Yesterhits 9/24

I subscribe to a mailing list called "The Travers Report," which is an all-things-70s-and-80s newsletter by a Delaware club DJ named Tom Travers. Although the e-mails are rife with spelling errors and a bit of vanilla-flavored TMI about his weekends with his wife ("first we had fries and then we went to Cold Stone and the dog wanted some and..."), he compiles some great info about the bands I still listen to. Additionally, every week he features "Yesterhits" which list the top 10 singles and albums from a selected week/year in the 70s and 80s. I usually wind up forwarding them to Mike and others, so I'd like to try and start posting them here regularly, just for fun (and, clearly, my own enjoyment). If you have any comments or fun recollections, post 'em. You can sign up for Tom's e-mail by writing him at TRV70s@aol.com. Tell him I sent you and he still owes me a CD for the contest I won last year.

TOP 10 SINGLES FROM THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24, 1976

1. Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry
2. I'd Really Love To See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley
3. A Fifth Of Beethoven - Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band
4. (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty - K.C. & The Sunshine Band
5. Lowdown - Boz Scaggs
6. Devil Woman - Cliff Richard
7. Summer - War
8. If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
9. Disco Duck (Part 1) - Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots
10. You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls

1) Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry Awesome.

2) I'd Really Love To See You Tonight - England Dan & John Ford Coley AWESOME! I still don't know if he's singing "I'm not talkin' 'bout movin' in" or "I'm not talkin' 'bout the linen." Either way, I used to sing it to my college roommate in our kitchen until she'd scream for mercy.

3) A Fifth Of Beethoven - Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band Brilliant idea and brilliant execution. Excellent use of the vibraslap (thanks Mike). I heard a song the other day that used this as its backing track, and it rocked. Didn't get the name, but some Googling seems to suggest that it's "When I Get You Alone," by Thicke. (As in Alan Thicke's son.) Gotta check that one out (despite him being the son of Alan Thicke).

4) (Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty - K.C. & The Sunshine Band Fun, I guess, but not my favorite KC song. (Not that I have a favorite KC song.) I will say that it's a fun one to teach to little kids. Plus, there's that great Simpsons episode where this song plays over the credits, and we just see a lot of cartoon asses.

5) Lowdown - Boz Scaggs Great song. My coworker introduced me to this one. Like my hero, Michael McDonald, I can't believe he's white.

6) Devil Woman - Cliff Richard and 7) Summer - War Never heard 'em, but I can't believe War had a top 10 that wasn't "Low Rider."

8) If You Leave Me Now - Chicago Whenever I hear this song, all I can think about is the 2000 Super Bowl commercial where the pets.com sock puppet croons the vocal, backed by images of abandoned pets. I'm too lazy to find it online.

9) Disco Duck (Part 1) - Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots Believe it or not, I have never, to my knowledge, heard "Disco Duck" in its entirety. But I'm scared to think that there's a Part Two.

10) You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls Otherwise known as "that song everybody thinks is by Barry White," or "the song that my wedding band seemingly likes to play more than ANY OTHER SONG." It's on all their demo videos and CDs, and I bet it was the first song they played at our wedding.

On to the 80s!

TOP 10 SINGLES FROM THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24, 1986
1. Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The News
2. Dancing On The ceiling - Lionel Richie
3. Friends And Lovers - Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson
4. Take My Breath Away - Berlin
5. Words Get In The Way - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
6. Walk This Way - Run D.M.C. & Aerosmith
7. Venus - Bananarama
8. Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) - Glass Tiger
9. Dreamtime - Daryl Hall
10. Baby Love - Regina

1) Stuck With You - Huey Lewis & The News Not my favorite Huey Lewis song, and I can't remember the video. At first I thought it was the one where he's on the beach with the girl but that's "If This Is It," and then I thought it was the one that takes place in Frankenstein's evil laboratory, but then I realized that's "Doin' It All For My Baby," and then I realized I was drowning in music geekdom and needed to move on to #2.

2) Dancing On The ceiling - Lionel Richie Oh, what a feeling. When we're dancing on the ceiling. I still don't know how they did this video. If I recall correctly, they actually filmed it inside a big box that rotated. It was the '80s, y'all...no amazing room effects a la "Virtual Insanity." In 1987, me and my friends recorded video of us lip syncing to this song. Adam was in it.

3) Friends And Lovers - Gloria Loring & Carl Anderson I have no idea what song this is, and I'm ashamed that it was NUMBER 3 and I don't know it. Is that Carl Anderson, as in Jesus Christ Superstar Carl Anderson? 'Cause I love him.

4) Take My Breath Away - Berlin What to say about this song? One of at least two really good songs in Top Gun. (The other, of course, being "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, the king of movie soundtrack songs.) But who didn't slow-dance rollerskate to this one, hmm?

5) Words Get In The Way - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine I admit it. I like this one. '80s Gloria Estefan just gets me.

6) Walk This Way - Run D.M.C. & Aerosmith Significant for so many reasons. It introduced rap to us white kids (and MTV - well, same thing), gave Aerosmith the push they needed out of their heroin-and-coke-induced haze (their 1986 "comeback" album Done With Mirrors went nowhere, but after this single was 1987's Permanent Vacation), but most importantly, it started the whole rock/rap mash-up that's still happening today. We owe a lot to those guys. (Although I still like "It's Tricky" better.)

7) Venus - Bananarama This is a cover, although I can't remember who did the original. Great video. I believe one of the girls in this band is married to Andrew Ridgeley. George Michael, of course, went on to marry Simon LeBon.

8) Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) - Glass Tiger Canada REPRESENT! What a great song, bolstered by a key change near the end, and fellow Canadian Bryan Adams singing on the choruses. (I think he was trying to copy Sting's cameo on "Money For Nothing.") This is one of the great '80s songs. When I made my first '80s mix (back when CD-Rs were still pretty new), this was on there.

9) Dreamtime - Daryl Hall I was a HUGE Hall & Oates fan right around this time. I knew this album (Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine, FYI) backwards and forwards, even though this was the best thing on there. I remember bringing a little tape recorder down to Florida with me when I visited my grandma, playing this on the porch and banging out the drums on pillows. I probably still know all the lyrics. I even know that, in the liner notes for this song, Daryl Hall dedicates the phrase "movie star eyes" to Bob Dylan. God, I'm pathetic.

10) Baby Love - Regina I don't know this one either. Anyone? Is it a cover of the Supremes song? I have a song in my head, but I think it's something completely different. "Tender Love," maybe?