This is another one of those girl groups that seemed to be large collectives of sisters. The whole girl group thing would mutate and get rather awesome in the early 60s with The Shangri-Las and whatnot singing about meeting hoods in candy stores, but we aren't there yet. One year at a time.
Okay, back to the song. It is one of those that is instantly familiar, however you aren't sure if you have actually heard it. It sounds like a placeholder for any 50s era girl group/swinging sisters recording. That said, it's not a BAD record, and you can see why the McGuire Sisters took it to #1 and went gold. It's just not particularly memorable or something that I would want to play ever again.
Grade: 3
Monday, October 26, 2015
All The Billboard #1s Ever: "Hearts of Stone" by the Fontane Sisters
This is a catchy little ditty, and the sax and "no, no, no, no" refrain make it seem a tad more rockin' than something like Mr Sandman. What's funny though is according to their Wikipedia entry, the Fontane Sisters quit show business because they didn't want to be part of the burgeoning rock "scene". I'm pretty sure that their career would have been mucked by 1956 anyways due to the dated sound and the lack of any sort of edge whatsoever.
Oh well, it's still a pleasant toe tapper nonetheless.
Grade: 5
Oh well, it's still a pleasant toe tapper nonetheless.
Grade: 5
Saturday, October 17, 2015
All the Billboard #1s Ever: "Let Me Go Lover" by Joan Weber
Oh man, this is bad. Really really, really bad. Histronics are one of my least favorite things in music...and the way that Joan Weber lays on the word "lover" at the end is just brutal. The male backing vocals are not needed. Pretty much everything about this song is the reason rock music happened.
Much more interesting is the back story behind this song and the artist. The song was the 1955 equivalent of a viral hit, going to #1 off the strength of it's performance on a TV show called Studio One. it was a million seller, going gold shortly after release.
It was also Joan Weber's only chart hit due to, according to her Wikipedia page, a husband who wanted her to be wife and mother. Weber actually went missing in action pretty much up until her death in the early 80s, to the point where even her royalty checks were being sent back.
If we were grading on back story, this may warrant a 4 or 5. But we are not, so this gets a big fat 1.
Grade: 1
All the Billboard #1s Ever: "Mr. Sandman" The Chordettes
Aaaaah, nice way to start this out. Something I have heard before. And actually, a song most over the age of 25 have probably heard due to it's inclusion in Back To The Future.
The Chordettes were a pretty reliable hit maker from this song up until "Lollipop" a few years later, then they fell out of fashion like pretty much anything that could have hit in 1940 (which Mr. Sandman for sure could have).
A pleasant enough song for sure. Strangely I figured it would have had more than just the sax and piano (and is that a high hat) sprinkled throughout for some reason. This song is basically some acapella singing by the ladies. I think it should get some additional points due to being in one of the best films ever made, as well as being something I would sing to myself when I needed to sleep as a kid.
Grade: 6
The Chordettes were a pretty reliable hit maker from this song up until "Lollipop" a few years later, then they fell out of fashion like pretty much anything that could have hit in 1940 (which Mr. Sandman for sure could have).
A pleasant enough song for sure. Strangely I figured it would have had more than just the sax and piano (and is that a high hat) sprinkled throughout for some reason. This song is basically some acapella singing by the ladies. I think it should get some additional points due to being in one of the best films ever made, as well as being something I would sing to myself when I needed to sleep as a kid.
Grade: 6
An Absolutely Crazy Undertaking
I have become enamored with a blog (http://freakytrigger.co.uk/popular/) where a writer named Tom Ewing reviews ever British #1 hit of all time. Since I am a tad drunk off a bottle of Surly Darkness, it seems like a good idea for someone to do this with all the US #1 hits of the "rock era".
I am that someone.
So tonight, I am starting with the first Top 100 single of 1955 (Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes) and eventually will end with whatever is #1 on the charts (today, it's The Hills by The Weeknd but God only knows what it will be eventually).
A bit of background first:
The Billboard charts are a messy situation prior to 1958. Most are familiar with the Hot 100, which is the reference point that most use when saying an artist had a #1 hit in the US. The problem is, the Hot 100 wasn't always around. In fact, Billboard published three or four charts prior to 1958 that are referenced as having spawned #1 singles.
For the purposes of this endeavor, I will be reviewing songs that hit #1 on the Best Sellers In Stores chart in Billboard prior to the advent of the Hot 100. Best Sellers means the public was buying these joints, so they must have been pretty popular nationally.
Also, why 1955? Well, most music scholars say that the rock era started when Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets hit #1 in 1955. That, and A LOT of songs prior to 1955 sound really foreign to me. And quite honestly, unlistenable.
I will be grading on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being absolute crap and 10 being something that deserves to be in a museum, or at least in God's jukebox.
So wish me luck...I'll need it.
I am that someone.
So tonight, I am starting with the first Top 100 single of 1955 (Mr. Sandman by the Chordettes) and eventually will end with whatever is #1 on the charts (today, it's The Hills by The Weeknd but God only knows what it will be eventually).
A bit of background first:
The Billboard charts are a messy situation prior to 1958. Most are familiar with the Hot 100, which is the reference point that most use when saying an artist had a #1 hit in the US. The problem is, the Hot 100 wasn't always around. In fact, Billboard published three or four charts prior to 1958 that are referenced as having spawned #1 singles.
For the purposes of this endeavor, I will be reviewing songs that hit #1 on the Best Sellers In Stores chart in Billboard prior to the advent of the Hot 100. Best Sellers means the public was buying these joints, so they must have been pretty popular nationally.
Also, why 1955? Well, most music scholars say that the rock era started when Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets hit #1 in 1955. That, and A LOT of songs prior to 1955 sound really foreign to me. And quite honestly, unlistenable.
I will be grading on a 1-10 scale, with 1 being absolute crap and 10 being something that deserves to be in a museum, or at least in God's jukebox.
So wish me luck...I'll need it.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Random Song of the Day: Bring It All Back by S Club 7
My last year of high school was probably the easiest year of my life. Nearly all of my classes were electives and since I had almost all of my credits done by the end of the first quarter, I didn't really try hard for about 3/4ths of the year.
Even good old Champlin Park High School had a laissez faire attitude toward me - they forgot to schedule me for a class my second semester, second hour.
Being the dorky ass dude I was, I wanted to TA or do something that would prep me for college. But also being the notorious procrastinator that I am, I didn't let anyone know about my lack of class until like a week into the quarter. For the first week, I sat in the library and read the paper or Sports Illustrated or Time. Then I got bored.
When I let the guidance councilor know that I was sans class, I got stuck in the principals office being a secretary. It was me and a dude named Dana, where pretty much all we did was read the paper and sort mail for 90 minutes a day. Good job educational system...good job. Dana provided me with Twinkies many times, which was much appreciated by a fat kid. And even the real, not exploited as free labor at the expense of enriching a young mind secretaries took a shine to Dana and I. We got included in their holiday Potluck, which was much appreciated as a fat kid and a lover of tortilla and ham rollups.
And that's all pretty much I remember from that fateful quarter of being an 18 year old secretary. Oh yeah, and this. The TVs in our "House" office (CPHS is/was so large that a section of the alphabet had a House with its own principal and staff) played a weird mix of holiday music and songs that were almost hits in the US. The two songs that stick out for me from that time were 'So Young' by the Corrs and this. The happiest, cheesiest goddamn pop song ever. Ladies and gentleman, here is 'Bring It All Back' by S Club 7.
Seriously, I don't think anything could be that bright and nonsensical. Their song 'Never Had a Dream Come True' was the big top 10 hit in the U.S. (back when that meant something and people were still listening to radios and not just streaming everything). But 'Bring It All Back', that is my jam. And it was England's jam too, hitting #1 over there in the summer of 1999.
I don't have any other remembrances of the S Club. I know they had a TV show on Fox Family that I never watched, and I think they were some sort of Up With People multiracial collective. My only lasting memory is reading the Star Tribune, stuffing my face with Twinkies, and hearing their almost U.S. hit randomly during the winter of 2000.
Even good old Champlin Park High School had a laissez faire attitude toward me - they forgot to schedule me for a class my second semester, second hour.
Being the dorky ass dude I was, I wanted to TA or do something that would prep me for college. But also being the notorious procrastinator that I am, I didn't let anyone know about my lack of class until like a week into the quarter. For the first week, I sat in the library and read the paper or Sports Illustrated or Time. Then I got bored.
When I let the guidance councilor know that I was sans class, I got stuck in the principals office being a secretary. It was me and a dude named Dana, where pretty much all we did was read the paper and sort mail for 90 minutes a day. Good job educational system...good job. Dana provided me with Twinkies many times, which was much appreciated by a fat kid. And even the real, not exploited as free labor at the expense of enriching a young mind secretaries took a shine to Dana and I. We got included in their holiday Potluck, which was much appreciated as a fat kid and a lover of tortilla and ham rollups.
And that's all pretty much I remember from that fateful quarter of being an 18 year old secretary. Oh yeah, and this. The TVs in our "House" office (CPHS is/was so large that a section of the alphabet had a House with its own principal and staff) played a weird mix of holiday music and songs that were almost hits in the US. The two songs that stick out for me from that time were 'So Young' by the Corrs and this. The happiest, cheesiest goddamn pop song ever. Ladies and gentleman, here is 'Bring It All Back' by S Club 7.
Seriously, I don't think anything could be that bright and nonsensical. Their song 'Never Had a Dream Come True' was the big top 10 hit in the U.S. (back when that meant something and people were still listening to radios and not just streaming everything). But 'Bring It All Back', that is my jam. And it was England's jam too, hitting #1 over there in the summer of 1999.
I don't have any other remembrances of the S Club. I know they had a TV show on Fox Family that I never watched, and I think they were some sort of Up With People multiracial collective. My only lasting memory is reading the Star Tribune, stuffing my face with Twinkies, and hearing their almost U.S. hit randomly during the winter of 2000.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Random Song of the Day: When I'm Dead and Gone by McGuinness Flint
Today was one of those whirlwind sort of days. I had to drop off Eickholt the younger at the parents house and trek down to Saint Paul to sign some paperwork, then head back to the parents in time to make sure Eickholt the younger was able to take a nap before "hitting time" (when ETY gets tired, ETY likes to hit to get the point across that they are indeed tired).
The good thing was that the route to the parents takes me through Blaine, which means I get to stop off at Half Price Books for some quarter 45s. Acting on a tip, I knew there was a bunch of 80s and 90s country 45s, so I feasted on some Randy Travis, Garth Brooks and George Strait. I also procured a remix 7" of Every Heartbeat by Amy Grant, which caused me to react like some people do when they find Elvis records on Sun.
While hunting I found a 45 on that weird 70s Capitol Bullseye label that I had seen mentioned on a couple of music blogs. For a quarter, I figured I could give When I'm Dead and Gone by McGuinness Flint a chance. Good call on my part. The backstory is a bunch of 60s bit players got together and rocked a bitchin song inspired by Robert Johnson. They included Mandolin and kazoo as instruments. It hit #2 in the UK and top 40 in the US in 1970, and then the band imploded. And here it is, for your listening pleasure:
The good thing was that the route to the parents takes me through Blaine, which means I get to stop off at Half Price Books for some quarter 45s. Acting on a tip, I knew there was a bunch of 80s and 90s country 45s, so I feasted on some Randy Travis, Garth Brooks and George Strait. I also procured a remix 7" of Every Heartbeat by Amy Grant, which caused me to react like some people do when they find Elvis records on Sun.
While hunting I found a 45 on that weird 70s Capitol Bullseye label that I had seen mentioned on a couple of music blogs. For a quarter, I figured I could give When I'm Dead and Gone by McGuinness Flint a chance. Good call on my part. The backstory is a bunch of 60s bit players got together and rocked a bitchin song inspired by Robert Johnson. They included Mandolin and kazoo as instruments. It hit #2 in the UK and top 40 in the US in 1970, and then the band imploded. And here it is, for your listening pleasure:
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