That trademark vocal style similar to Brook Benton, Joe got a top ten hit with Snap Your Fingers but each ensuring single the chart placement went further and further south and this song managed to stay under the top 100. Joe does sound a bit bored on the b side You Can't Lose.
2. Goodbye Cruel World-James Darren (Colpix CP-609) #3 1961
Teeny bopper pop but I think Darren was somewhere along the lines of Brian Hyland of getting songs that were not too sappy or corny, tho he swears about joining the circus after his love interest told him to go elsewhere. B side Valerie, would sound at home had Bobby Rydell recorded it. The A side wins out.
3) Don't Pity Me-Dion & The Belmonts (Laurie 3021) #40 1958
Along with James Darren, this was the second single bought at the Goodwill Maquoketa store and for its age, it plays better than it looks. One of the lesser singles from Dion and the guys, it's mellow doo wop but it's not seen on many best of comps, except for the on that Laurie issued on CD years ago. B Side Just You basically has the same arrangement, including sappy horns. The A side is better.
4) Don't Be Cruel-Percy Sledge (Atlantic 2414) #40 1968
B Side: What Am I Living For #91
Percy never really got the credit due to him since Atlantic had all these great soul singers and Percy got regulated to the back tho, his When A Man Loves A Woman is always played. A nice soul remake of the Elvis Presley staple. This is a good followup to the Dion song. B side, a update of the Chuck Willis hit.
5) Stop The World And Let Me Off-Susan Raye (Capitol 3038) 1974 #18 Country
6) First We Take Manhattan-Jennifer Warnes (Cypress 661 115-7) 1988
One of the best female singers that doesn't get credit where credit gets due, Jennifer made an album that she covers Leonard Cohen's songs, Famous Blue Raincoat. Looking up the chart position, this didn't chart but radio played it a few times. Nothing against her Arista albums and Up Where We Belong but Famous Blue Raincoat is her classic moment. The 45 is quite warped but it plays fine, just like the Eric Clapton/Tina Turner Tearing Us Apart. Me thinks this record came from the same pile.
7) Dance With The Guitar Man-Duane Eddy (RCA 47-8087) #12 1962
The highest charting single for Duane when he was on RCA, with The Blossoms with Darlene Love singing the song, renamed the Rebelettes. Produced with Lee Hazelwood. What's not to love.
8) If We Try-Don McLean (United Artists UA-XW206-W) #58 1973
The second single from the S/T album I remember buying this album for the single Dreidel and finding this album hard to stay awake to. The buying public kinda ignored this. B side The More You Pay The More Its Worth was one of the tracks I remember off the album. Probably the fourth best song.
9) Dreidel-Don McLean (United Artists 51100) #12 1972
One of the things I requested when I invited my classmates over to celebrate my birthday was to buy some 45s, the look upon their faces when I suggested this one, kinda prophetic nonsense that is fun to hear Don get worked up toward the end of the final chorus. But in a era which Three Dog Night, The Osmonds and K Tel dictated the radio, Dreidel was left field from the guy that gave us American Pie. My original copy kept skipping and I destroyed many a needle trying to get the record played. So I found a decent copy years later. I also found Don McLean's Legendary Hits, to which I have yet to play since purchasing it a couple months ago.
10) Before My Heart Finds Out-Gene Cotton (Ariola 7075) #23 1978
Gene's highest charting song. The B Side Like A Sunday In Salem was issued as a single later in the and placed at number 40. And it's a rocker. Probably the finest song that Cotton ever came up with.
11) Reno Bound-Southern Pacific (Warner Music 7-28943) #9 Country 1986
After the demise of the Doobie Brothers, Keith Kundsen formed a country band with
12) Lonesome Number One-Don Gibson (RCA 47-7959) #59 1961 #2 Country
Don's last pop chart placement. From I Wrote A Song LP, an album that I grew up with, tho this single version is a different take than the album. B Side Same Old Trouble is written by B and F Bryant, songwriters to the stars (Everly Brothers, Roy Orbinson etc).
13) Try (Try To Fall In Love)-Rick Nelson (MCA 40392) 1975
In the meantime, Rick Nelson continue to make singles for MCA through the mid 70s tho nobody was buying them. The teen idol slowly became more of a folk country rocker. Try is a nice mellow number, but not exactly memorable. Louisiana Belle, the B side, shakes the tempo up a half step, it also helps having a female singer too. Still, like the A side, not one of Rick's best efforts.
14) Names, Tags, Numbers, Labels-Albert Hammond (Mums 6032) 1974
Originally this song comes from 1972 to which new labelmates The Association covered this and for their effect it made number 91 on the charts. This song also was found on the S/T album in 1974 and CBS decided to issue this as a single. To which it made the local top 30 but not the Billboard chart. B Side Fountain Avenue is a mellow forgettable number complete with a sax solo sounding very Kenny G, it could have been David Sanborn or Tom Scott blowing away. I thought Names, etc was a worthy Hammond song. The 1974 version is a update and this time out Hal Blaine keeps a straight beat rather than the tossed off one he played on the Association version.
15) Live And Let Die-Wings (Apple 1863) #2 1973
Apple Records are hard to come by in decent shape but the gang at Moondog Music have had a nice collection of Apple music. Of course George Martin produced this, of course this is better than Guns And Roses. Linda McCartney is missed too. Tho this record didn't have a sleeve it's plays like new. B side I Lie Around has Denny Laine singing lead. This was later added on the CD version of Red Rose Speedway and probably made that album sound much more better too.
16) Standing At The End Of The Line-Lobo (Big Tree BT-15001) #37 1974
The last of the Moondog Music finds is yet another soft country rock number from Lobo, who seems to be becoming more of the SGS puzzle. Back in the 70s soft country rock was a big deal but nowadays nobody plays it much. As with most Lobo songs, it is catchy and I prefer it to the overplayed Corporate Classic Rock Crap anymore. B side Stoney is more of the same. I can't tell you why I get into this sort of music.
17) When There's A Will, There's A Way-Delaney & Bonnie (Atco 45-6863) #99 1972
Bought this at Analog Vault and then had to clean it up, a lot of dirt buildup in the grooves. Things were unwinding down for D & B, who would eventually leave for Columbia Records, made one album and then got divorced. Bonnie Bramlett could belt it out and was a perfect foil for Delaney. Kinda reminds me of Soul Shake, another forgotten classic you never hear on the radio.
18) The Fireman-George Strait (MCA 52586) 1984 #5 Country 1985
I'm surprised this didn't make number 1, for a number 5 showing it feels like a disappointment. But to me it's like hearing Rockpile going country. I've been looking for some sort of media storage to get this song and found it on Greatest Hits Volume 2 but then found the single a week later. It doesn't look to be a jukebox copy, it would have the grooves wore off. B side What Dif You Expect Me To Do, is passable.
19) Harbor Lights-Art Kassel (Kapp KE-108) 1969
Post release by the late great saxophonist and big band leader. The guess is that these sessions were done in the late 50s or early 60s and released on Kapp Records. B Side Hell's Bells is more polka than big band. More Lawrence Welk than AC/DC, smart ass. ;)
20) Big Yellow Taxi-The Neighborhood (Big Tree BT-102) #29 1970
I have the Oldies reissue and had the original white label but the latter had a big scratch across the groove that that had to be replaced. I actually found the Yellow/Orange label to which Big Tree would be sold to Ampex. This song brings back wonderful memories of spending the summer with my grandparents and listening to the radio. KRIL from Peoria. Fun times.
And Finally.
Moms Mabley covering Abraham Martin and John and Sunny, but Sunny was the only side I could play since there was a big scratch across the hit single. There's a strange charm of hearing Moms trying to sing Sunny over a hippy dippy funky rhythm, I wouldn't say it's a bad thing. However, I might be on the lookout for a better copy. She got a number 35 chart rating for Abraham Martin and John. via Mercury 72935, She would release 3 more singles for Mercury. Mostly curio pieces for hoarders to seek and find and listen to.
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