(Above: Picture sleeve from "Why Not Me.") If I asked you to name as many Top 20 hits as you could think of from the summer of 1980, I'd wager what's in my wallet that the name Fred Knoblock would have escaped you. I've been digging into the early 80s charts lately and finding some … Continue reading Great lost hit: Fred Knoblock, “Why Not Me” (1980)
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A summer vacation soundtrack: The Billboard Hot 100, June 9, 1984
(Above: The end of sophomore year. Someone please get this kid a haircut.) The first full week of June 1984 would have meant the start of summer vacation. I had just completed my sophomore year at Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park. The bulk of my daytime activity that summer involved something that … Continue reading A summer vacation soundtrack: The Billboard Hot 100, June 9, 1984
An appreciation of Dick Biondi: “The Pizza Song”
(Above: "The Pizza Song" had a picture sleeve, which my copy is missing.) I never imagined radio without Dick Biondi on it somewhere. Don't get me wrong: I'm nothing if not something of a realist. No one lives forever, nor works forever, nor should they. And, hell - years ago I didn't imagine a world … Continue reading An appreciation of Dick Biondi: “The Pizza Song”
Going to the jack-o-lantern: Lyrics misheard by children, young and old
(Above: The lack of a pumpkin on the sleeve should have been my first clue.) I've always been one to judge a song by its lyrics. I should clarify that: if the song has lyrics, I want them to be great. (I'm a sucker for a terrific instrumental, but even then I probably start making … Continue reading Going to the jack-o-lantern: Lyrics misheard by children, young and old
Motown 60: Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” (1983)
(Above: I still can't quite figure it out.) "Did you see it?" Conversations on a typical Tuesday morning in high school weren't interesting: tests, girls, dirty jokes, and the like. But the morning of May 17, 1983 wasn't typical. The baseball season was just getting started, and the White Sox had gained a game on … Continue reading Motown 60: Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean” (1983)
A notable exception: The Doobie Brothers, “Another Park Another Sunday” (1974)
(Above: Even the album title is decent.) I suppose now is as good a time as any for a confession. There are some groups that, try as I have, I just can't get into. Groups that, as a fan of music from a particular period, I am supposed to embrace. We all have a few … Continue reading A notable exception: The Doobie Brothers, “Another Park Another Sunday” (1974)
So you wanna be a rock and roll star: Dora Hall, “Did He Call Today, Mama” (1965)
(Above: Gift with purchase.) A few years ago music fans were subjected to Rebecca Black's "Friday," a song that, while not fantastic, also wasn't as purely terrible as people claimed that it was. (I mean, the poor girl got threats over it. What's wrong with people?) What we learned from the process of "Friday" becoming … Continue reading So you wanna be a rock and roll star: Dora Hall, “Did He Call Today, Mama” (1965)
Forty years ago in Chicago: The WLS Top 45s, April 1, 1978
(Above: No one has ever doubted this claim.) April Fool's Day 1978 would have been at the end of fourth grade for me. By this time I was starting to add my own records into the pile of vinyl that I had inherited from my parents (written about variously here and here, among other places). … Continue reading Forty years ago in Chicago: The WLS Top 45s, April 1, 1978
Greatest misses: Duke Baxter, “Everybody Knows Matilda” (1969)
(Above: The song's not quite as trippy as the picture sleeve.) In August of 1969 a record made a brief appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, stalling at #52. It was a fun little number about an almost-but-not-quite-one-night-stand (if we can invent that terminology) with a seemingly popular girl named Matilda. Just who sang the … Continue reading Greatest misses: Duke Baxter, “Everybody Knows Matilda” (1969)
The gift that kept on giving: My first 45s, 45 years later (Part 2)
(Above: Clearly Mom wanted the records in the basement. That's usually where they end up.) In the last post I explained that I received my first record player 45 years ago, and started rifling through my parents' records. This past weekend I went through a few thousand 45s, found the original records I inherited, and … Continue reading The gift that kept on giving: My first 45s, 45 years later (Part 2)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 