Post by H2IZCOOL on Sept 8, 2006 18:50:27 GMT -5
Well, we haven't done one of these for over a year, but we'll do two this weekend. This is the first.
For people who are unfamiliar with this feature: These are songs that
back in the day - which is usually mid '50s to mid '70s - received some airplay on Top 40 radio stations but never made it big (no Top 10s, very few top 20s, some Top 40s, some Top 100s, some uncharted). They have virtually disappeared from the airwaves and in most cases, from our memories. -- But I remember each and every one of them. How many do you remember?
Strange – Patsy Cline (1962 - #97) I’m sure that some of you Patsy fans and general country fans will know this, but I remember it making a little splash back in the day. It’s the B side to She’s Got You, but got the majority of the airplay early on, in Boston anyway, until they flipped the record over. It has almost a Latin undertone to it, with Patsy’s big voice over the top. It’s actually one of my faves by her.
Sugar and Spice – The Searchers (1964 -#44) One of those really underappreciated groups, IMO, who rode in on the waves of the British Invasion. They had very few big hits (only three in the top twenty: Don’t Throw Your Love Away, Needles and Pins, and their cover of the Clovers’ Love Potion #9, which was their only top ten single) and a bunch that either just made or missed the top 40, like this one. A very versatile group, their songs included some R&B, some harder rock, some ballad and soft rock. Sugar and Spice was more or less bubblegum. It surprised me to learn that a version of the group is still around.
The Biplane Evermore – the Irish Rovers (1968 - #91) The Irish Rovers never regained the successes of their hit song The Unicorn, but this one – about two singles later – told another story, more or less an airborne version of the Little Engine That Could. And it was done in that delightful Irish brogue. Good song.
Nothing but a Heartache - The Flirtations (1969 - #64) They were a one hit wonder in the US, but apparently became very big in England. Nothing But A Heartache, is IMO, a wonderful piece of music. It’s kind of in the vein of a Ronettes/Phil Spector R&B sound (although I don’t believe Spector was involved at all).
Colinda – Rod Bernard (1962 – unranked) Rod, from Louisiana, had only one hit – “This Could Go On Forever” – which peaked at #20 in 1959. But for some reason, when he released this rock version of a Cajun standard a couple of years later, it became a big hit in Boston (even though no one could understand the words.)
Some Velvet Morning – Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood (1968 - #26) A very underrated duet IMO. Lee was also Nancy’s producer, but it’s his deep voice that make their duets so effective. This song has a very haunting melody and undertone, strange and beautiful. It has been covered many times since.
Day After Day – Shango (1969 - #57) A little reggae style ditty that actually does get remembered. Not the song itself – which I don’t think ever gets played anymore – but allusions to some of the lyrics. It’s a song about the “big-one” – the earthquake that some people believe will hit the west coast some day – and features the line “Better get ready to tie up de boat in Idaho.”
For A Penny – Pat Boone – (1959 - #23) Why would anyone remember this song? People try to forget Pat Boone. But Pat does have a pleasant voice, with a very large range, and when he sticks to ballads and easy listening stuff, he’s not that bad at all. Just keep him away from Tutti Fruitti and All Shook Up. “For A Penny” is a ballad that I liked enough at the time, to sing it at a high school dance.
Storybook Children – Billy Vera and Judy Clay (1967 - #54) Billy (who later went on to record At This Moment, which went to #1) was at the time more or less a country singer and songwriter. Judy was an unknown R&B singer. They became the first interracial duo to record on a major label (Atlantic) – and may have been the first interracial recording duo ever. The song is a beautiful ballad that is itself a fusion of R&B and country. The lyrics sound very much like the lamentations of a couple in an interracial relationship, although Billy had said he wrote the lyrics with simple good ol’ adultery in mind.
Caroline, No – Brian Wilson (1966 - #32) Attributed to The Beach Boys on Pet Sounds, the single credits it as a Brian Wilson solo. The song is probably familiar to several Clicksters, and really maybe more popular now than it was in the day – when it was quite obscure. Perhaps this song shouldn’t be on a No One Else Remembers CD, but on a Never Made the Top 20 volume. – But the fact that it was released as a solo single is not remembered by anyone except me. ....................
and Pete ...............................................................and Dawn ...................................and most of the rest of you.
Each list, like this one contains ten songs. I've done 9 lists earlier, and you can find them on earlier pages of the opinions board if you're interested. Since some of them get bumped up now and then, they are all over the place. You can use the search function, check only the opinions board and search for No One Else Remembers and select "match whole phrase" from the drop down menu.
For people who are unfamiliar with this feature: These are songs that
back in the day - which is usually mid '50s to mid '70s - received some airplay on Top 40 radio stations but never made it big (no Top 10s, very few top 20s, some Top 40s, some Top 100s, some uncharted). They have virtually disappeared from the airwaves and in most cases, from our memories. -- But I remember each and every one of them. How many do you remember?
Strange – Patsy Cline (1962 - #97) I’m sure that some of you Patsy fans and general country fans will know this, but I remember it making a little splash back in the day. It’s the B side to She’s Got You, but got the majority of the airplay early on, in Boston anyway, until they flipped the record over. It has almost a Latin undertone to it, with Patsy’s big voice over the top. It’s actually one of my faves by her.
Sugar and Spice – The Searchers (1964 -#44) One of those really underappreciated groups, IMO, who rode in on the waves of the British Invasion. They had very few big hits (only three in the top twenty: Don’t Throw Your Love Away, Needles and Pins, and their cover of the Clovers’ Love Potion #9, which was their only top ten single) and a bunch that either just made or missed the top 40, like this one. A very versatile group, their songs included some R&B, some harder rock, some ballad and soft rock. Sugar and Spice was more or less bubblegum. It surprised me to learn that a version of the group is still around.
The Biplane Evermore – the Irish Rovers (1968 - #91) The Irish Rovers never regained the successes of their hit song The Unicorn, but this one – about two singles later – told another story, more or less an airborne version of the Little Engine That Could. And it was done in that delightful Irish brogue. Good song.
Nothing but a Heartache - The Flirtations (1969 - #64) They were a one hit wonder in the US, but apparently became very big in England. Nothing But A Heartache, is IMO, a wonderful piece of music. It’s kind of in the vein of a Ronettes/Phil Spector R&B sound (although I don’t believe Spector was involved at all).
Colinda – Rod Bernard (1962 – unranked) Rod, from Louisiana, had only one hit – “This Could Go On Forever” – which peaked at #20 in 1959. But for some reason, when he released this rock version of a Cajun standard a couple of years later, it became a big hit in Boston (even though no one could understand the words.)
Some Velvet Morning – Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood (1968 - #26) A very underrated duet IMO. Lee was also Nancy’s producer, but it’s his deep voice that make their duets so effective. This song has a very haunting melody and undertone, strange and beautiful. It has been covered many times since.
Day After Day – Shango (1969 - #57) A little reggae style ditty that actually does get remembered. Not the song itself – which I don’t think ever gets played anymore – but allusions to some of the lyrics. It’s a song about the “big-one” – the earthquake that some people believe will hit the west coast some day – and features the line “Better get ready to tie up de boat in Idaho.”
For A Penny – Pat Boone – (1959 - #23) Why would anyone remember this song? People try to forget Pat Boone. But Pat does have a pleasant voice, with a very large range, and when he sticks to ballads and easy listening stuff, he’s not that bad at all. Just keep him away from Tutti Fruitti and All Shook Up. “For A Penny” is a ballad that I liked enough at the time, to sing it at a high school dance.
Storybook Children – Billy Vera and Judy Clay (1967 - #54) Billy (who later went on to record At This Moment, which went to #1) was at the time more or less a country singer and songwriter. Judy was an unknown R&B singer. They became the first interracial duo to record on a major label (Atlantic) – and may have been the first interracial recording duo ever. The song is a beautiful ballad that is itself a fusion of R&B and country. The lyrics sound very much like the lamentations of a couple in an interracial relationship, although Billy had said he wrote the lyrics with simple good ol’ adultery in mind.
Caroline, No – Brian Wilson (1966 - #32) Attributed to The Beach Boys on Pet Sounds, the single credits it as a Brian Wilson solo. The song is probably familiar to several Clicksters, and really maybe more popular now than it was in the day – when it was quite obscure. Perhaps this song shouldn’t be on a No One Else Remembers CD, but on a Never Made the Top 20 volume. – But the fact that it was released as a solo single is not remembered by anyone except me. ....................
and Pete ...............................................................and Dawn ...................................and most of the rest of you.
Each list, like this one contains ten songs. I've done 9 lists earlier, and you can find them on earlier pages of the opinions board if you're interested. Since some of them get bumped up now and then, they are all over the place. You can use the search function, check only the opinions board and search for No One Else Remembers and select "match whole phrase" from the drop down menu.
