Give Back the Love I Feel For You – Rita Wright

13)  Night ‘Fo Last – Shorty Long

HIT SINGLES FROM JANUARY 1979

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We’ve spent a considerable amount of time and energy on music from the winter of ’79. And I figured it would make sense to ‘wrap up’ our coverage by looking at a few pop songs that debuted around this time. All of the songs that appear in today’s show have made an appearance in my book, ‘American Hit Radio,’ meant to represent prime examples of what the pop charts had to offer during this transitional era.

Here’s a list of songs covered in today’s program;

1)    One Nation Under a Groove – Funkadelic

2)    Take Me to the River – The Talking Heads

3)    I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor

4)    Shattered – The Rolling Stones

5)    What a Fool Believes – The Doobie Brothers

6)    Sultans of Swing – The Dire Straits

7)    Heart of Glass – Blondie

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 137-37 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN ‘A’ SIDE, PART 37

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By now, I guess it would be an understatement to say that we’ve covered a considerable amount of Motown material. In some ways, today’s show is significantly different from the others. From their inception, Motown worked hard to capture the mood of the times. By 1965, it could be said that they defined the mood, and had become the zeitgeist of that era. In the summer of 1967, though, Motown changed its perspective significantly in that regard. The times had changed drastically, but instead of riding it, Berry Gordy Jr promoted a sense of denial about what was going on all around them. For a few days in the late summer of 1967, Detroit was in flames, as riots tore the city to shreds, and the police clashed with the black populace. Listening to these songs, you’d never imagine the chaos and turmoil that had been occurring right outside their own front door.

Songs include:

1) Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone – Martha & the Vandellas

2) Steal Away Tonight – Barbara McNair

3) You’ve Made Me So Very Happy – Brenda Holloway

4) Your Precious Love – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

5) You Keep Running Away – The Four Tops

6) From Head to Toe – Chris Clark

7) Window Shopping – The Messengers

8) I Got a Feeling – Barbara Randolph

9) I’m Wondering – Stevie Wonder

10) (Loneliness Made Me Realize) It’s You That I Need – The Temptations

11) I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Gladys Knight & the Pips

12) I Want My Baby Back – Edwin Starr

13) What a Good Man He Is – Tammi Terrell

AMERICAN HIT RADIO – MORE ALBUM TRACKS FROM THE WINTER OF ‘79

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Two weeks ago, we took a look at a few albums that were released in the winter of ’79. At that time, we stuck mostly to albums that ‘fit the mold’ of what would be expected at such a time. What I mean is that those artists fit in well with what came before them. From our current perspective, you could more or less predict the development of rock and roll, from its birth in 1955 until the winter of 1979. For example, the rough-edged genius of rockabilly gets smoothed out a bit, then integrates girl groups and incorporates soul. The Beatles stand as the single best of indicator of rock and roll’s development in the ‘60s, taking us from “I Want to Hold Your Hand” to “She Cam In Through the Bathroom Window.” Afterward, singer/songwriters took a foothold, while rock splintered into subgroups such as ‘Art Rock’, ‘Glitter’ and ‘Southern Rock’. By 1978, a few bands felt that it was time to challenge the status quo. Today, we cover that side of that coin. As 1978 turned to 1979, a significant line had been drawn in popular music, with older acts struggling to retain significance in the onslaught of the newer, younger, brasher punk and ‘new wave’ bands. Here is our playlist;

1)    Hanging on the Telephone – Blondie

2)    One Way or Another – Blondie

3)    (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction – Devo

4)    Jocko Homo – Devo

5)    Safe European Home – The Clash

6)    Julie’s in the Drug Squad – The Clash

7)    Next to You - The Police

8)    Born in the ‘50s – The Police

9)  You Can’t Have Me – Big Star

10)  Down in the Tube Station at Midnight – The Jam

HOW MUSIC CHANGED, PART 137-36 – EVERY SINGLE MOTOWN A-SIDE, PART 36

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While the ‘Summer of Love’ provided the impetus for cultural change, it also had a profound effect on popular music. Motown was not exactly in the eye of the hurricane, but you can hear trace influences in their releases from this era.

Today’s show includes;

1)    Chained – Paul Peterson

2)    For All We Know – The Spinners

3)    I Was Made to Love Her – Stevie Wonder

4)    More Love – Smokey Robinson & the Miracles

5)    It’s Been a Long, Long Time (A Long Time) – The Elgins

6)    Everybody Needs Love – Gladys Knight & the Pips

7)    Your Unchanging Love – Marvin Gaye

8)    You’re My Everything – The Temptations

9)    Shoot Your Shot – Jr. Walker & the All Stars

10)  Don’t You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby – Jimmy Ruffin

11)  That’s the Way Love Is – The Isley Brothers

12)  Reflections – Diana Ross & the Supremes

13)  Love Bug Leave My Heart Alone – Martha & the Vandellas

AMERICAN HIT RADIO – THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED - 50th ANNIVERSARY

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“Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn’t take one more step.”

 

            Fifty years ago this morning, the world woke up to some very bad news. The plane carrying Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (a.k.a ‘The Big Bopper’) and Richard Valenzuela (Ritchie Valens) had crashed into a Midwest cornfield, taking the lives of all passengers. At a time when rock and roll was still a relatively phenomenon, this tragic accident symbolized the potential death of rock and roll itself, and came to be known as “the day the music died.” In 1972, Don McLean immortalized that perspective with his song “American Pie.”

            It is interesting to note that back in 1972, Don Mclean began his story by saying, “A long, long, time ago…”, in reference to an event that had occurred in 1959, thirteen years previous. Thirty-seven additional years have passed since then, but the relevance and sense of loss that resulted from this plane crash still resonates. For that reason, we dedicate all of today’s show to the memories of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, and “the day the music died.”

            Songs include;

1) CHANTILLY LACE

2) BIG BOPPER'S WEDDING

3) COME ON LET'S GO

4) OOH! MY HEAD

5) DONNA

6) LA BAMBA

7) WORDS OF LOVE

8) I'M GONNA LOVE YOU TOO

9) PEGGY SUE

10) WELL...ALL RIGHT

11) TRUE LOVE WAYS