EVERY Billboard #1 hit discussion thread 1958-Present

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by alphanguy, Jan 29, 2016.

  1. jawilshere

    jawilshere Forum Resident

    Location:
    Massapequa, NY
    I am fan of this song, too. Always felt like it had a lot going for it. Saw them when touring this album and they were great! Also think that the follow up album, Helicon, had some enjoyable moments.
     
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  2. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    I would agree Who Loves You is a better written song. That musical interlude is a pretty brilliant section given the rest of the song structure. December 1963 is a very simple song; not even sure why it’s so appealing to me but I do like it a lot. I had wondered if Who Loves You hit the top; didn’t remember that it preceded December 1963 so I was afraid to even bring it up. It was funny when I found the album used about five years ago. Two of us kind of grabbed it at the same time at my local used store but the other guy let me have it; I don’t see that album much in the wild. Worth it to have the two cuts on vinyl for me.
     
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  3. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    In this case and in the 70’s, imo, Franki’s solo albums plus the Four Seasons in the 70’s were particularily bad. They were going for hit singles, clearly, so in this one case I’m glad they combined the two and the decent songs barely cover the two sides of the album, with a couple turkeys as it is thrown in. But I agree that Franki’s solo stuff should not really be included with the classic Four Seasons comps, though it’s a nice bonus imo but I get your point. Barnes and Nobel has a vinyl exclusive of a Franki Valli/Four Seasons comp. Feel free to avoid it if you are wanting something that sounds really good. Though the other B&N exclusives, like Gordon Lightfoot, sound good this isn’t one of them! They clearly did not use the masters so it has a veiled sound...track down originals!
     
  4. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Oh yeah! "My Eyes Adored You" was recorded while they were still under contract to Motown. But, that, and "Swearin' To God" are both on the same Private Stock album.
     
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  5. tmoore

    tmoore Forum Resident

    Location:
    Olney, MD
    Yes -- as Prohibition had been repealed on Dec. 5, 1933 -- the night in question (in that version) would have been in December 1933
    (as opposed to December 1963 in the released song)

    Another reason this song resonated with me was the knowledge that the Four Seasons were an active group in late 1963. Would not have been the same if this had been put out by a newer group, for which that wasn't true. Also it probably helped that 1963 was recent enough at the time this song was a hit, that anyone out of high school would have remembered that time.

    I've always liked this song. I tend to like the original more than whatever remixes I've heard (of which I don't know specifics -- 'but '90s sounds about the right timeframe from what I remember).
     
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  6. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    For any Four Seasons fans, Friday Music (an audiophile label as I’m sure you all know) just released a two album set of their hits, and it should be “Grant” approved as it only contains the Four Seasons, not Frankie Valli solo songs. I didn’t see this on any release schedule so it was a nice surprise. Someone said it is the old hits album released on cd from Rhino years ago, and while the cover looks similiar, I think this has fewer songs. I believe the Rhino comp had Frankie’s solo stuff so that would debunk the statement made that it is the old Rhino comp. maybe an abridged version?
     
  7. Manapua

    Manapua Forum Resident

    Location:
    Honolulu
    Much like 1975's Jaws was the start of the mega blockbuster summer movie season, it could be said that 1976 saw the beginning of the mega blockbuster album. While December 1963 was ensconced at the top, this first single from the spectacularly successful Frampton Comes Alive entered the Top 20 on it's way to a #6 showing. From his early years with the Psych/Pop band The Herd through his tenure with Humble Pie, Frampton was the young short guy with model looks and a voice that belied his stature. When he struck out on his own beginning with 1972's Wind Of Change, that leap to stardom eluded him through 4 albums before the 5th, FCA struck gold. No, make that platinum, 8 times over! It's simply amazing how an artist who was pretty much a text book case of under-the-radar could burst through the pack with a live album featuring catalog songs that few were aware of. I will say, for the most part, the live versions of all the singles are better than the previous studio takes so there's that but each of those studio albums have hidden gems if you're not familiar. What makes all this even more surprising is how quickly the backlash and subsequent fall ended what looked to be a huge career.

     
  8. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    If you're thinking of the Rhino comp with the shiny silver cover, yes, that had Frankie's solo hits as well as the Four Seasons' hits (and at least one song credited to The Wonder Who?, which only a completist could want!). Love it or hate it, that compilation is remarkably thorough, with all their major hits from all the different labels in one place.

    One interesting footnote: Frampton Comes Alive! was originally intended to be a single album. Reportedly after listening to a test pressing of it, Jerry Moss (the M in A&M) asked, "Where's the rest of it?" And the rest is history.
     
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  9. tmoore

    tmoore Forum Resident

    Location:
    Olney, MD
    I so much want to say something more about mega-albums but I see from Wiki that I would be slightly jumping the gun, so I will refrain.....
     
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  10. Hoover Factory

    Hoover Factory Old Dude Who Knows Things

    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    “Frampton Comes Alive” was huge - everyone I knew had a copy. I thought it was an amazing sounding album - the first live album that sounded like what you really hear at a concert. One thing I remember is that album price was usually discounted - it sold close to a single album price.
     
  11. Manapua

    Manapua Forum Resident

    Location:
    Honolulu
    And that certainly didn't hurt sales! Most probably considered it a bargain and forked over the cash until Frampton and the record company were sitting on a mountain of gold.
     
  12. Victor/Victrola

    Victor/Victrola Makng shure its write

    I never owned a copy of Frampton Comes Alive until this year when I found a vinyl copy and another on CD at estate sales.
     
  13. alphanguy

    alphanguy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Missouri
    Now we have "Disco Lady" by Johnnie Taylor, #1 from March 28 - April 24, 1976.
     
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  14. Manapua

    Manapua Forum Resident

    Location:
    Honolulu
    Four friggin' weeks at #1. I think I like this more right now than at any time in '76. Add December 1963's 3 weeks at the top and for a two month period, only 2 songs shared that spot. Unusual for the time but we are approaching longer runs at #1 in the near future.
     
  15. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    IT'S NOT DISCO! There, beat y'all. :p

    Johnnie Taylor walked out of the sad wreckage that was his home for over a decade - Stax Records - signed with Columbia and proceeded to rack up the first platinum single ever.

    And a smoker it is. Pure funk, don't let nobody tell you otherwise. Johnnie's gritty pipes add an extra level of heat to a scenario that amounts to basically nothing more than a play-by-play from a dude watching a foxy mama out on the floor.

    I remember having this on a beat-up old Ronco comp called Hit After Hit.

    -------

    The B-side was another track from Eargasm (ah, the 70s!) called "You're the Best in the World". It's a smooth one, with strings right out of the Barry White playbook.

     
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  16. Hoover Factory

    Hoover Factory Old Dude Who Knows Things

    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Replaying it now and I’m finding that I’m enjoying it far more than I did in 1976. Another song that was in constant airplay, so much that I got tired of hearing it. Also, I was 15 years old at the time - I was really getting into AOR and moving away from Top 40. It’s nice to re-listened to some of these song and realize that I like some of them more than I did in the 1970s.
     
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  17. Grant

    Grant Life is a rock, but the radio rolled me!

    Since this was already discussed as a #1 single for six weeks on the Every Billboard #1 R&B Hit Discussion thread, here is what I wrote about it there:

    Disco Lady - Johnnie Taylor March 16, 1976 6 weeks at #1!



    Now, this was a huuuuge comeback for Johnnie Taylor! His first single for Columbia Records after coming from Stax Records. He still had his longtime producer Don Davis, but with a slightly updated sound that is straight up funk with a hint of disco. Even Mr. Taylor got angry when people called his song disco.

    In my opinion, this was the strongest song from the strongest album he ever made in his career. And, it crossed over big, too. It would also hit #1 on the Billboard pop Hot 100 three weeks later, so this song occupied the #1 slot on both charts at the same time. Take that! And, the song got a lot of airplay around here.


    EVERY Billboard #1 rhythm & blues hit discussion thread
     
  18. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    I get why people like this song, but I guess I will be that rare person where it never did much for me personally, and I never understood it’s tremendous popularity. Great production though. Like some others have said, I like it better now than in the 70’s.
     
  19. Hey Vinyl Man

    Hey Vinyl Man Another bloody Yank down under...

    I think Johnnie Taylor himself said that once, and followed it up with "I hate disco music." Sounds like disco to me, though.
    Not a bad song, but nothing special. Granted, his Stax work was a very tough act to follow. "Who's Making Love" is one of my all time favorites.
     
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  20. Victor/Victrola

    Victor/Victrola Makng shure its write

    Not really a fan of Disco Lady. I think I heard it way too much back in the day. It seemed to be one of those tracks that local radio grabbed onto and played every hour or so. It sure got people on the dance floor though. It does have a nice slower-than-disco groove going for it.
     
  21. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    Disco Lady- I can't remember when I first heard this song. Was it as a kid or as an adult? It kind of blends in with other funk/R&B songs of the time. I didn't know this hit # 1 until this thread and for 4 weeks at that! This would be in the middle range quality of # 1 songs for 1976 in my opinion.
    I also don't know any other Johnnie Taylor songs despite him having a bunch of hits. I saw that he had the first hit with I Believe In You & Me but I don't know his version. I feel like he is one of those unsung artists.
     
  22. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    One secret I read about producer Don Davis' methods and techniques was that he basically went down South to record the rhythm tracks of what he was working on, then mixed them at United Sound in Detroit. And as this (and another one we'll be looking at a long ways from now, thus I'm holding off on divulging anything else) attests, it certainly had the aroma of a winner as far as the charts were concerned during this period. May not be disco, but it sure does groove.

    I should note that lacquers for this record were mastered by Stuart J. Romaine (he of the 'SJR' signature in the deadwax) at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs in New York - which far too many have confused with the Philadelphia-based Frankford/Wayne Recording Labs which, though corporately interconnected, was a whole 'nother animal. Mr. Romaine, while at Columbia's studios, had one other chart-topper to his credit - "Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)" by the Looking Glass.
     
  23. W.B.

    W.B. The Collector's Collector

    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Actually, his first big hit, in 1968, was "Who's Making Love."
     
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  24. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
    Sorry, I meant the first one to have a hit with the song "I Believe In You And Me" as a bunch of people covered it after.
     
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  25. Craigman1959

    Craigman1959 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alabama, USA
    I dig Disco Lady. It and Who's Making Love were played a lot at the oldies dance clubs round here in the 80's.

    ....also love his song, Cheaper to Keep Her.
     
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