H/D's List: 123 songs that should still be played ...

[Hoosier Daddy]

104. ANNA - Arthur Alexander (1962)

They called it Beach Music (not to be confused with surf music; The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, et al) and it featured a laid-back rhythm and blues style that was popular along the North and South Carolina beaches in the early 60s.





103. HELTER SKELTER - The Beatles (1968)

This song was Paul McCartney's attempt to out-do Pete Townshend's 'I Can See For Miles'. It was a deliberate effort to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible, using the symbol of a helter skelter as a ride from the top to the bottom—the rise and fall of the Roman Empire—and this was the fall, the demise. Helter Skelter received critial acclaim for both its "proto-metal roar" and "unique textures" and is #52 on Rolling Stone Magazine's Top 100 Beatles songs of All Time. So why don't you ever hear this song on the radio? Classic rockers ... oldies stations ... NOBODY plays this song. The Beatles certainly weren't a one-hit wonder. Must be the whole Charles Manson thing ...





102. DYNA-MITE - Mud (1973)

Some early British Glam band stuff from Mud.

[Scott Reppert]

Mud used to dominate "Supersonic" back in the day.

And Arthur Alexander is one of the most overlooked talents in American music history.

The Beatles, however, were just a boy band.

Oh, wait...

[Hoosier Daddy]

Mud used to dominate "Supersonic" back in the day.
And Arthur Alexander is one of the most overlooked talents in American music history.
The Beatles, however, were just a boy band.
Oh, wait...

Scott, You and I ought to sit down over a pizza or some Yann's hot dogs sometime.
I'd love to pick your brain about music and radio from back in the day.

Thanks for the ongoing input on my little project here.

[Hoosier Daddy]

Hows about some love for our neighbors to the north ...


101. HEARTBEAT, IT'S A LOVEBEAT - The DeFranco Family (1973)

Those crazy Canucks. 13 year old Tony DeFranco, along with fellow band members (and siblings) Benny, Marisa, Nino, and Merlina perform the group's top selling song from the summer of '73. After a few more hits, the DeFranco Family hit a roadblock, changing managers and producers several times but never achieving their initial level of success again. The group split up in 1978. For what it's worth, Tony DeFranco is now a real estate agent in Westlake Village, California, an affluent suburb of Greater Los Angeles.





100. THIS BEAT GOES ON/SWITCHIN' TO GLIDE - The Kings (1980)

More Canadians! A stellar rock anthem you never hear any more.





99. YOU SAVED MY SOUL - Burton Cummings (1981)

From Winnipeg, Manitoba, Burton Cummings is the former lead singer for The Guess Who and he had a number of solo hits after leaving that group in 1975. Many people remember Stand Tall in 1976. This is another great forgotten oldie ...

[Scott Reppert]

A). I have never heard "You Saved My Soul".

B). "Abracadabra" was my favorite DeFranco Family song.

C). I am still fairly certain that the Billboard Hot 100 Chart notoriety held by The Kings' "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide" is still intact: it holds the record for most weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 without cracking the Top 40. When the single was released it was just "Switchin' To Glide". After it's initial ascent up the chart (let's say in 4-5 weeks) it began slipping back down. That is when Elektra reissued the single as "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide". It then proceeded to go back UP the chart, peaking at #43 somewhere in December of 1980. Overall I believe it spent 26 weeks on the chart without hitting the Top 40, thus becoming the longest charting song not to do so.

[Hoosier Daddy]

98. JUST ONCE IN MY LIFE - The Righteous Brothers (1965)

This one gets lost in the usual (and obvious) Righteous Brothers picks: Ebb Tide, Unchained Melody, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling and Soul and Inspiration. I'll submit that the magic, power, depth and passion that starts at the 2:00 mark (the beginning of the bridge) in this song is unparalleled. Turn it up loud and listen repeatedly ...





97. WORDS - Bee Gees (1968)

So many folks remember the Bee Gees as a 70s disco band, but there was an earlier era of music the Brothers Gibb gave us that involved stories, striking vocals, and some memorable musical hooks and lyrics. Here is one of those songs:





96. STEP OUT OF YOUR MIND - The American Breed (1967)

Six months before Bend Me, Shape Me hit the airwaves, this song was blasting across the fruited plain on WLS and WCFL. Hailing from Chicagoland, this group was originally known as Gary & the Nite-Lites before they hit the big time.

[Scott Reppert]

"Step Out Of Your Mind" was in the '60's rotation at WMQC.

In the words of Danny Dyer: "That was 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' from The Righteous Brothers, who are neither".

Trivia question: who is the fourth person on that Bee Gees album cover?

[Scott Reppert]

Scott, You and I ought to sit down over a pizza or some Yann's hot dogs sometime.
I'd love to pick your brain about music and radio from back in the day.

Aside from going to Church on Wednesday nights and Sundays and Conrad's house every other
Saturday morning or so, I have no social calendar. Let me know when and where you want to
do it. Keep in mind I am watching breads/starches/sugars so Yann's or pizza would be out
for the time being...

[Hoosier Daddy]

Cool.

[Hoosier Daddy]

95. NIGHTTIME - The Strangeloves (1965)

The Strangeloves were three brothers named Giles, Miles and Niles Strange who had grown up on an Australian sheep farm. The brothers' invented a new form of sheep crossbreeding (the long-haired "Gottehrer" sheep, allegedly registered with the Feldman-xoldstein Company of Australia), allowing them the time and financial freedom to form a band. The story didn't exactly capture the public's imagination, probably because it was a lie. The Strangeloves were the studio creation of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer, an American songwriting/production team from New York City. But the group made some great music! Their top-selling hit was I Want Candy, also in 1965. If you want something stranger, here you go: The aforementioned record producers found an unknown garage band talent named Rick Zehringer (who later became Rick Derringer), signed him as an artist, then had him sing vocals over a music bed The Strangeloves had already recorded. The result was Hang On Sloopy, also released in 1965 as a single under the stage name The McCoys. Shazam!





94. YO-YO - The Osmond Brothers (1971)

Ever hear an Osmond Brothers song on an oldies station? Me either. Well, here they are! Video from the Flip Wilson Show.





93. STREET SINGIN' - Lady Flash (1976)

Here's another rare one. Lady Flash was an all-girl group made up of Barry Manilow's backup singers. The ladies gave us one album, Beauties in the Night, and this was their only charting hit.

[Scott Reppert]

I always thought "Yo Yo" sounded like The Tempations doing "Day Tripper".

As for Lady Flash, what's next? Pink Lady (Jeff not included)?

[Hoosier Daddy]

92. PATA PATA - Miriam Makeba (1967)

Originally recorded and released in 1957 in South Africa, this song gained a second life when it was re-released in the United States 10 years later, eventually charting at #12 on Billboard's Hot 100. Pata Pata means 'touch touch' in Makeba's native Xsoha language.





91. LONELY DRIFTER - Pieces of Eight (1967)

Some genuine Beach Music here from Greenwood, South Carolina's very own ...





90. YOU ARE THE ONE - The Sugar Bears (1971)

Remember those Post Sugar Crisp cereal boxes with the pressed plastic record glued to the back? You cut the record out of the cardboard, poked out the spindle hole, then put it on your record player? Well, here you go ... some rare but authentic early 70s bubblegum, straight from the cereal box! The series of songs became popular enough that Post eventually had a vinyl album pressed.

[Scott Reppert]

Never heard "Pata Pata" until last year and was amazed.

The Sugar Bears were blown away by The Hardy Boys (musically and due to the fact that Wanda Kay was a looker).

I wonder how many people in America actually went through MULTIPLE copies of "Lonely Drifter"? (My hand shoots up).

[EZ103.3FM]

I don't remember getting any 'Sugar Bears' records from cereal boxes, but we didn't eat Sugar Crisp (later Golden Crisp) cereal.

I do remember a Bobby Sherman record on a cereal box though....

[Hoosier Daddy]

89. SOMETHIN' ELSE - Eddie Cochran (1959)

Eddie Cochran was of the first rock and roll artists to write his own songs and overdub the tracks. He's also credited also with being one of the first to use an unwound third string in order to "bend" notes up a whole tone – an innovation now considered an essential part of the rock guitar vocabulary. Cochran enjoyed a stellar but brief career in the early days of rockabilly and rock and roll. He died in 1960 at age 21 from injuries received in a car crash.





88. THE TRAIN FROM KANSAS CITY - The Shangri-Las (1965)

This was the B side of Right Now and Not Later, and I consider it one of the best forgotten oldies out there. Of course, there's no such thing as a bad Shangri-Las record. Ignore the video. Nothing but random clips of trains. As far as I can determine, this is the only copy of this tune on YouTube.





87. SHE'S MY GIRL - The Turtles (1967)

Many fans consider She's My Girl to be the best song The Turtles ever sang. I don't know about that, but I really like it. Bubblegum meets the Moody Blues and Jefferson Airplane.

[Scott Reppert]

Never heard the Shangri-La's song before (but I like it).

Eddie is an "old school oldie" from the "Friday Night Oldies Party" on WMQC.

And as for The Turtles, that's probably my least favorite of their hits.

Here is the great "never released when it should have been but was five years after the fact" Turtles song...



Which brings me to this point: just like the Shangri-La's song I had never heard before tonight and really like, I had never heard that Turtles song until 3-4 years ago. THERE IS A TON OF GREAT MUSIC FROM THE FIRST 25 YEARS OF ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY THAT GOES COMPLETELY UNRECOGNIZED EVEN BY DIEHARD MUSIC FANS! Why settle for this crap that they are feeding us today and go back and find a throwaway Sonny & Cher album track from 1967 that is ten times better than 3/4 of what is on any given chart today. Led Zeppelin "threw away" "Hey, Hey What Can I Do" to the B-side of a single. Bob Seger's "Sunspot Baby" was an afterthought on the back of "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll". You could go out and decently record every Beatles song not released as a single and have hits 'til you're ninety. Go back and search this stuff out, people. It's not rocket science to do and it's very rewarding...

[Hoosier Daddy]

THERE IS A TON OF GREAT MUSIC FROM THE FIRST 25 YEARS OF ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY THAT GOES COMPLETELY UNRECOGNIZED EVEN BY DIEHARD MUSIC FANS! Why settle for this crap that they are feeding us today and go back and find a throwaway Sonny & Cher album track from 1967 that is ten times better than 3/4 of what is on any given chart today. Led Zeppelin "threw away" "Hey, Hey What Can I Do" to the B-side of a single. Bob Seger's "Sunspot Baby" was an afterthought on the back of "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll". You could go out and decently record every Beatles song not released as a single and have hits 'til you're ninety. Go back and search this stuff out, people. It's not rocket science to do and it's very rewarding.

Exactly. Well stated.

[Hoosier Daddy]

86. EVERY BREATH I TAKE - Gene Pitney (1963)

Here's an unmistakable voice with powerful and dynamic range. Gene Pitney could write the songs, play the instruments, sing lead vocal, then work as a sound engineer and put it all together. And, he was considered a handsome early 60s teenage heartthrob. Whats not to like?





85. HEAVEN AND HELL - The Easybeats (1966)

The Easybeats were the hottest Australian band of the 60s and this is a forgotten oldie that was banned by most US radio station because of a mild sexual reference (and likely the title) ...





84. THUNDER AND LIGHTNING - Chi Coltrane (1972)

It's pronounced "Shy Coal-train", in case you're wondering. This song kicks some serious butt, yet you never hear it anymore.

[Hoosier Daddy]

83. JUST YOU - Sonny and Cher (1965)

When I read Scott Reppert's earlier post telling folks to 'find a throwaway Sonny & Cher album track from 1967 that is ten times better than 3/4 of what is on any given chart today', I thought of this song immediately. From their first album, here's an awesome forgotten classic from the summer of '65, buried in their bigger hits like The Beat Goes On and I Got You Babe, and further buried in the tidal wave of British hits that saturated the playlists that year. Two years earlier, this tune would have been a massive hit.





82. IF I NEVER KNEW YOUR NAME - Vic Dana (1970)

Originally a tap dancer, Vic Dana was discovered by Sammy Davis, Jr who encouraged him to move to Los Angeles and get in show business. Dana was also quite a singer and longed to be a rock star but his smooth vocal qualities and musical talents skewed more toward the MOR crowd. He's best known for the 1965 hit Red Roses For a Blue Lady. This song was written and originally sung by Neil Diamond, but Neil doesn't have the vocal range to pull this one off. Vic Dana retired from the entertainment business in 1977 and currently lives in Paducah, Kentucky.





81. LIVING NEXT DOOR TO ALICE - Smokie (1977)

Not quite a one-hit wonder, but this is Smokie's biggest (and only worldwide) hit. It was originally released in 1972 by the Australian trio New World and the song enjoyed limited success in that country.

[Scott Reppert]

So far, the song that I hear the most on the radio in this day and age is Chi Coltrane's "Thunder And Lightning". I think maybe 93.1 plays it, but I know I hear it somewhere.

The Easybeats, of course, are responsible for AC/DC...which could be considered as one of their bigger world-wide accomplishments.

And as for Smokie, have any of you ever heard Slade's "Who The &#@! Is Alice?"...