Another song that was on the chart and radio at this point was Earth, Wind & Fire's second single from "Gratitude" which was edited from this album version: Can't Hide Love - Earth, Wind & Fire As the single edit has never been issued digitally, or since 1976, I could not find it on YouTube. I did recreate the 45 edit many years ago for my own collection, though. The song was written by Skip Scarborough, a favorite of Maurice White at the time. EWF's version is a cover of a 1973 original that was done by a band called Creative Source.
I much prefer the 2:50 edit. I always liked this theme, but thought the TV show was just crap. By the way, the show aired from Feb. 1975 to April 1976, so it was still on the air when this single hit #1.
Right. But on its last legs, as has been mentioned. They must've waited till the song left the charts to pull the show once and for all.
Gary Wright's The Dream Weaver was one of my first favorite pop albums, and I still routinely pull it out for a spin. I think it's magic! As I've mentioned, in 1976 we lived in the middle of nowhere. There was a bonafide one-room schoolhouse (well, it was a trailer) but it only went through 5th grade. So starting in the fall of '75, I attended 6th and 7th grade by riding a school bus ... on a 120-mile round trip daily. I got all my homework and a lot of reading done! The bus had an 8-track player and we were allowed to bring tapes to listen to on the ride. Someone brought the Gary Wright tape and it became a frequent soundtrack for the trip. Problem was, I never bothered to find out who the artist was, and I got it in my head that it was Peter Frampton. So when I later surreptitiously joined RCA Music Club, one of the tapes I ordered in the 8 for a penny shipment was Frampton's 1975 self-titled because it "seemed" like it was that cool album from the bus. It wasn't, and a few days later my Mom discovered my little tape collection had swelled overnight, saw the invoice I hadn't bothered to hide, explained how record clubs worked and how my allowance wouldn't possibly cut it, & made me pack them up and return them. I still can't remember how I finally figured out it was Gary Wright.
I never joined one of those in my youth since the terms were different for those living in Alaska and Hawaii, you know, shipping charges and all. Sometime in the mid 90s, I came across the RCA record club and joined that since there were no such restrictions. Got a lot of stuff cheaper than buying from the stores but unfortunately, it was the tail end of that business practice so my time with them only lasted a few years.
Sorry, sometimes I don’t have enough patience. I guess I should’ve saved that for the end. What song are we on now?
I think it’s a synth. An ARP Odyssey to be specific. An electric sitar features in some other hits around the time, though.
Dream Weaver is nice too. It has some good synths. The 80’s synth thing I actually enjoy unlike some people. I guess I’m more into musicians being replaced by machines, even though I play guitar, flute, harmonica, melodica, percussion and other winds (not reeds, more Recorder/penny whistle stuff).
I got really good at maximizing value with the two record clubs. They really soaked ya on those full-price selections required to fulfill your commitment, so you had to keep an eye out for their sales and bonuses and that'd bring your average price down. Once the commitment was filled, cancel, wait a few weeks and rejoin with a slightly misspelled name and address so their computer wouldn't flag you as a "frequent flyer". Really beefed up my collection that way, bought lots of releases I wouldn't have bothered with at full price.
"Can't Find the Judge" was my next-favorite after the title track. I don't really remember the rest of the album.
I remember hearing Theme From S.W.A.T. a lot at the time. I never saw the TV series. I wasn't allowed to watch TV after 8:00 on school nights. Doesn't seem like I missed anything. Just as important, I don't feel like I missed anything. I think it is a correct statement that this is the first TV theme to reach #1. There's more I want to say here, but I'll wait until the appropriate time.
I couldn't have hummed a note of the "Theme From S.W.A.T." I know I heard it when it was out, but after a minute or so, I'm sure I was reaching for the dial to find something else. Or just turn it off, as I did this morning at the 1:09 point. Nothing offensive about it, just boring. JcS
Why yes, the series did have it's own action figures - along with the van and gear. All sold separately, I'm sure.
Peaking at a criminally low #87 was "January", Pilot's 2nd and final failed attempt to match the US success of "Magic". It was a #1 in the UK and just a fantastic pop single.
Any Pablo Cruise fans here? I liked their first couple of albums but then I moved on. This was their first single which failed to chart on the Hot 100 in '75 but got enough play here for me to buy the album. An underrated gem.
To be fair, he does sing 'there must be 50 ways to leave your lover', not 'there are definitely 50 ways to leave your lover'.
I unironically love the Cruise! That laid-back no worries let's have fun vibe is always welcome. Not at all surprised they caught on early in your neck of the ocean. I'm sure a lot of folks who got into them with their breakthrough in '77 (yours truly included) assumed they were a new band even though it was with their 3rd album. Those first two platters have a lot of good stuff on them, but I didn't get to those til the '90s.
