Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Lay Down

"Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" was Melanie's breakthrough hit climbing to #6 on the Hot 100 in 1970.  There's also a story that Melanie walked onto the stage at Woodstock an unknown, and walked off the stage a superstar, but regardless, she wrote Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) to describe what she felt onstage at Woodstock.  Today it's another forgotten oldie.
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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Not a one-hit wonder!

Everybody remembers The McCoys for their #1 hit "Hang On Sloopy in 1965. Their follow up "Fever" was a huge hit as well, climbing to #7 on the Hot 100 the same year.  And actually, the McCoys put nine songs on the Hot 100 over the next four years.  Definitely not one-hit wonders!  A great song, Fever has been mostly forgotten today.
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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Another Saturday Night

The song "Another Saturday Night" is truly unique among forgotten oldies... it was a huge hit for two artists and both versions have been forgotten!  Sam Cooke scored top ten with the song in 1963, and Cat Stevens went all the way to #6 on the hot 100 in 1974.  This great song deserves a better fate!  Listen to the Cat Stevens version and you'll agree!
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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Time Has Come Today

"Time Has Come Today" is a hit single from 1968 done by a soul group, the Chambers Brothers.  The song stayed at #11 for five weeks never cracking the top ten and yet today it's considered a landmark song of the psychedelic era.  Not bad for a soul group... still today it's simply a forgotten oldie.
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Thursday, August 11, 2016

Cilla Black

One of the strange things about the British Invasion was how few female artists were successful in the USA.  An artist that the Beatles strongly supported, Cilla Black, was a huge star in England but hardly made a ripple here.  She even went on to become one of Britain's most beloved TV personalities, hosting three different shows over the years.  She did have one small hit in the USA though, 1964's "You're My World"... which peaked at #26 on the hot 100.  Cilla Black died a year ago when she fell at her villa... but she should be remembered, as a great talent and a bonafied part of the British invasion!
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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Magic Bus

The Who released their "Magic Bus" album on August 10, 1968... 48 years ago today.  The title song "Magic Bus" quickly became a concert favorite, as well as a hit record.  Cashbox had the song as high as #10 on the chart.  Using a strong latino beat, the song has also been a Who Concert staple, although on the radio it's largely forgotten.
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Thursday, August 4, 2016

"Let's Spend The Night Together"

The Rolling Stones hit "Let's Spend The Night Together" was released in 1967 as a double-A side 45 record with Ruby Tuesday. When the Stones appeared on Ed Sullivan, Ed asked the group to sing "Let's Spend Some Time Together, the band agreed but sang the song with definite attitude.  Ed banned the Stones, but they appeared again anyway.  Interestingly, Ruby Tuesday peaked at #1, while "Let's Spend The Night Together" showed up at #55 (however that works).  The song was also the title of a live performance movie (see photo).  Today, the song seems to be forgotten...
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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Vanilla Fudge

48 years ago today, August 3, 1968, American band Vanilla Fudge broke into the top 40 with a remake of  (of all things) a Supremes hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On".  Cited as one of the few links between psychedelia and heavy metal, the band still tours today with three of it's four original members. Today though, their biggest hit is just a forgotten oldie...
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