Oh geez, we need to back up a couple of months and acknowledge the debut chart single of what would eventually become the biggest duo in Pop history. Daryl Hall & John Oates released their Abandoned Luncheonette LP in late '73 and several months later took the first single She's Gone to #60. Some may recall hearing it in '76 but that was due to Atlantic re-releasing the song after they had their first Top 10 hit with Sara Smile. This time, the tune marched right up to #7 and the guys were off and running. It's a classic White Soul song that even hit the top of the R&B charts in a version by Tavares which will be dealt with shortly on the R&B thread.
I always forget Helen Reddy had such a big career in the States. In the UK she only managed one hit. Which was Angie Baby in 1975.
Maybe, maybe not. They were big here in the Islands in '74, that's how I became familiar. In fact, by '75, one of the most popular local groups in Island history covered a song from Abandoned Luncheonette called When The Morning Comes which went on to become a local favorite. The group's name is Kalapana and I recommend their first 4 LPs if anyone is interested.
Keep the up the non #1 mentions-it's really amazing how many of these great songs didn't make it. Like "Sideshow". This lily white suburban kid in NJ seemed to have a real affection for R&B (I had that Rufus 45), and there is nothing in my listening past to that point that could have predicted this (my brothers liked hard rock and classical, go figure). At least "Sideshow" was a #1 R&B song.
Well that was freightning...Hall looks kinda like David Bowie here if you squint hard enough and Oates' boots look like something out of a BDSM clip. Leathery and shined to the high heavens. Edit: Kept watching, the random devil though lmao and Hall is wearing modern day thot boots smh. This whole clip is a trip on mute and what even was that building in the beginning?
Hehehe! I've watched it on mute before, and you're right. Trip and a half. The building is from the cover of the album "She's Gone" came from: Abandoned Luncheonette. So, a diner. H&O had a glam phase around this time, as you can see from this cover:
Lol, I think it was on their Behind The Music episode where Hall mentioned that he had been airbrushed to death on this album cover and looked like his 'dream girl' lol.
You’re Having My Baby- I liked it as a kid but these days not so much. As others have said it’s kind of cheesy and hokey. I haven’t heard it in ages, so maybe that’s why I don’t remember why the lyrics are controversial.
Actually, Rufus was neither new nor up and coming, but on more of a comeback of sorts. The core members of Rufus had been touring and recording as the American Breed (of "Bend Me, Shape Me" fame) through 1970, when they changed their name to Smoke, then after another personnel change in 1972, they became Ask Rufus. In 1973, they dropped "Ask" from the band's name, and...yeah, we're caught up now
That’s what makes this thread so much fun; we all have very different takes on the same thing. All the specifics you mentioned that makes you cringe are the production elements that likely helped propel the song to the top. Those are the only things I like about it for the most part. So, do those sounds make the song even more over the top sugary sweet? Absolutely. Clearly they were going for a smash hit that would resonate with the masses and they hit it spot on. On the other side of the coin, they also made sure people that don’t like those kinds of elements would despise it, and they accomplished that as well! I think the production is well done for that type of song, I just hate those lyrics and Odia’s voice, but obviously that issue is purely subjective.
They may have had some regional successes but in general, as someone that was really into the pop radio scened in this era, I had not heard of them until ‘76. Probably why they left Atlantic!
I.I.N.M., they had been Rufus as early as 1971 when they put out a single on Epic, pre-Chaka Khan. But yeah, in terms of personnel, Rufus was like a veritable Port Authority Bus Terminal or Penn Station. (Notice I didn't mention another Manhattan-based railroad terminal whose name formed the basis of a pun for the nomenclature of a funk group led by a former bassist for Sly & The Family Stone.)
I missed all the "hate" on (the last song you mentioned) at the time that song was new. By the time I heard of this song and the singer, said singer was dead. Hate in recent years for that song? I've missed that too. You must mean on forums such as this?
Yes, but the ones who did have comebacks had multiple hits, in a couple cases each artist had involvement in several future #1s. I'd venture that at least Sedaka's chart success was greater during his comeback than it had been in the late '50s-early'60s. It always fascinated me why these three all came back right at this time ( beginning in latter part of 1974). What was different about music then that allowed that to happen? An overall larger listening audience, more money to be made? I always notice how all these artists disappeared in the late '60s (although Anka did have a couple hits as a writer during this time), only to come back in 1974-1975. Had it gotten too weird in the late '60s and now it was somewhat returning to "normal" (whatever that is)? It seems to me that 10 years back then was a large gulf to bridge music-wise (as opposed to 10 years now). I can't figure out if that was really the case, or if it just seems that way since I was very young at that time. Probably a little bit of both. Several of the artists you listed were dead by this point (Lymon in 1968, Vincent in 1971, Darin in 1973).
Funny, that was also what crossed my mind . . . but even before this Forum came to being, there were published "worst records" lists where these came up . . .
I'll grant you he had two #1 hits the second time around but I'd hardly call that period more successful than the first. From '59-63, he had 7 Top 10 hits (one #1) and 14 Top 40. From '74-80, he had 6 Top 40 hits (two #1s) but no other Top 10. This of course, pertains to the US.
