Actually . . . I was. But I was holding off up to this point, not wanting to "jump ahead" in the timeline. But a third? Well . . . (as Jack Benny would say).
Am I going nuts? I HAD Werewolf. And it was NOT on Polydor, it was on Lion. The type face was the same.
150. SUNDOWN by GORDON LIGHTFOOT REPRISE REP 1194 Highest ranking for 8 weeks: June 1 (8), 8 (4), 15 (1), 22 (1), 29 (1) and July 6 (2), 13 (5) and 20 (10), 1974 Our 150th "number one", "Sundown" came out fully twelve years after Gordon Lightfoot's first singles were released. It was from his ninth album. Some people reach the summit their first time out. For some people, well, it takes a bit longer. "Sundown" spent one week at number one on Billboard, the second of five Canadian songs to climb to the Billboard summit in 1974. It made it to the top on June 29, 1974, dethroning "Billy Don't Be a Hero" by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods and replaced a week later by "Rock the Boat" by the Hues Corporation (one of three three-word number ones beginning with the word "rock" in 1974). That week was the third of three weeks that "Sundown" sat atop the RPM 100. This was the second of three times Gord would top the RPM 100 charts, but the only time he would make it to number one on Billboard (though he's come pretty close once more). The album it came from, also called Sundown, was the only time Gord would peak at the top of the Billboard album charts, but it was his third time in a row topping the RPM album charts. He'd do it once more after this. Of Lightfoot's long and storied career, "Sundown" remains one of the best-known of his songs. On Spotify, it is neck-and-neck with "If You Could Read My Mind" for the most-streamed Lightfoot song (at just shy of fifty million streams apiece). The image on the cover of the album, also called Sundown, from which this came is perhaps the second-most identifiable image of Gordon out there, him dressed in blue sitting next to his acoustic guitar in front of a haypile (the Gord's Gold cover must be the most recognisable). Given that he's probably performed it almost every time he's taken to stage in the past forty-plus years, he's spoken very little about "Sundown" down the years. It's now accepted to be about Cathy Smith, with whom Lightfoot was having an extramarital affair at the time. I've never been fond of the word 'groupie', but Smith was connected to several famous people, both in and out of the music industry. First it was the Band, several members at varying times. Then it was Lightfoot for a tumultuous few years, during which Lightfoot broke her cheekbone and she was cited in Lightfoot's divorce papers. After that, she wound up dealing drugs to the stars in Los Angeles and was, famously, personally responsible for the overdose that killed John Belushi, for which she spent 15 months in prison. Her August 2020 death led to one of those SHF threads that the Gorts have to close down. Gord's own words: "Well, I had this girlfriend one time, and I was at home working, at my desk, working at my songwriting which I had been doing all week since I was on a roll, and my girlfriend was somewhere drinking, drinking somewhere. So I was hoping that no one else would get their hands on her because she was pretty good lookin'! And that's how I wrote the song 'Sundown,' and as a matter of fact, it was written just around sundown, just as the sun was setting, behind the farm I had rented to use as a place to write the album." Lightfoot has had greater success on the Adult Contemporary charts than he has on the country or pop charts. He works in a smooth genre, and he has written his fair share of smooth, pretty numbers. But "Sundown" is gritty and more than a little ugly. It's about love too but about its seamier and less attractive sides. Jealousy and obsession. Being number one in the USA gave "Sundown" the juice to get released in all sorts of countries, courtesy of Reprise's international operations: Angola, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the UK, the USA, Venezuela. Quite a few picture sleeves, as seen below. SUR LES PALMARÈS DU QUÉBEC: Oh, I'm not even going to apologise anymore. I screwed up. I always do. Let's take us from December 1973 until... well, let's get close to up-to-date, shall we? First, in December and January, we have Nicole Martin of Donnacona with the generic and derivative 50s throwback "Jimmy Jimmy". I can't be bothered to listen to the lyrics, but one wonders if the subject of the song is indeed Nicole's occasional duet partner, producer and co-writer of this song Jimmy Bond. It was followed by "Pour un instant d'amour" by Patrick Norman, apparently a country singer who sang in both languages. This track ain't country, though, being a lugubrious take on Massimo Ranieri's 1971 Eurovision hit. It spent four weeks at number one, taking us to February. It was followed by the début single from Melody Stewart, "Fio Mara Villia". The rather excellent song is a cover of a Jorge Ben song from Brazil (translated, as fifty percent of these number ones were, by Pierre Létourneau). Stewart, as the name might suggest, was an anglophone from Brossard. While most of her career appears to have been in the disco era and in English, she started her career singing in French. After her, we get teenager Sébastien with a translation of Neil Sedaka's "Calendar Girl" called "Non, je ne sais pas" - not a literal translation, then, and it was again the work of Pierre Létourneau. Speaking of hard-working Québécois musicians, it's been a minute since we heard from Michel Pagliaro, who spent four weeks at the top with "Faut tout donner", another 50s throwback (must have been in the air in Québec at the time, as @bekayne has suggested was occurring in English Canada as well) that still builds to a massive crescendo. The single was live, taken from a double-album live set on RCA. Two rare number ones by Europeans, Mike Brant and Michel Delpech, precede Michèle Richard's catchy take on Demis Roussos' "Goodbye my love goodbye", which was translated (except for the hook) by... you guessed it, Pierre Létourneau. Although it only takes us to May, the last song we'll look at today is the dramatic five-week number one "Oui, paraît-il" by Nicole Martin once again. It was written by producer Yves Martin together with... oh, you already know what I'm going to say. I wonder if that man even slept at night. FRANCE: PORTUGAL: SPAIN: SPAIN PROMO:
If so, must've been very early in the game; U.S. MGM shut down Lion Records around the same time this came out . . . and as PolyGram now owned MGM, they took it upon themselves to transfer the group to Polydor itself.
The U.S. one, I've had for ages. And it clearly deserved its run at the top, however brief. Cash Box and Record World both also had it atop their charts for one week; Radio & Records was far more generous, giving it three weeks at Number One. Here, without further adieu, is the U.S. label: Notice the "S" suffix here next to the matrix number. Does anyone know whether the Canadian ish' was stereo or mono? In the U.S., decisively stereo. 'CN' was Warner/Reprise's code for Canada in their matrix system that, in this form, was unveiled in 1971. Very little used at this point, only 67 other masters before Mr. Lightfoot committed "Sundown" to tape. 'R' indicated a 1973 recording, though it came out in '74. California matrices of Warner/Reprise had a 'RCA' prefix!
I actually heard it on CKLW and flipped. Went right out that week and got it. So that must be it. Werewolf is a weird record. I LIKE weird.
At # 81 the week of June 1, 1974, "All The Living Things" by Crowbar, their final chart entry B-side "Go For The Throat" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1tJN49pD6M "All The Living Things" would be their last single, the group would break up in 1975 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgfrFHSY8vU There would be a couple of reunion singles, "Run Rudolph Run" b/w "Boogie On The Roof" in 1977 on Puck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B3w5aZsP1g And "Call Me A Cab" b/w "Blue Light Boogie" in 1987
At #84 the same week of June 1, April Wine with "Electric Jewels". It would only be released in Canada, the band still being in the doldrums, commercially speaking. The B-side "I Can Hear You Callin'" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFhJzZxYhjI
Though U.S. stock copies exist, the only representation I saw was of the flip side. Thus I am forced to show the stereo promo side: Notice how the matrix number differs between U.S. and Canadian pressings.
@bekayne Are you making sure we are paying attention? These are three separate records by three separate recording entities, all charting within relatively the same time frame?! Wow.
Werewolf by Five Man Electrical Band, I always just found annoying, and still do. "Betcha Billy got him", said Mom? Really? With fingers crossed, no doubt. Not exactly a believable story. I'll stick with Half Past Midnight, thank you! Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot, I was never fussed about either. Last time I heard it (a few years ago), I realized it had a pretty good beat, which always goes some distance with me, so it's not really a bad song. I just think it's just a far cry from gems like Go Go Round, Ribbon of Darkness or Black Day in July.
Eh, I've heard worse. And you have tagged the dumbest line in the song. Still it had the right sound and like I said it was just weird enough to catch my attention. I've actually been surprised to realize I am actually a Five Man Electric Band fan. I know ALL these tracks. CKLW no doubt.
At #6 for the first of three weeks the week of June 8, "Help Me" by Joni Mitchell. It was her only U.S. top ten hit (#7 in Billboard, #8 in Cash Box). also topping the Adult Contemporary chart. Live in 1974 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4oY8ojxp_8 A cover version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebvH0dGcXX8 B-side "Just Like This Train" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLIArmiG0wY German picture sleeve Portugal Japan FACE TO FACE | Maclean's | JUNE 1974
There have been numerous price guides published on US 45s, but what's disappointing to me is the lack of documentation on Canadian 45s - the releases, rarity, value, whether a picture sleeve was issued, etc. Is anything out there on this? Over the years, several friends have given me their old 45s, knowing I'm a collector. I have a copy of Last Kiss by Wednesday on Ampex. It's in VG+ condition and has the original company sleeve. Is it worth anything? Not that I'm looking to sell...I'm just curious about certain Canadian 45s.
According to Discogs, not a big demand for it Wednesday – Last Kiss (1973, Vinyl) Wednesday – Last Kiss / Without You (1973, Vinyl) Wednesday – Last Kiss / Without You (1973, Vinyl)
At #41 for the first of two weeks, Don Goodwin with "Time To Cry". You'll never guess who wrote both sides of the single! Go on, guess! The B-side "Good Good Lovin'" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck3J0HFk9Lc Belgian picture sleeve Dutch picture sleeve, where "This Is Your Song" was the B-side "Time To Cry" made it to #11 at CHUM, where "Help Me' by Joni Mitchell didn't even chart.
At #88 the same week of June 8, "My World", the debut single by Craig Ruhnke Another youtube video of the song that appears to be at the wrong speed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xelwKzXWIE The B-side "I'll Always Love You" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rzqPo_TTME Craig Ruhnke was from Scarborough, he'll chart again
At #18 for the first of two week the week of June 22, "Just As Bad As You" by Shawne Jackson on Playboy Records, written and co-produced by Domenic Troiano (whom she'd eventually marry). It reached #9 at her hometown CHUM and Ottawa's CFGO as well B-side "He May Be Your Man" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA0R-03BZSI Shawne Jackson - Just As Bad As You / He May Be Your Man - 7" Canadian Bands.com - Shawne Jackson Jackson was from Toronto, a former member of the band the Majestics (along with her brother Jay Jackson), who recorded four albums in the 1960s for Arc Records.
Peaking at #8 the week of June 29 (for the first of two weeks), "Save The Last Dance For Me" by The DeFranco Family Featuring Tony DeFranco. It also reached #16 in Cash Box, #18 in Billboard, and the top ten in Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Kansas City. The B-side "Because We Both Are Young" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkaVYuEGMa4 German picture sleeve Save The Last Dance For Me would be the title of their second album, which did not chart anywhere.
At #81 the week of June 29, Robert David with "Rhoda" b/w "Don't Let Your Heart Fall (Song For Peter)" (#7 on RPM's Pop Music Playlist). It was produced by Jack Cornell. Neither is on Youtube. There is little information about Robert David. He earlier recorded a self-titled country album. "Misty Road" (b/w "Liza") from it reached #52 on RPM's Pop Music Playlist "Sunshine Man" b/w "Easier" would come after "Rhoda" but would not chart. According to Discogs the same Robert David would release "The Boys" in 1985. This is not country.