Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell were both charting with jazz-inflected rock at the time as well. We were pretty much headed for peak jazz-rock - Chicago and other acts were also stomping around the same playground. "The Air That I Breathe" really should have been a #1 hit. Radio loved that thing well into the '80s. Certainly primed the pump for Alan Parsons and his project, which would go on to crack the top 3 about a decade later and move truckloads of albums.
I don't know about the jazz/rock peak, as Steely Dan made a career out of it. But, Chicago? Yeah, they were definately trying to go pop/rock at this point. It's my favorite Hollies song by far!
Good Lord, we're not out of the summer of '74 yet! Quite a slog through the #1s of the year and unfortunately, this will be repeated in '75. Meanwhile, The Eagles released their third album On The Border and regained some of the chart momentum they had lost with the western themed Desperado although why the iconic title track and Tequila Sunrise weren't huge Pop hits is truly vexing. OTB was a transitional album with the group attempting a harder rock sound while not totally abandoning their country/rock roots. First single Already Gone harkened back to the style of Take It Easy while future chart topper Best Of My Love was the first of many huge ballads the band would have success with. My favorite was a tune that actually fulfilled the group's intentions of going in a more rock direction - James Dean. I really love this one and it's a pity they abandoned this raucous sound for slick pop/rock over the next few albums. Not that they didn't still make great music but still....
"Desperado" was never released as a single, so it couldn't have become a pop hit. "James Dean" was a single, but only got to #77. Incredibly, that would be the last time they missed the top five until "Life in the Fast Lane" peaked at #11 in late 1977.
The Eagles were about to become huge. That whole California country/rock sound, born of Sweetheart Of The Rodeo over half a decade before, was about to go totally mainstream. In fact it would become the mainstream - the biggest rock album in the US this decade was essentially born out of that sound, with a detour thru British blues rock and a heaping helping of '60s California pop.
Of this, I have #1 - 10, 15, 17, 22, 23, 25 - 28, 31 - 34, 37, 38, 40, 41 (whose B side would later go to #1 - no peeking now ), 43, 75, 79, 83, 84, a promo of #93, and #98. As for #27, first-pressings miscredited Lee Hazlewood (of Nancy Sinatra fame) as co-writer (a double-misspelling, as Albert Hammond's actual co-writer Mike Hazlewood whose surname was spelt the same, likewise had two letters in his inverted):
"Tequila Sunrise" was released as a single in April, 1973 at the same time as the album. "Outlaw Man" followed a few months later.
Sorry to be so late, been having major computer issues the last few days. Next is "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper lace, #1 from August 11 - August 17, 1974.
Chicago was about to hit their creative peak about then. They would enjoy plenty more hits the rest of the decade, but they never achieved the heights they did from 1969-74, imo. One of the best songs of the decade, imo.
Given what the song was about, and where it took place, it was amazing that a Chicago-based record label - Mercury - put this out in the U.S. (CBS Pitman pressing): The band's management, in the wake of this hitting #1 in the U.S., had wanted a civic reception for the band, and for them to be given the keys to the city, in Chicago. The Windy City's colorful Mayor, Richard J. Daley, not only flat-out turned them all down, he further riposted, in a "rather rude" (per the words of co-writer Mitch Murray) letter: "And one more question . . . are you nuts?" (It peaked at #3 in Britain, B.T.W.)
My dad, being from Chicago, hated this song, kept grousing that "There's no "east side" in chicago". It's a nice catchy little song, a bit silly I suppose. Maybe this was Mitch Murray giving them a consolation prize for being locked out in the US for "Billy..."
Wow. Amazed Desperado wasn't released as a single. It sure sounded like a radio hit, at least Top 20. Two other signature songs, Peaceful, Easy Feeling and Tequila Sunrise, only hit Nos. 22 & 64, respectfully. Both sounded like big Top 20 hits. Take It Easy, the group's 1st chart hit, and another signature song, "only" hit No. 12. I think most would consider the great song an easy Top 10. All this proves that chart action isn't necessarily an indicator of an act's greatness.
Just listened to "The Night Chicago Died" in its entirety for the first time. I remember in the 80s and 90s it being featured on a lot of those commercials for Time Life compilations like "AM Gold," but they would always play about 4 seconds of the chorus, and the rest of the song sounds a lot different from the chorus.
Bingo. Mr. Murray even admitted there wouldn't have even been a "The Night Chicago Died" had it not been for them being shut out on "Billy..." in favor of Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods' cover. But if this were a story song about the 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre, he and Peter Callander really fell off the contraband booze wagon . . .
Well, chart peaks also don't indicate how many copies a single ultimately sold, or how much airplay it subsequently got as an "oldie". They also don't reflect album sales.
It’s OK. I don’t think I’ve heard it properly since back then. Never seem to hear it on oldies radio.. The single didn’t make #1 in the UK, but was a hit. Paper Lace followed The Night Chicago Died here with The Black Eyed Boys. It made #11 and was their final chart entry.
I don't hate The Night Chicago Died. It's not the greatest #1 of the year, but it certainly isn't the worst either. Lots of people really loathe this track, but I kind of like it. I mean, I'll sit through it but I never felt compelled to own a copy of it.
Around here the Eagles got a really strong combination of AM and FM airplay - wouldn't be surprised if that were the case in plenty of other places. I think this at least partially explains why their top 40 numbers at this point weren't as good as we would expect. The group's "hip factor" was still pretty strong, whereas it started taking a beating a few years later.
Ah, correct you are! I didn't like the song when it was big, but I like it today. I'm thinking the songwriter said "seat side" because it flows better than "north side".
